Our Union Bargaining Team is preparing for a crucial day of negotiations with MultiCare tomorrow.
As mentioned in last week’s update, our team submitted proposals to the employer during our last session that aimed to create momentum towards a fair agreement. We believe it was a significant step towards resolving our differences, intended as an olive branch to facilitate constructive dialogue.
Read MoreHistoric turnout of members and community has shown MultiCare that our Bargaining Team is serious when they say workers across the system are frustrated and committed to take action for a fair contract. And our team feel even more confident, knowing that so many community supporters, workers from other unions, and elected officials also have our back.
Read MoreJust two days after an email from MultiCare’s CEO announced a new affiliation with Overlake Medical Center, & further confirmed MultiCare’s aspirations to become “the Pacific Northwest’s highest value system of health”- we cannot say we are surprised to learn that the line of a “commitment to invest” stops somewhere between “a network of primary, urgent and specialty care clinics” and us- their dedicated, hard-working, & committed staff.
Read More
On Thursday, May 16, our Union Negotiating Committee met with MultiCare to continue contract negotiations, however, we’re not sure MultiCare showed up for the same reason. We do not believe that Management are bargaining in good faith. They are not taking this process seriously, nor do we feel that concerns about our staffing, our wages, and the well-being of ourselves and our families are being considered in Management’s proposals.
“Three percent is BS. That’s not even enough to cover inflation for this year.” —Rafael Diaz
We feel that MultiCare is trying to drag this out, perhaps to exhaust us, and defeat us, but we are not giving in. We will show MultiCare that we will stand together to win a fair contract.
WE ARE: 2000 WORKERS, 9 CONTRACTS & ONE FIGHT!
On Thursday, May 9, our Union Bargaining Committee was eager to meet with MultiCare Management to continue negotiations on our nine contracts. We kicked the day off feeling refreshed & confident from the overwhelming support we’ve seen from our coworkers over the last week —a highly attended Union Family Day on May 4, and outstanding participation in Union Solidarity Day on May 8 (we gave out around 1,000 MultiCare Workers United buttons!)
And it seems that we may not be the only ones who noticed the growing solidarity in our workplaces…
At Thursday’s bargaining session, MultiCare came to the table and moved closer to our positions on a few of the proposals we’ve been passing back and forth- for example, discussions on Extra Shifts, and making a very reasonable counter proposal on Changing Time (donning/doffing)- which we later agreed to add to the contract!
While this exchange of proposals with MultiCare was encouraging (and felt like we were really bargaining!), it did not extend to many of the items that matter most to us, such as our wages and our health insurance benefits. In fact, we agreed that it is nessessary to remind Management, once again, why the proposals we’ve continued to put forward on the Health Insurance Plan are so important. We made it as clear as we could by breaking down the issues we’re facing into “categories” like affordability, access, and network. We broke down these categories further by sharing personal stories about how MultiCare’s benefit plans have negatively impacted us and our families.
Management’s movement on Thursday was a good start, but to win the wages, benefits, and workplace protections we need, we have to turn up the heat!
Mark your calendars:
“MultiCare is holding hostage your present stability for the sake of future uncertainties”—Brian Dansereau, Pharmacy Technician
Our union bargaining team met with MultiCare on Wednesday, March 6 to continue negotiations on our nine contracts.
While responding to our proposals on topics such as concerns with our insurance benefits, or a guarantee that parking will remain free- Management’s unwillingness to agree to these proposals was chalked up to an uncertainty over what MultiCare might decide in the future, or sentiments that the insurance benefits are “system wide”- so we’re left to suspect that means it’s too difficult for them to amend?
We feel it is too difficult to navigate the constant changes in health insurance for ourselves, our families, and our children; we feel it is too difficult to wait longer and longer to see our physicians; and we feel it’s too difficult to get the prescriptions those physicians have prescribed us when we have to navigate MultiCare’s narrowing in-network eligibility!
If MultiCare can’t hear the demands of our bargaining team —they WILL hear the voices of over 2,000 MultiCare employees represented in these nine contracts: we’re here to bargain for our benefits and our working conditions!
Take action checklist:
Sign and share the petition, We Stand United for a Fair Contract at MultiCare
Join the Facebook Group, MultiCare Workers United for a Fair Contract
“They basically showed us that our priorities are not their concern. We feel that we put a lot of thoughtful proposals on the table, and they were just unceremoniously rejected.” —Gregg Barney, Press Operator
Our Union Bargaining Team met with MultiCare on Friday, March 1 to continue negotiations with management on the nine contracts we’re represented in.
When it was the Employer’s time to respond to our evaluations and proposals over necessary changes to our health insurance benefits, it became clear that they had something else in mind entirely —rejecting all initial proposals made on the plan.
Our Bargaining Team has heard on countless occasions, from our union Bargaining Surveys and stories told by our coworkers, that our insurance benefits are not only one of our highest priorities in this round of negotiations —but one of the most consistently challenging aspects of being a MultiCare employee.
We work tirelessly every day to provide health care to our patients, why should we have to work even harder to seek health care for ourselves? Especially while being employed at one of the largest health care systems in Washington State.
While we feel disappointed that this is the response from the Employer, we know that one of the only ways forward is to stick together, and fight for what we deserve out of this process!
Take action checklist:
Sign up for a Contract Action Team meeting on March 5 & April 8
Sign and share the petition, We Stand United for a Fair Contract at MultiCare
Join the Facebook Group, MultiCare Workers United for a Fair Contract
“MultiCare doesn’t do enough to honor employees who demonstrate excellence, a core MultiCare value, by working extra hours above their FTE. Our Negotiating Committee is determined to address this through improvements to our union contract.” — Julianna Van Enk – Pharmacist Tacoma General Hospital
We met with the Employer again on February 12 and 15. Our union Negotiations Committee proposed additional improvements on staffing language, PTO/EIT, bereavement leave, and proposed to add three new holidays to our Union contract (MLK, Juneteenth, Veterans Day). We also proposed significant improvements to the MHS healthcare plan, which has only gotten more expensive with worse coverage.
Proposed improvements include:
Lower premium rates
Bring back Healthy@Work discount
Improve pharmaceutical coverage to non-MHS Rx
Expand the First Choice Health Network (FCHN)
Guardian Nurses
Improved vison coverage
We also made a proposal around free parking, like the SJMC Tech have in their contract, but MultiCare refused the proposal. When asked why it was an issue since parking is currently free, MultiCare responded that they have considered charging workers for parking in the past and want to retain the option in the future. This is alarming and makes it even more important to win the language. We have secured an extension of the contract until March 31, 2024. Our next bargaining date is on March 1, 2024.
Sign and share the petition, We Stand United for a Fair Contract at MultiCare
Join the Facebook Group, MultiCare Workers United for a Fair Contract
“I’ve been with MultiCare for fourteen years and this is my first time joining the Negotiating Committee. MultiCare has changed so much since I started here, and I just feel less and less valued. They’ve continued to take stuff away from us and one day I went and found my Union rep, and I said alright, I’m ready to take an active role in my future here!” —Catherine Cox-Shaffer, Radiology Technologist at Tacoma General
On Thursday, February 8, our Union Negotiating Committee met with MultiCare for our first day of contract negotiations for “The Big 9” Contracts!
The term “The Big 9” refers informally to the nine UFCW-MultiCare contracts that cover union members at Tacoma General Hospital, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, Allenmore Hospital, Auburn Medical Center, Tacoma Family Medicine, and various MultiCare clinics. These contracts, negotiated collectively, include at least one member from each contract on our Negotiating Committee.
Our initial proposal to the Employer included proposed improvements on preceptor pay, floating, rest between shifts and language that strengthens our union’s presence at the workplace.
However, our Negotiating Committee doesn’t plan to propose significant changes to most of our contracts. Our union bargaining surveys made it very clear that members want the committee to prioritize wages and benefits, therefore, we don’t want to spend too much time on other proposals. Doing so would only delay improvements to wages and benefits.
Our Committee is currently reviewing market data and plans to make an informed economic proposal to MultiCare in early March.
As our Committee continues it’s work, your attendance at Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings is crucial so that you stay informed about the latest developments in our fight of a fair contract. We’ve seen a lot of our coworkers at the Contract Action Team Meetings- but we want to see you!
Our MultiCare Negotiating Committee: Brandy Beckler - CNA, Brian Dansereau – Pharmacy Tech, Catherine Cox-Shaffer – Radiology Tech, Charlie Brown - Housekeeper, Cheyenne Hannaman – Medical Lab Scientist, Danene Flower – Cardiology Tech, Diamond Tildon – Respiratory Therapist, Gregg Barney – Press Operator, Heidi Strub - Respiratory Therapist, Julianna Van Enk - Pharmacist, Karen Towne – Medical Assistant, Kelly Gusman – Surgery Tech, Nichole Booker - Receptionist, Patricia Brown - LPN, Rafael Diaz – Cardiovascular Tech, Ryan Boyd – MRI Tech, Sheila Whiteway – Housekeeper
After over a month of pushing MultiCare for dates, our Union Negotiating Committee has confirmed this Thursday, February 8 as our first bargaining date with the employer. We have also confirmed the following dates for negotiations:
Due to the employer’s delay, we are unlikely to reach an agreement before our contract expires at the end of this month. However, we will work with MultiCare to sign a contract extension to ensure that all provisions of our contract remain in place after scheduled expiration.
UFCW 3000 members in the new Auburn Medical Center (AMC) Professional unit already started negotiations a few months ago for their very first contract. Their negotiations have foreshadowed what we can expect with MultiCare, with management telling the AMC Professional Negotiating Committee that they plan to propose similar takeaways when they get to the table with our committee.
Specifically, MultiCare has already signaled their intentions to propose the removal of pay in lieu of benefits, a reduction in Union Representatives’ access to our workplace, and the potential elimination of consecutive weekend pay.
Our Union Negotiating Committee is preparing for what could be a difficult fight with MultiCare, and the best way you can help is to join regular Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings. CAT meetings bring together workplace leaders for in-depth discussions about negotiations and strategic planning to secure a fair contract.
We worked hard to get some great improvements to our contract, but we couldn’t get everything we wanted this go around. We won new historic wages with the largest first year increases we have ever seen – making us the highest paid in the MultiCare system. We are proud to recommend a YES vote!
After months of bargaining, we finally reached a tentative agreement and fought hard to get a contract that works for all. As a result, we won historic language and wage increases!
» Historic wages that can help recruit and retain qualified staff
» New wage scales and job classifications
» Filled in all ghost steps
» Low census limits for RNs
» Staffing accountability language
» And other great wins!
PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VOTING TIMES SO YOU CAN VOTE ON OUR NEW CONTRACT!
If you have questions, please reach out to a Bargaining Team member OR call Union Rep Ian Jacobson @ 206-436-6550.
After seven months of bargaining and mediation we finally met with Management in person. This really allowed us to have productive dialog regarding our proposals. We hope Management will now listen and take our concerns seriously.
Due to Management’s lack of respect and movement we were forced to bring a mediator into bargaining. She has been helpful in bringing us closer to a fair deal, but Management says we are still pretty far apart. If Management actually listened and respected the concerns of their workers we wouldn’t be so far apart. It is time for Management to Respect us, Pay us and Protect us!
In order to keep the hospital running well and efficient, people have to have joy in their work! That joy comes from the service we provide to patients. However, if our service is not valued or recognized by management the joy we get from our service to our patients dies out... in healthcare we can refer to it as burnout. What we are asking for is not a lot, if the hospital is small and not growing administrators should look at themselves - it doesn't fall on employees! If they want to retain staff then they need to value people, if they are in the process of growing they need to value the great staff they currently have, so that when the growth comes we all provide excellent care. It almost feels like we are begging for safety nets just to fulfill our FTEs. Management constantly low census us and many of us lose out on pay. The cost of living is way to high for people to not be able to meet their FTEs and get a full pay check. We have proposed language to limit Low Census and to help us secure our pay checks and Management continues to ignore our needs. It was great having dialog but its time for Management to take action and give us what we need! They say they want to recruit and retain workers but they don’t want to make the actions to make it happen. Wages are only one part of retention working conditions and the ability to work to make the wages are the other part of retention.
“Meeting in person allowed for a freer flow of bargaining ideas across the table. We still haven’t reached a deal but we had great discussion.” — Ken Ferrell
“Today we were able to express that union members are as valuable as nonunion workers and we are entitled to guaranteed FTEs and full paychecks just like travelers and system float!” — Faith Soriano-Miller
“Management said that float pool is the future of staffing, but we know Core staff are the present, future and backbone of staffing.” — Luz Martinez
If you have any questions, please contact our Rep Ian Jacobson 206-436-6550.
After months of being at a standstill with bargaining, we had a great, productive day. We proposed all our non-economic proposals, sent over our first wage proposals and received Management’s first counter. We are hopeful that Management will do the right thing and respect us, protect us and pay us!
“We have achieved and come to agreements on many of our non-economic language proposals. While not in agreement on everything, we have made a lot of progress!” -Ken Farrell, Charge RN PCU
“We hope Management realizes adequate staffing saves lives!” -Lolita Edge, CS Tech
“Every job class is important and essential to patient care and the function of the hospital. We all deserve to have good benefits and wages!” -Luz Martinez, Patient Care Tech
“It’s time for Management to realize that competitive wages, benefits and a safe working environment are vital to recruitment and retention.” -Faith Soriano-Miller, Charge Rn PCU
Kronos Outage Update —Last year there was a Kronos outage and Management overpaid many of us and then took money out of our paychecks. Our union in partnership with the other unions sued Multicare and won the lawsuit. However, now MultiCare has rejected the courts ruling and is in the process of appealing the Judges decision. We have demanded dates to bargain with Management and continue to work to find a resolution.
Staffing —While we are fighting for strong staffing language at the bargaining table, we also recognize staffing is a huge issue everywhere. We need to continue to elevate the pressure by submitting official complaints to state agencies and fight to pass legislation on staffing. Go to these links and Fill out these staffing forms when you are short staffed.
Collaborative Staffing Intervention (CSI) Report unsafe staffing and/or missed breaks and lunches.
DOSH Complaint —Report safety issues and/or hazardous working conditions directly to the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).
DOH Complaint —Report unsafe staffing directly to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). We encourage members who file a DOH complaint to also follow-up with a CSI report, ensuring the hospital as a record of the issue.
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.
