PRMCE Technical - Contract Ratified—Say Goodbye To Ghost Steps!

On Wednesday, July 30, following a series of highly attended vote meetings at both the Pacific and Colby campuses of Providence Everett, we're thrilled to announce that our Technical union contract has been ratified with overwhelming support!

Our union bargaining team is proud of the work we accomplished at the table and proud to share this win with all of our coworkers.

What's Next?

• Finalizing the Contract: Our union and Providence will now work to finalize and sign the new Agreement. Once completed, printed copies will be distributed throughout the medical center.

  • Access in the Meantime: Redlined versions of the fully ratified contract (including updated language articles and wage scales) have been added to the contract page on our union's website

• Wage Increases: Our new wages will go into effect two full pay periods from ratification (July 30!)

If you have any questions about our new union contract, please reach out to our Union Rep Madison Derksema at (206) 436-6603, or contact a member of our bargaining team!
 

Providence Centralia Technical - Tentative Agreement Reached

After five bargaining sessions, our bargaining team has reached a tentative agreement.

Contract Ratification Vote

• June 12, 2025

• 6:30 AM - 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

• Providence Centralia Admin Conference Room

Our bargaining team unanimously recommends a “YES” vote. Highlights of the agreement include:

Wages:

• Year 1 New Wage Scale with increases

• Year 2 & 3 ATBs of 3.00% & 3.00%

• Removed ghost steps at years 16 & 19

• Experience Audit following ratification, which will provide members with a second wage increase once moved to 1:1 years’ experience

• And more...

Union Membership:

• Reduced ‘opt-out’ window from membership from 30-days following ratification & 15-days following hire, to 10-days for both.

Union Representation:

• Significantly improved Union Rep Access to remove restrictions on rep visits which limited access to areas of the hospital that are ‘open to the general public’ & removed language stating that reps are ‘subject to the same general rules applicable to other non-employees’

• New Article which allows for two months of Union Leave

• And more...

All members of the Providence Centralia Technical Unit are encouraged to be part of this important vote. Your voice and vote are critical to building power for the future. Only members in good standing are eligible to vote, and voting will only be conducted in person.

Bargaining Team: Jennifer Frunz, Mammography Technologist; Jennifer Mullins, CT Technologist; Shauna Allen, Pharmacy Tech; Shea Carney, Respiratory Care Practitioner

“We made strong gains on wages, and our pay is now competitive in the market. We are thrilled to be moving forward.”

— Shauna Allen, Pharmacy Technician

Questions or to get more involved, please contact Union Representative Collin Greer, (360) 662-1982 or email Cgreer@ufcw3000.org

Providence Centralia Hospital Technical - Celebrating Wins, but Still Holding The Line!

On Wednesday, May 28, our union bargaining team met with management for our fourth day of negotiations representing the Technical workers at Centralia Hospital. At yesterday's meeting, we held two joint-sessions with Providence, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Across these two exchanges of proposals, we're feeling like serious progress has been made on achieving the contract PCH Tech workers deserve:

Progress on Non-Economic Proposals

We opened the day by presenting responses to a number of open non-economic Articles; key topics including:

• A new Workplace Safety article, to ensure stronger protections for workers and patients alike.

• Enhanced Bereavement Leave, recognizing the importance of time to grieve and heal.

• New shift assignment language, aimed at prioritizing union workers for pre-scheduled extra shifts before travelers or agency workers.

• Donning & Doffing clarification; workers who wear hospital scrubs should have appropriate (and paid!) time to do so.

• Bargaining team release time, reinforcing the importance of having our full union bargaining team present, prepared, and ready to represent coworkers at the table.

In our morning session, we also received Providence's second compensation proposal. While the employer made minimal movement on premiums and differentials; increasing the Preceptor Premium by just $0.25 and the 2026 across-the-board increase by .25%; their latest proposal on wage rates was far more encouraging:

Providence moved significantly closer to our union's wage rate proposals, in some cases offering rates that exceed hospitals in Olympia and Tacoma. This signals positive momentum. Our team did identify several classifications that are still falling short of market standards, and in the counter proposal we returned, we continued to push for equity across all positions.

Afternoon Session: Holding the Line on Key Economic Proposals

We responded to management's second wage proposal and highlighted our demand that all wage rates reflect competitive, market-based standards. We also held the line on key priorities, including:

• Shift incentives for staff who pick up extra shifts beyond their FTE

• Additional compensation for workers with multiple specialty certifications or advanced degrees.

What's Next?

Our team is eager to return to the bargaining table at our next scheduled session on Monday, June 2. Considering the progress made on May 28, we're hopeful that this momentum continues, and Providence continues this movement in the right direction!

Our Bargaining Team: Jennifer Frunz, Mammography Technologist; Jennifer Mullins, CT Technologist; Shauna Allen, Pharmacy Tech; Shea Carney, Respiratory Care Practitioner

"We're excited to see things moving in a positive direction. June 2 can't come soon enough! We're ready to keep the pressure on, and fight for real progress and the fair pay we deserve; in line with what neighboring hospitals are already offering!"

— Shauna Allen, Pharmacy Technician

Sign the strike pledge card: We need to show Providence we're ready to do what it takes to get what we deserve. Sign the strike pledge card or ask a fellow member to sign it if they haven't already.

Step up! We need department leaders to keep members engaged in the fight. Providence United — UFCW 3000

Organize, organize, organize: Know a worker who wants to join the union? Send them here.

Providence Centralia Hospital Technical - Bargaining Update

Providence Centralia Hospital Technical
Bargaining Update

Working to Raise Wages at All Steps

On Thursday, May 8, our union bargaining team met with Providence Centralia management for our third session of contract negotiations. Today marked a notable step forward, as we received the employer’s first counter to our wage and compensation proposal.

We were cautiously optimistic in reviewing management’s response, as their initial proposal similarly addressed a few of the key priorities we’ve raised at the table—most notably, eliminating “ghost steps” on the wage scale, as well as providing an outline for an experience audit process to ensure Technical workers at PCH are paid at the rate which aligns with their years of experience.

But there’s still room for improvement: the employer’s counter showed little movement on premiums—aside from a proposed increase to evening and night shift differentials; rates for standby (on-call), lead and preceptor pay, and weekend shift differentials were proposed at the current rates in our CBA.

In response to the employer’s counter, our team got to work drafting a response of our own—carefully reviewing each job classification’s current pay, comparing these to the rates being earned by healthcare workers at other regional hospitals, and building a strong second proposal on compensation and wage rates. We presented this proposal to management in the afternoon, and in our response highlighted that while we recognize the employer’s movement toward increasing compensation, our position still stands that the high number of vacancies across many of our units proves that stronger action is needed to truly attract and retain technical workers from across the region—management must offer highly competitive compensation to make Providence Centralia the destination caregivers want to commute to—not away from.

Beyond our wage scale, we maintained a proposal to increase various premium rates and included changes to the structure of some existing premiums to incentivize career growth, and reward skill development for workers who hold additional certifications or bachelor’s or master’s degrees.

We’re looking ahead to our next-scheduled bargaining date on May 28 to continue negotiations and working toward a strong contract!

Bargaining Team: Jennifer Frunz, Mammography Technologist; Jennifer Mullins, CT Technologist; Shauna Allen, Pharmacy Tech; Shea Carney, Respiratory Care Practitioner

"Our focus is to win a contract that respects our hard work, addresses staffing, and makes Centralia a place Techs choose to stay!"

— Shea Carney, Respiratory Care Practitioner

Contract Action Team Meeting

May 15
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Take Action

• Sign the strike pledge card: We need to show Providence we’re ready to do what it takes to get what we deserve. Sign the strike pledge card >> or ask a fellow member to sign it if they haven’t already.

• Leaders in Action:
  May 31
  10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
  Olympia Labor Council Building
  How to Strike and Win >>

• Step up! We need department leaders to keep members engaged in the fight. Providence United – UFCW 3000 >>

• Organize, organize, organize: Know a worker who wants to join the union? Send them here >>

PRMCE Technical - Bargaining Begins!

On Wednesday, April 30, our union bargaining team representing the technical workers at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett (PRMCE) met with management for the first session of contract negotiations for the 2025 bargaining cycle.

To prepare for our first day, our team held a planning session on April 21 to review feedback from bargaining surveys submitted by our union siblings, and we used this input to conduct a comprehensive audit of our current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and identify areas for improvement. In addition, we've been collaborating closely with our coalition partners—SEIU 1199NW and WSNA—to research strong contract standards for healthcare workers both regionally and nationally. All of this groundwork has helped shape the proposals we're bringing to the table.

For this first session, we opened with proposals focused on several key non-economic articles—contract provisions that don't directly impact wages or benefits but are essential to protecting and improving our working conditions. Our initial proposals included:

• Free on-site parking for PRMCE employees.

• Priority access to extra shifts for bargaining unit members—before those shifts are offered to travelers or agency staff.

• Stronger workplace safety protections, including comprehensive proposals to prevent and respond to incidents of workplace violence.

Later that afternoon, the employer responded to our opening proposals, and we engaged in a productive dialogue around the priorities we brought forward. While no tentative agreements were reached on day one, the conversation marked a constructive start, and we are already working on thoughtful responses to management's counterproposals.

As we continue preparing for upcoming sessions, our team also spent time reviewing union contracts at neighboring hospitals to inform our upcoming economic proposals—including competitive wage scales, shift differentials, and premiums that reflect the value and skill of technical workers in our region.

"We're looking forward to returning to the bargaining table soon to continue this work. Our goal is clear: secure a stronger contract that delivers real improvements in pay, protections, and working conditions for the dedicated technical workers at Prov Everett!"

— Cris Cassady, IR Technologist

Your bargaining team:

• Maria Goodall, Vascular Technologist

• Cris Cassady, IR Technologist

• Terryl Smith, Pharmacy Technician

• Noah Holland, Sr. Surgical Tech

• Darryl Keffer, Respiratory Care Practitioner

• Rodney Powers, Radiology Technologist

Contract Action Team (CAT) Meeting

May 14
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Teamsters Local 38 Union Hall

• 2601 Everett Ave

• Everett, WA 98201

Sign the strike pledge card: We need to show Providence we're ready to do what it takes to get what we deserve. Sign the strike pledge card or ask a fellow member to sign it if they haven't already.

Leaders in Action:
May 31
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Labor Temple
"How to Strike and Win"
Event details

Step up! We need department leaders to keep members engaged in the fight.

Organize, organize, organize: Know a worker who wants to join a union? Send them here.

PRMCE Technical - CONTRACT ACTION TEAM MEETING

PRMCE Technical
CONTRACT ACTION TEAM MEETING

In anticipation of upcoming contract negotiations, join us at our next Contract Action Team meeting to discuss strategies to build collective power, get updates from the PRMCE Professionals Bargaining Team, and stand together in pursuit of increasing recruitment and retention, better working conditions, and improved benefits for Providence healthcare workers across Washington State!

CONTRACT ACTION TEAM MEETING
Wednesday, April 16
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

In-Person:
Teamsters 38 Union Hall
2601 Everett Ave, Everett, WA 98201

Virtual (ZOOM):
Check email for link
 
Sign the strike pledge card >>
We need to show Providence we're ready to do what it takes to get what we deserve. Sign the strike pledge card or ask a fellow member to sign it if they haven't already.

Step up! >>
We need department leaders to keep members engaged in the fight.

Organize, organize, organize >>
Know a worker who wants to join the union? Send them here.
 

Seattle Children’s Hospital Technical - Post Bargaining Update

As part of our recently ratified Union contract, our Union Bargaining Team negotiated a “true-up” meaning the Employer agreed to go back and review years of service at Seattle Children’s and credit members one step on the wage scale for every year of service as appropriate. It is intended to allow those whose previous wage step advancement was slowed down by the old requirement that 1,664 hours needed to be worked prior to the next increase to have past years of service based on anniversary date recognized. However, as part of this agreement Employees must request such a review within ninety days of ratification of the agreement.

Our contract was ratified on March 7.

To request a review, email your written request to:

LaborRelations@SeattleChildrens.org

...by no later than June 4, 2025.

Call Union Representative Christie Harris at (206) 436-6606 (landline) if you’d like to discuss further!

Our Bargaining Team (Left to Right): Adriana Ingwerson, Ultrasound Sonographer; Heidi Cuffee, Echo Sonographer; Jennifer Becker, Surgical Tech; Tesfaldet Kidanemariam, Respiratory Therapist; Robin Phare, Pharmacy Tech; Tarin Knight, END Tech