Providence Meal Waiver and Shift Length Changes

UFCW 3000 has filed an unfair labor practice charge against all Providence hospitals for implementing shift length changes and not bargaining to an impasse with us over the meal waiver. Additionally, we have filed grievances since Providence changed work schedules without the caregivers' consent and have not been paying members for missed or late second meal periods.

Given Providence's decision to proceed with extending shift lengths, we advise 10-hour and 12-hour shift workers to carefully consider their options. You may choose to accept an extended shift with two meal periods or opt to waive the second meal period and retain your current shift length. If you opt to waive the second meal period, you retain the right to revoke this decision at any time through your core leader. However, we strongly advise against waiving the timing of your meal period, as you are entitled to 30 minutes of pay for late meal periods.

*"Question 1) I am voluntarily requesting to waive my second unpaid meal period if I am entitled to one." *

Recommendation: ACCEPT means your shift length will remain the same or DECLINE means your shift will be extended, and you will receive two meal periods as a 10-hour and 12-hour shift worker.

*"Question 2) I am voluntarily requesting to take my unpaid meal periods at a time that may not be within a two-to-five-hour block of work." *

Recommendation: DECLINE means if your meal period is not within the two-to-five-hour block, then you should receive 30 minutes of pay. You can file a complaint with L&I if you are not paid accordingly.

>> Track your late meal periods here!

>> If you feel that you have been coerced into signing the meal waiver by Providence, we strongly encourage you to file a complaint with L&I.

Providence Meal Waiver and Shift Length Changes

In December 2023, Providence issued a meal waiver to all members of the UFCW 3000 bargaining unit. As union members, we have the collective right to negotiate over the terms of this waiver. Earlier this year, we engaged in negotiations with Providence regarding the meal waiver language. Despite our reasonable proposal, Providence rejected our language. Furthermore, we informed Providence that, based on past practices and contractual agreements, they were not permitted to alter shift lengths.

However, in February 2024, Providence began informing members of their intention to implement changes to shift lengths. We believe Providence is sidestepping the bargaining process by unilaterally implementing these changes and acting in bad faith. Consequently, we are initiating unfair labor practice proceedings against Providence. We have issued a cease-and-desist letter to Providence and are demanding to return to the bargaining table to resolve this matter.

Given Providence's decision to proceed with extending shift lengths, we advise 10-hour and 12-hour shift workers to carefully consider their options. You may choose to accept an extended shift with two meal periods or opt to waive the second meal period and retain your current shift length. If you opt to waive the second meal period, you retain the right to revoke this decision at any time through your core leader.

However, we strongly advise against waiving the timing of your meal period, as you are entitled to 30 minutes of pay for late meal periods.

Question 1: I am voluntarily requesting to waive my second unpaid meal period if I am entitled to one.

Recommendation:
ACCEPT means your shift length will remain the same.
OR
DECLINE means your shift will be extended and you will receive two meal periods as a 10 hour and 12-hour shift worker.

Question 2: I am voluntarily requesting to take my unpaid meal periods at a time that may not be within hours two through five-hour block of work.

Recommendation:
DECLINE means if your meal period is not within the two-to-five-hour block then you should receive 30 minutes of pay. You can file a complaint with L&I if you are not paid accordingly.

Track your late meal periods here >>

Know your Rights! Providence Meal Waiver

UFCW 3000 is working with Providence to address the Meal Waiver situation. We consider the language in the meal waiver to be a direct negotiation with employees since Providence is asking you to waive rights outlined in our contracts. We want to ensure that you receive appropriate compensation for missed or late meal periods and that your contract is not negatively impacted.

For shifts of 11 hours or more: If your shift length is 11 hours or more, you are entitled to two 30-minute meal periods. If you are currently only receiving one 30-minute meal period and have not waived your second meal period, you may be entitled to compensation. Additionally, the employer may extend your shift based on the language in the CBA and past practices in order to accommodate your second meal period.

It is your right to waive the second meal period, but you may miss out on overtime pay for missing your second meal period if you choose to waive it. While we recommend not waiving your second meal period, the decision to do so is ultimately yours.

We will be holding a Zoom meeting on Monday, February 5, from 6 - 7 pm for all Providence members to ask questions about the meal waiver. Join the meeting at that time by clicking here:

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to your union rep:

• Anthony Cantu (Providence Everett RNs): 206-436-6566

• Jack Crow (Providence Everett Pros and Techs): 206-436-6614

• Madison Derksema (Providence St. Peter, Providence Radiant Care, and Providence Centralia): 206-436-6603

• Lenaya Wilhelm (Providence Holy Family and Sacred Heart): 509-340-7369

• Juanita Quezada (Providence Sacred Heart Techs and Providence St. Mary): 509-340-7407

• Amy Radcliff (Providence Mt. Carmel and St. Joseph): 509-340-7370

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Health Care Rest Breaks & Meal Periods: Know Your Rights and Your Contract

Shift Length	Rest Breaks	Meal Period
4-5 hour shift	10 min* x1	0
8-hour shift	10 min* x2	30 min x1
10-hour shift	10 min* x2	30 min x1
12-hour shift	10 min* x3	30 min x2
16-hour shift	10 min* x4	30 min x2

*10 minutes is the WA State minimum. If your contract bargaining agreement (CBA) states 15 minutes, you should receive 15-minute rest breaks

• You must receive a paid rest break for every four (4) hours worked.

• You cannot waive your right to a rest break.

Meal Period: Your right to a meal period

A meal period cannot be substituted for breaks: Any employee who works more than four (4) hours gets their breaks as outlined above, and any scheduled meal period.

You are entitled to a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period when working more than five hours. The first meal period must be between the second and fifth hour worked. If you work 11 hours or more during the day, you must receive a second meal period no later than five (5) hours after the end of your first meal period.

Interrupted Mealtime: If you are required to stay on duty during a meal break you are still entitled to 30 total minutes of mealtime, excluding interruptions, plus 30 minutes of pay. Time spent performing the work task is not considered part of the meal period. The entire meal period must be paid no matter the number of interruptions. For example, if you received a 30-minute meal break but had to answer your work phone throughout then you should be paid 30 minutes for your meal period and receive a total of 30 minutes (non-consecutive) mealtime. 

Late Mealtime: If you are not given time to have a 30-minute mealtime, you must be paid for your time worked plus 30 minutes. Paying employees 30 minutes for the meal period does not absolve the employer’s responsibility to give you a late 30-minute unpaid mealtime when practicable.

The above is a general guideline to meal periods and rest breaks. For more in-depth information please contact your union representative OR download the Health Care Guide to Meal and Rest Breaks >>

Relevant Laws:

• WAC 296-126-092

• RCW 49.12.480

Providence Meal Waiver Update

In December 2023, Providence sent out a meal waiver to all UFCW 3000 represented employees. Providence is seeking to get employees to waive the timing of their first and second meal period, and waive their right to a second meal period if they are a 10 hour or 12 hour shift employee. Per the collective bargaining agreements, meal breaks should be administered per WA state law WAC 296-126-092  andRCW 49.12.480

RCW 49.12.480

• 8 hour shift employee- 2 paid rest breaks and one unpaid 30 minute meal period for every 5 hours worked with the first unpaid meal break between the second and fifth hour of the shift
   

• 10 hour shift employee- 2 paid rest breaks and one unpaid 30 minute meal period for every 5 hours worked with the first unpaid meal break between the second and fifth hour of the shift 
   

• 12 hour shift employee- 3 paid rest breaks and one unpaid 30 minute meal period for every 5 hours worked with the first unpaid meal break between the second and fifth hour of the shift

If you do not receive your meal period or receive a late meal period, you are supposed to be paid 30 minutes for every missed meal period. If you believe you have not been paid appropriately, please contact your union representative.

UFCW 3000 is recommending that you deny Providence’s request to both questionson the meal waiver. Our position is that Providence cannot change the timing of the meal period without bargaining over this issue and by waiving your right to a second meal period you may be losing out on overtime pay.

We have demanded that Providence remove the timing question from the meal waiver and bargain with us over the confusing language in the meal waiver. We have not heard back from Providence but expect an answer this week.

Our recommendation is that you respond in the following way:

1. Question 1: I am voluntarily requesting to waive my second unpaid meal period if I am entitled to one. DECLINE
    

2. Question 2: I am voluntarily requesting to take my first and second (if applicable/not waived) unpaid meal period at a time that is different than between hours two through five of my work periods. DECLINE

If you have any questions, please reach out to your union rep: Anthony Cantu (Providence Everett RNs), Jack Crow (Providence Everett Pros and Techs), Madison Derksema (Providence St. Peter, Providence Radiant Care and Providence Centralia), Lenaya Wilhelm (Providence Holy Family and Sacred Heart), Juanita Quezada (Sacred Heart Tech), Amy Radcliff (Mt Carmel RN and St. Joes).

Providence RadiantCare - Contract Overwhelmingly Approved!

On March 22, workers at Providence RadiantCare overwhelmingly approved their first contract! Workers will be receiving anywhere between a 2% to 20% wage increase on their April 15 paychecks. This contract is also the first to achieve placement onto a wage scale dependent on years of service versus a minimum percentage increase, which resulted in higher wage increases compared to other newly organized units. 

On top of guaranteed wage increases, the bargaining team was able to win workplace protections like the grievance process, lay-off procedure, and successorship language in case of a sale. 

Providence RadiantCare workers are joining about 50,000 UFCW Local 3000 members in Washington State and parts of Oregon and Idaho. We encourage you to learn about your union rights, union trainings, upcoming activities/events, and union benefits by going onto our website, www.ufcw3000.org.

If you have any contract questions or workplace issues, please reach out to your union representative, Erin McCoy emccoy@ufcw21.org or 206-436-6598 (landline). 

Congratulations Providence RadiantCare UFCW members! Welcome to Local 3000! 

Providence Radiantcare Contract Vote

Providence Radiantcare Contract Vote March 22 Our bargaining team is recommending a YES Vote

We have reached a tentative agreement with Providence Radiantcare! Our next step is to ratify the tentative agreement. We will be reviewing and explaining the contract on the day of the vote. We will be holding the contract vote on Tuesday, March 22 from 5pm to 8pm at the Olympia Community Center (Room 101/102). You cannot submit an absentee vote or electronic vote and cannot vote outside of the time slot listed.

Vote Meeting

Tuesday, March 22 from 5pm to 8pm

Olympia Community Center

222 Columbia St NW 2nd Floor,

Olympia, WA 98501 (Room 101/102)

Please reach out to our bargaining team or Union Rep Erin McCoy is you have any questions.

Providence RadiantCare - Tentative agreement reached

On March 2, we reached an agreement with Providence Radiantcare! While it took other newly organized units within Providence over a year, it took our team only five months to reach a contract agreement. We were able to win annual increases, anniversary date increases, health benefit language, retirement plan language, and differential pay. The biggest win we were able to achieve was placement onto the wage scale dependent on your years of service in your classification. No other first contract within Providence currently has this placement language.

Our next step will be to hold a meeting over Zoom on Wednesday, March 16 to discuss the highlights of the agreement. We currently are working on securing a meeting space in Olympia to hold our in-person vote meeting and will be following up with another announcement with the vote location and date/time.

Welcome to UFCW 3000, Providence Radiantcare!

Questions? Join our online Contract Vote Meeting!
Wednesday, March 16
6-7 PM
https://zoom.us/join
Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Rep for Zoom meeting details. Details will also be sent to your email.

Providence RadiantCare - Proposed wages that reflect service years

On February 1, we met with Providence Radiantcare Management for our seventh session. In this session, we presented to Management our petition which asks Providence to recognize our work with competitive wage rates in order to recruit and retain staff.

We believe that the petition along with our leaflet action and our comments at the bargaining table are starting to pressure Management into a better wage proposal. Providence presented to us a wage proposal which places each person onto the wage scale dependent on their years of service at Providence Radiantcare (or Radiantcare prior to Providence’s acquisition).

This proposal may result in 2% to 17% wage increases the first year of the contract. We will be costing out Management’s wage proposal to better determine if this proposal benefits the majority of our unit.

Hear from our Bargaining Team about negotiations! We will go more in-depth about the proposal and next actions during our next contract action Team Meetings.

Via Zoom
Thursday, February 3
6 PM
Contact a Bargaining Team Member for Zoom details. Details will also be emailed.

In Person
Wednesday. February 9
6 PM
Tugboat Annie’s
2100 W Bay Drive NW
Olympia, WA 98502

Providence RadiantCare Management rejects wage placement based on experience

On January 27, we met with Providence RadiantCare Management and reached an agreement on several non-economic articles. Management agreed to using job classification seniority in case of a lay-off, schedules can only be modified with mutual consent, and leaves of absence benefits cannot be changed during the life of the contract.

Most of our bargaining session focused on wages and compensation. Providence’s last proposal provides at least a 1.5% increase upon ratification. We believe the initial increase is not enough given that our unit has gone without a wage increase for almost two years and our wage rates are below the market. Providence continues telling us that they only consider clinic wage rates for our unit, but the reality is that Providence is competing with hospitals and clinics for caregivers. They should be looking at hospital and clinic rates!

Additionally, Providence told us that they are not interested in placing everyone at the appropriate wage rate commensurate to their experience. Under their proposal, a Radiation Therapist with two years of experience would be placed on the base step and a Radiation Therapist with six years of experience would be placed on Step 1. We told Management multiple times that many of us feel that there is an inequity in pay within our unit and their proposal will continue the inequity. We believe that we all deserve a competitive wage rate and caregivers with more experience should be paid more.

Our next bargaining session will be on February 1.

It is clear to us that in order to move them towards an equitable wage proposal, we will have to take collective action. Please continue wearing a sticker daily and stay tuned for future workplace actions.

Providence RadiantCare - Providence proposes lesser wages than current minimum hourly rates

On January 11, we met with Providence for our fifth bargaining session. Providence responded to the remaining non-economic articles: definitions, employment practices, seniority, hours of work and overtime, and leaves of absence. We are close to an agreement on most of these articles except for the lay-off procedure. Providence has proposed to use bargaining unit seniority instead of job classification seniority in determining which employees would be laid off. As an example, a PCC who becomes an RN and has seven years of service, but only one year of experience as an RN, would bump an RN who has five years of service. We believe using job classification seniority is a better approach for a lay-off.

Providence also responded to our economic proposal with a 1.5% increase in 2022, 1.5% increase in 2023, and 2% in 2024. Additionally, their base rates are less than the current minimum rates for each classification! Their wage scale and across the board increases will not retain or recruit workers. Radiantcare workers would be earning several dollars less than the same classifications at Providence Centralia, Everett, and St. Peter’s. We must take action to show Providence that their wage proposal is not acceptable, and we deserve the same wage rates as Centralia, Everett, and St. Peter’s!

We will be holding a car sign action on Thursday, January 20 at all three clinics. Please ask one of your Bargaining Team members for a car sign which you can display on your windshield and for a sticker that you can wear daily until January 27. Let’s show Providence that we are UNITED, and we will fight for a fair wage scale!

If you are available, please join us on the sidewalk in front of the Centralia clinic @ 1pm- 2pm and Lacey clinic @ 3pm- 4pm on Thursday, January 20.

If you have comments, workplace issues, or are facing disciplinary action, please contract your Union Rep Erin McCoy @ (206) 436-6598 (landline).

Bargaining Team: Kelly Covington (RN), Winter Everson (Radiation Therapist), Branden Raftery (Dosimetrist), and Paul Lofing (Radiation Therpaist)

Providence RadiantCare - Providence Proposes a Wage Scale!

On December 15, we met with Providence RadiantCare for our fourth session. We made it clear to Providence that we are not interested in their proposed merit system and wage ranges. After much discussion around the matter, Providence proposed a wage sale with 20 steps and annual increases. Unfortunately, the proposed increases for the first year are below 4% and the proposed wage rates are below other Providence hospitals like Centralia and Everett.

Under their proposal, workers would be initially placed onto the wage step which is closest to their current hourly rate with a guarantee of a 3% increase for LPNs and RTs and .5% increase for all other classifications. This placement language does not consider workers’ experience in their job classification or provide competitive wage increases. We told Providence that we need placement language which considers experience and looks at the market!

On January 11, we will be presenting our compensation counter proposal and a petition asking for monetary recognition for our work during the last year and a half. If you have not signed onto the petition, please sign-on as soon as possible! 

If you have any questions about bargaining or workplace issues, please reach out to your union representative, Erin McCoy 206-436-6598. . 

In solidarity, your PRCS bargaining team: Branden Raftery (Lacey - Dosimetrist), Paul Lofing (Aberdeen - RT), Kelly Covington (Lacey - RN) Winter Everson (Lacey - RT) 

Providence Radiant Care - Providence Proposes Merit Increases and No Wage Scale! We Demand a Wage Scale!

On December 7, we met for the third time with Providence’s negotiating team. In this session, we discussed the remaining non-economic articles like employment practices, seniority, definitions of contract terms, hours of work and overtime, and leaves of absence. Providence responded with language like other new contracts like the PCH Tech and Service contracts. 

A point of contract is that Providence rejected our proposal to implement job classification seniority. Their proposal is to implement bargaining unit seniority. Your seniority date and hire date are different. Your hire date never changes, but your seniority date begins when you enter the bargaining unit or when you move into a new job classification. Under bargaining unit seniority, a worker would retain their seniority even if they moved into a new job classification. This means a therapist with five years of bargaining unit seniority could be laid off instead of the new therapist with 15 years of bargaining unit seniority. We believe job classification seniority is more equitable and other Providence technical units use job classification seniority. 

We also proposed wages, benefits, and premium pay on December 7. We proposed that 1) all workers should receive a bonus for the lack of wage increase in the last year and to acknowledge our work during the pandemic 2) at least a 7% increase upon ratification of the contract 3) a competitive wage scale with 28 steps 4) annual anniversary date wage increases 5) annual cost of living increases 6) internal equity language to ensure new hires with the same experience as current employees do not get paid more than incumbents. 

Providence rejected our proposals and proposed to continue their current merit pay system. We voiced our concerns about merit pay. Providence told us that they do not have a metric to quantify merit and they believe workers should not reach the “maximum” on their pay ranges. We are extremely disappointed with Providence’s proposal given that we have made a lot of progress on non-economic issues. 

We will be responding on December 15 and reiterating that we need a wage scale and do not want a merit-based pay system! On December 16 at 5:45 PM, we will hold a Contract Action Team (CAT) meeting over Zoom to review bargaining and plan future workplace actions! If you have any questions, please talk to your bargaining team or Union Rep Erin McCoy emcccoy@ufcw21.org. 

In solidarity, your PRCS bargaining team: Branden Raftery (Lacey - Dosimetrist), Paul Lofing (Aberdeen - RT), Kelly Covington (Lacey - RN) Winter Everson (Lacey - RT) 

Providence Radiant Care - Making Progress!

In our second bargaining session with Providence Radiant Care on November 17, we reached tentative agreements on nine articles. We agreed on the preamble, recognition of the bargaining unit, union membership, union representative matters, management rights, grievance procedure, no strike/no lock-out, labor management committees, and successorship. 

These articles provide workers with irrevocable rights and an avenue to fight contract violations and workplace issues. For example, the successorship article guarantees that Providence provides 60 days’ notice prior to any sale, merger, or transfer of Radiant Care. At which time, the Union would send a demand to bargain over the effects of the sale to the new employer and Providence. This gives workers a voice during the sale process and ensures that you are given the opportunity to negotiate your contractual benefits with the new employer. 

Additionally, we proposed five more articles which cover workplace conditions like hours of work/overtime, seniority, employment practices, definition of full-time and part-time employees, and leaves of absence. Providence will be responding to our counterproposal during our next bargaining session on December 7. Also we plan to make our compensation proposal on December 7. 

At other bargaining tables, it has taken us about five to seven sessions to reach agreement on nine articles. We are hopeful that this is an indicator that Providence is willing to compromise on non-economic matters so we can start discussing compensation/ benefits. 

We will go into more bargaining details and next steps at our Contract Action Team (CAT) meeting on November 30 from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM via Zoom. If you have any questions, workplace issues, or are called into a disciplinary meeting, please contact Erin McCoy 206-436-6598 (landline). 

Bargaining Dates: 

December 7 and December 8 (cancelled by Providence), awaiting January bargaining dates

In solidarity, your PRCS bargaining team: Branden Raftery (Lacey - Dosimetrist), Paul Lofing (Aberdeen - RT), Kelly Covington (Lacey - RN) Winter Everson (Lacey - RT) 

Providence Radiant Care - Bargaining Commences!

On November 11, we had our first bargaining session with Providence Radiant Care. The parties agreed to ground rules for the bargaining process, which includes introducing all proposals, e.g. wages/compensation, by December 7.  Providence proposed in our first session a package proposal which included sixteen articles covering workplace conditions and benefits, but did not include compensation. Providence told us that they are interested in reaching a deal quickly and wanted to avoid bargaining for more than a year like we did for the newly organized units at Providence Centralia Hospital (PCH) and Providence St. Peter’s Hospital (PSPH). 

Providence said that they were proposing language from the new PCH and PSPH contracts, but when the bargaining team reviewed the proposal, we found that they only proposed subsections of articles or proposed weaker language. For example, under the health benefits article Providence proposed, they would offer the same plans that the majority of Providence employees receive to Radiant Care employees. Under the PCH and PSPH contracts, we have detailed information about the health plans, Providence must notify us of any plan changes, and Providence cannot increase premiums by more than 10%. All of this was missing from their proposal. 

This is just one example of how their package proposal fell short. With a package proposal, you must accept the entire proposal. Given that, we rejected Providence’s package proposal and responded with our own package proposal which covers recognition, union membership, management rights, union access, grievance procedure, successorship, labor management committee, and strikes/lockout. 

We agree that reaching a deal sooner rather than later is beneficial, but we cannot agree to a subpar deal. We deserve competitive wage increases and quality contract language like PSPH and PCH. We hope that Providence will take this into consideration and will accept our package proposal in our next session. 

Our next bargaining session is on November 17. We will be holding a contract action team meeting to go over bargaining details on November 30 from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM via Zoom. If you have any workplace issues or questions, please reach out to Erin McCoy (union representative) 206-436-6598.

Bargaining Dates: 

November 17, December 7, December 8  

In solidarity, your bargaining team: Branden Raftery (Lacey - Dosimetrist), Paul Lofing (Aberdeen - RT), Kelly Covington (Lacey - RN) Winter Everson (Lacey - RT) 

Providence RadiantCare, we demand bargaining dates

It has been six months since we unionized, and we have not received bargaining dates from Providence! Typically, we head to the bargaining table about 3 - 6 months after unionizing and bargain for about 10 - 12 months for a first contract. Providence Centralia (Techs and Service units) and Providence St. Peter’s (Tech unit) bargained for about fifteen months in order to reach a first contract agreement.

We have formed a Bargaining Committee comprised of Kelly Covington (RN), Winter Everson (Radiation Therapist), Branden Raftery (Dosimetrist), and Paul Lofing (Radiation Therapist). The job of the Bargaining Committee is to be the voice of the entire bargaining unit at the negotiation table and represent the interests of all workers within the unit. The committee has presented each departments’ contract wish list and we have discussed contract priorities for the entire bargaining unit.

Part of preparing for negotiations involves requesting information from Providence. In August, we requested that Providence provide policies, procedures, an employee roster, all employee benefit plans, and other information pertinent to negotiations, but we have not received anything from them. This information is over a month late! If Providence continues to delay fulfilling the information request, we will be taking legal action.

This information is needed to create a proper first proposal. Currently we have created an initial non-economic proposal based on the bargaining committee’s knowledge and the feedback they have heard from their departments.

We will continue requesting bargaining dates from Providence and will be seeking legal action on this matter as well if they delay further!

If you have comments, workplace issues, or are facing disciplinary action, please contact your Union Rep Erin McCoy (206) 436-6598 (landline).