The practice of “rounding” an employee’s timecard is being eliminated, and instead CHI Franciscan are converting their timekeeping systems to an “actual timekeeping” calculation- where employees are paid to-the-minute, rather than having the daily totals of their hours-worked rounded up or down to the nearest quarter-hour, respectively.
Read MoreAfter just three days of bargaining so far- our team are feeling good about how much progress we have already made. While we have not yet started discussions on our wages, premiums, or much else in terms of financials- we did get confirmation from the Employer that they anticipate they’ll have an economic response ready for us as early as our next session.
Read More
On Tuesday May 2, members in the technical bargaining unit at St. Joseph Medical Center overwhelmingly voted to ratify their new collective bargaining agreement!
Our new contract includes some of the highest pay in the region, a completely revamped wage scale with no ghost steps, a historic $1.00/hr increase to standby pay, and much more. Other than our pay increases, which will go into effect no later than two pay periods after ratification, all provisions of our new contract are now in effect!
After contracts have been voted on and ratified by the membership, the process of review between the union and the employer begins. This is a process is to ensure all new changes are incorporated into the agreement. This can take time, but is necessary for accuracy, we will post the contract on our website as soon as the review process is finished. In the meantime, you can find a redlined version at ufcw3000.org!
Our Union Bargaining Team is excited to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement with the Employer on a new collective bargaining agreement!
The proposed agreement includes:
A completely revamped wage scale with no ghost steps
Historic wage increases for all job classifications
Unprecedented $1.00/hr increase to standby pay
Improved contract language on many important issues such as low census, preceptor, certification pay, grievances, discipline
And much more!
More details, including copies of the entire proposed contract, will be available at the ratification vote:
St. Joseph Medical Center – Dining Room 3 (Cafeteria)
1717 S J St, Tacoma, WA 98405
Bargaining Team: Vanessa Giles (Surgical Tech), Kat Wood (Radiology Tech), Michelle Gilmore (Respiratory Therapist), Monica DeWitt (Pharmacy Tech), Sissy Allison (Surgical Tech)
Our Union Bargaining Team met with St. Joseph Medical Center Management again on March 2, 17, 24, 28 and 30 to continue negotiations for our successor contract.
We continue to make remarkable progress this bargaining cycle with many important issues resolved in record time. Tentative agreements include improved language on:
Union Rep access to the medical center
New hire orientation (NEO)
Preceptor
Discipline / personnel files
Donning & doffing
Layoff
Low Census
Shift differential
Certification pay
Bereavement leave
Grievance
Successorship
And much more!
However, we have yet to reach an agreement on wages, healthcare, standby/call, and other differentials. Wages are the biggest hold up because we are working on designing an entirely new wage scale that eliminates ghost steps (years with a 0% increase) and enables members to get to the top of the wage scale earlier in their career.
While the Employer has agreed conceptually to our proposal, we remain apart on the scale cadence (increases between steps, how members progress up the scale). There are significant implications with the proposed changes to our wage scale and our Bargaining Team wants to thoughtfully review each proposal from the Employer to ensure that everyone will receive a fair market competitive wage increase.
While we hoped to have an agreement before contract expiration (April 1), the complexities of the proposed scale changes have caused necessary delays in the process. In the meantime, we have signed a contract extension agreement through the end of this month to ensure that all our contractual benefits and protections continue as we move forward with negotiations.
We also continued to discuss the concerning developments regarding the mass exodus of anesthesiologist and the impact on our members ability to work. Unfortunately, we have not received any firm answers from the Employer on how this issue will be resolved. Our Bargaining Team will continue challenging Management on this issue until we have the answers we need.
We are scheduled to meet with the Employer again tomorrow for a marathon session. It is possible that we’ll have a tentative agreement and subsequent vote after tomorrow, however, that will only happen if the offer on the table meets the needs of all bargaining unit members.
“We are fighting to ensure that EVERY member will receive a fair wage increase with our new contract!”
—St. Joseph Medical Center Bargaining Team: Vanessa Giles (Surgical Tech), Kat Wood (Radiology Tech), Michelle Gilmore (Respiratory Therapist), Monica DeWitt (Pharmacy Tech), Sissy Allison (Surgical Tech)
“Progress at the bargaining table has moved at unprecedented speed! However, important issues such as call/standby remain unresolved.”
Our Bargaining Team: Vanessa Giles (Surgical Tech), Kat Wood (Radiology Tech), Michelle Gilmore (Respiratory Therapist), Monica DeWitt (Pharmacy Tech), Sissy Allison (Surgical Tech)
Our Union Bargaining Team met with St. Joseph Medical Center management again on February 22, 23 and March 2 to continue negotiations for our successor contract.
Understanding the need for swift action to stay competitive, contract negotiations began earlier than ever before. The employer, in their own proposals, quickly demonstrated that they shared our Bargaining Team’s sense of urgency to make changes to help recruit and retain high quality staff.
That doesn’t mean that we can only focus on wages and overlook the other important issues we face for the sake of speed. The Bargaining Team has been working to address other issues such as low census, the overuse of travelers, posting of FTE’s where needed, our slow grievance process, and much more.
We have made significant progress on the above issues, which is why our Bargaining Team decided to give management our initial economic proposal on February 23. We crafted our proposal after conducting a comprehensive market analysis that included a review of competitors such as MultiCare Tacoma General, Providence St. Peters, UW Valley Medical Center, and Swedish Medical Center.
One of the major factors considered was MultiCare’s move to eliminate all ghost steps (years with 0% increases) during their last round of negotiations. This has made it difficult for St. Joseph Medical Center to recruit and retain staff when healthcare workers know they can move down the street and get paid higher, years earlier than under our current wage structure. Thankfully, the employer agreed with our Bargaining Team’s assessment and has agreed with our proposal to eliminate all ghost steps! However, management’s plan to eliminate ghost steps is different from the Union’s, so more time will be needed to reconcile our differences.
We have also been holding management accountable to the concerning exodus of Anesthesiologist, which are required for many departments to function. Our Bargaining Team has brought the issue up at EVERY bargaining session with management reassuring us that the issue is being handled and that there is nothing to worry about. However, we haven’t seen any substantive changes that indicate that the issue has been resolved, so we will continue to discuss this issue at the bargaining table until we are confident the hospital has a good plan to handle the matter.
Our Bargaining Team will meet with management again on March 17, 24, 28 and 30 with our contract scheduled to expire on April 1. Stay tuned for further updates as bargaining progresses.
“As a team, we’re fighting for every bargaining unit member at the table. We’re very encouraged with our progress and look forward to back-to-back bargaining dates with Management this week.”
Our Bargaining Team: Vanessa Giles (Surgical Tech), Kat Wood (Radiology Tech), Michelle Gilmore (Respiratory Therapist), Monica DeWitt (Pharmacy Tech), Sissy Allison (Surgical Tech)
Our Union contract is scheduled to expire soon, giving us the opportunity to engage in contract negotiations with our employer for better wages and working conditions.
Our Bargaining Team began preparations last year and then met with the employer for the first time on January 5, much earlier than in previous years. At that session we provided the Employer with ALL our non-economic proposals. The team wanted to give the employer as much as possible upfront as to avoid any possible delay in our fight for a fair contract.
We then met with the Employer again on February 16 to receive their counter proposal. The team was pleasantly surprised by the Employers response, which included significant movement not usually shown in an initial response. In fact, we already have a tentative agreement on improvements to our low census process and are close to reaching agreements on other important issues.
The Employer’s proposal may be a signal that they are willing to work with the Union towards a mutually agreeable settlement without delay. However, we all must remain prepared to take action if the conditions at the bargaining table sour. While we are cautiously optimistic about our upcoming meetings with management, our Bargaining Team remains prepared to take action if necessary to win the contract that we deserve.
On Wednesday, December 7, after multiple long days of bargaining we were able to come to a tentative agreement. Because of our unity and actions, we were able to get some great wins including:
A three-year contract with competitive wage increases that overall average 10.35% in year one for staff pharmacists
New wage scale that eliminates ghost steps
$2000 ratification bonus prorated by FTE for all pharmacists
Preceptor pay of $1.00/hour starting the first pay period 120 days after ratification
Health and safety language
And other great wins!
The vote will be in-person and members will have the opportunity to speak to Bargaining Team members before casting their ballot. Please arrive during the posted vote times as we cannot allow members to enter the vote room outside of the advertised times:
We met with Management on September 28 for continued contract negotiations. We were able to dive into wage increase discussions as well as retirement benefit improvements. While no tentative agreements were met today, we were able to communicate our intentions on what the Bargaining Team is aiming to achieve.
Our next bargaining sessions are scheduled for October 3 and October 6, and we anticipate a deeper dive into benefits and wages at that time. As we progress towards future discussions, we ask that you and your unit be ready for any potential actions needed to secure a fair contract!
Direct link will be emailed to you. Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Rep for meeting details.
“We're working hard to get a contract that includes the best wages and benefits possible. We'll need everyone on our unit to participate and be ready for any actions that come as we get closer to the finish line.” - Heather Surerus-Lopez, Pharmacy/Bargaining Team
"After much input from our bargaining unit survey, we had meaningful conversations with Management that made headway on our collective concerns."
-Beau Chiba, SJMC Pharmacy
We met with St. Joseph Medical Center Management for our second bargaining session on August 24. While still early in this process, we were able to discuss improvements to language in your contract around discipline, grievances, workloads, and more. We look forward to future bargaining sessions, transitioning towards our economic discussions, and will meet next on Wednesday, August 31.
Join us via ZOOM for the Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings!
Thursday, September 1
7pm
Friday, September 2
1pm
Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Rep for meeting details. Details will also be emailed to you.
Our Bargaining Team, Left to Right Top to Bottom:
Amanda Carter, Heather Surerus-Lopez, Becky Christensen, Beau Chiba, Aimee Cooke
On August 11, your Pharmacy Bargaining Team met with management to begin our contract negotiations. While wages will come at a later bargaining date, we had a productive first day. The team was able to discuss PTO concerns, some economic items, and many of the concerns identified thru your surveys and feedback.
Future bargaining dates include August 24, August 31, September 12, and September 28. There’s still room for new Contract Action Team members. If interested, reach any of the bargaining team members below for more information.
“Good conversations were had today at the table. We presented some of our priorities and I look forward to managements response at our next negotiations.”
— Aimee Cooke
“Our first bargaining session went well, and we achieved agreements on some initial proposals. We’re off to a good start.”
— Heather Surerus-Lopez
We are pleased to announce that members across CHI overwhelmingly voted to approve the proposed amendments to their contracts, which included earlier raises for all members along with a number of additional market increases! The approved wage increases will become effective on February 6, 2022.
These changes will affect the following units:
St. Anne Hospital (Pro-Tech)
St. Joseph Medical Center (Pro-Tech)
St. Michael Medical Center (Pro-Tech)
St. Michael Medical Center (Service & Dietary)
Keep in mind that these changes are considered a mid-cycle amendment, meaning that we are still scheduled to start contract negotiations early next year. Stay tuned for more information as your contract nears its expiration.
We are pleased to announce that, given today’s hyper-competitive labor market, we’ve come to an agreement with your employer to implement our 2022 wage increase months ahead of schedule along with some additional wage adjustments for select classifications that have fallen behind market.
These changes will affect the following units:
St. Anne Hospital (Pro-Tech)
St. Joseph Medical Center (Pro-Tech)
St. Michael Medical Center (Pro-Tech)
St. Michael Medical Center (Service & Dietary)
While we are not scheduled to begin contract negotiations for these units until next year, immediate action on wages was deemed necessary in order to retain and recruit staff.
However, the proposed wage increases must first be approved by a vote of membership before they can be implemented. We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Thursday, January 20 from 6:00AM to 8:00PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information, along with all the details about the proposed changes to your contract.
In order to vote, everyone needs to make sure their personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please visit ufcw21.org/update-your-information and update your information. If you do not receive an email to vote on Thursday, January 20, then please reach out to your Union Representative no later than 5PM on the day of the vote to provide an updated email address.
Have Questions?
There will be virtual meetings the day prior to the vote to explain the proposed changes and answer questions. You can also reach out to your Union Representative to learn more about the proposed wage increases.
St. Joseph Medical Center
Wednesday, January 19
5PM – 6PM
St. Michael Medical Center
Wednesday, January 19
6PM – 7PM
St. Anne Hospital
Wednesday, January 19
7PM – 8PM
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.
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.
