After nearly 8 months of negotiations and taking a historic act of solidarity by going an 8.5 day Unfair Labor Practice strike, our bargaining team has reached a recommended tentative agreement on a new contract.
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When we fight we win! Management heard us because of our unanimous strike authorization vote. With the strength and support of our co-workers behind us, we were able to lock in significant movement at the table:
We beat back management’s attempts to gut our dental plan.
Proposals were exchanged that would ensure NO changes to our contractual dental plan over the course of the contract and included language that would ensure we keep our Dental plan in place long term, as long as it remains the standard for the Service & Maintenance unit at the hospital.
We also locked in new Tentative Agreements on:
Recognition of past experience for New Hires
Increase Shift Differentials
Increased Standby pay
Preceptor Premium
Adding MLK Day as a holiday
Clarity of sick leave usage
Removal of Ghost Step for step 23 and Step 11
Improved Grievance process
Staffing LOU
Tuition reimbursement increase
While these are promising improvements they are not enough until we win significant improvements on wage proposals.
Caregivers deserve respect from Management, Sacred Heart is the only level 2 trauma hospital in the area and is a vital resource for our community for miles around. Other hospitals send us their most complicated and desperate patients to get the care they need.
Throughout the negotiation process Management has tried to circumvent good faith bargaining by unanimously implementing procedures around mealtimes and breaks, imposing a wage path without negotiating, frustrating the process by failing to provide essential information to our union bargaining team, and other unfair labor practices.
If we are unable to reach a fully recommended offer at our next session scheduled for April 8 our union Bargaining Team is recommending a NO vote on the contract proposal and a YES vote to re-authorize a strike. Any time there are significant changes to the proposal we must re-vote. All members in good standing are encouraged to vote. To receive the union strike pay benefit, you must complete a W9 form before we go on strike >>
“We need to show Management that the progress we made isn’t enough with a strong NO Vote. We hope we can reach a tentative agreement, but we are united and ready for a ULP strike if we must. Over the next week we will be signing up for strike shifts and picket captain trainings. We are not afraid to do what we must to win,” - Craig Kistler
“We need to recruit and retain talented caregivers so that we can provide the quality healthcare this community expects from a Trauma level 2 Hospital. Spokane has become one of the most expensive places to live in Eastern Washington, we need wages that stay competitive with other area healthcare centers and acknowledge the unique and important role that Sacred Heart plays in caring for communities for miles around.” - Teresa Bowden
Michael McDonald is an Emergency Department Tech in the pediatric department at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane Washington. Michael assists doctors and nurses in giving care to kids who come into the Emergency Room and makes sure that the rooms and equipment are ready to go when needed.
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We have had 7 session of bargaining and are making progress in many areas but we are focusing our fight for fair wages and you to be able to continue to take care of yourself and YOUR FAMILY. Providence has proposed the elimination of your EIB benefits which for a full-time person would eliminate 64 hours from your Extended Illness Bank.
Please look out for the SAVE OUR EIB petition to show Providence that we are united in the fight to save our EIB.
Please reach out to your bargaining team with questions or concerns or contact your Union Representative Maureen Hatton at 509-340-7370.
OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Lisa Aker, Surgical Tech; Angela Holmes, Surgical Tech; Teresa Bowden, Respiratory Therapist; Laurie Trudeau, Respiratory Therapist; Sam Zabala, Respiratory Therapist; Miriam Critelli, Pharmacy Tech; Kevin Lange, Mental Health Counselor; Shane Sullivan, Peds Sonagrapher; Aaron Bryant, IR Tech; Derek Roybal, CV Tech; Jason Van Curler, EP Tech
Talk to your Bargaining Team Members, attend an upcoming Contract Action Team meeting and sign our Unity Petition. This is a clear message that we are stronger together and are saying “NO” to their new “Total Rewards” program.
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All four unions have come together to stand united for patients over profits. Providence wants to lower standards for over 6,000 UFCW 21 members and another 14,000 union members across the state on issues like safe staffing, wages and secure sick leave.
As workers in Healthcare Institutions our primary purpose is to deliver the highest quality of patient care we can. To accomplish this we need proper staffing on every shift and in every department. Safe staffing levels ensure patient needs are met and creates safer work environments.
We need:
Safe staffing levels to provide the highest quality care possible
Secure sick leave to care for ourselves and our families while not putting patients at risk
Competitive compensation to recruit and retain the best workers into our communities
Affordable accessible healthcare
So far Management’s response continues to fall short. All four unions are facing the same challenges at our bargaining tables. Together we are working in coalition and are committed to raising standards that will allow us to recruit and retain high quality healthcare providers for our communities.
Management has offered:
No plan for addressing staffing levels
Inferior coverage for when we are sick forcing us to work and put our patients at risk when we should be caring for ourselves
Compensation that will not allow Providence to stay competitive with other area Hospitals putting our communities at risk
Our Union Coalition, along with community leaders and elected officials are taking action and we need every union member to stand strong!
While we fight for standards, safe workplaces and healthy communities at Centralia Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and Mt Carmel Hospital
We stand with WSNA at Sacred Heart Medical Center!
We stand with OPEIU 8 at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett!
We stand with SEIU 1199NW at Swedish Hospital!
In Spokane we are bargaining for over 300 workers at Holy Family Hospital and 1,800 workers at Sacred Heart Medical Center where our proposals reflect our priority to improve working conditions in the face of Management’s proposed takeaways.
After months of negotiations and working with a Federal Mediator we are no closer to a new contract with Providence.
Management does not appear to be willing to work on a fair settlement, instead they want to strip us of hard-earned benefits while offering an inferior wage package.
We have said “NO” again and again so it’s time to take further action to reach a new contract.
How much money do they need to take from us until enough is enough? For a non-profit their profits are overwhelmingly high. Providence should re-invest those profits in Patient Care and their employees, not just their CEO’s!
It’s time for Providence to “Step Up” and “Put Patients and Safe Staffing Before Profits.”
Contact your Bargaining Team members for more information on how you can help solve our staffing crisis.
We are the Union. The members of UFCW 3000 are over 50,000 members working in grocery, retail, health care, meat packing, cannabis, & other industries across Washington state, north-east Oregon, and northern Idaho. UFCW 3000 is a chartered member of UFCW International with over 1.4 million workers in North America.
To build a powerful Union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and in our communities.
