Union statement on vaccination requirement for health care workers

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mon., Aug. 9, 2021

CONTACT:

Amy Clark,
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
amyc@seiu1199nw.org
425-306-2061

Ruth Schubert
Washington State Nurses Association
rschubert@wsna.org 
206-713-7884

Anna Minard
UFCW 21
aminard@ufcw21.org
206-436-6587

Seattle, Wash.— The Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 issued the following joint statement on COVID-19 vaccination requirements for health care workers:

“As unions representing nurses and health care workers in Washington state, the Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW21 support science-based public health directives on COVID-19 vaccination requirements for frontline health care workers, with medical and religious exemptions. We stand firmly behind vaccination as the best way to save the lives of patients, family members and members of our communities.

At the same time, we fully expect employers to bargain with us over this change to working conditions.

We are facing an extraordinary staffing crisis in our hospitals and continue to advocate for reasonable deadlines and options for frequent testing as well as masking, as required in all health care facilities, for those who are unvaccinated. These provisions mirror those included in mandates in other states that allow health care workers to stay on the job caring for all of us through this ongoing crisis.

We also know that while the vaccines are incredibly effective, they do not replace PPE, universal masking or other infection control measures. We will continue to demand universal access to N95 masks and push employers to improve ventilation in facilities where needed.”

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About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a union of nurses and healthcare workers with over 30,000 caregivers throughout hospitals, clinics, mental health, skilled home health and hospice programs in Washington state and Montana. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW’s mission is to advocate for quality care and good jobs for all.

About WSNA
WSNA is the leading voice and advocate for nurses in Washington state, providing representation, education and resources that allow nurses to reach their full professional potential and focus on caring

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COVID Vaccine Information for UFCW 21 Members

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Many UFCW 21 members have already been vaccinated to protect against COVID-19. Many other members have questions about eligibility, how to find accurate vaccine information, and what we can do as a union to advocate for our right to vaccine access. Here’s the basics: 

ELIGIBILITY

NEW April 15, 2021: Everyone in Washington State who is 16 years or older is now eligible for the vaccines that protect against COVID-19. The vaccine is free, does not require a co-pay or insurance, and can protect you and your loved ones from catching and spreading COVID-19.

GETTING VACCINATED

There are multiple options for people seeking vaccines in Washington State. UFCW 21 is working closely with partners at the city, county, and state level, along with our employers and our health care trust, to make free vaccines accessible to all members as quickly as possible. Here are the main ways you can get vaccinated right now:

  1. Through your union: Speak with your Union Rep for information about vaccine appointments available to you through the union. We have held vaccination events at our union hall, and are working with partners across the state to make appointments available to UFCW 21 members at pop-up vaccination clinics, mass vaccination sites, and in our workplaces so members can access vaccines at convenient locations and times. If you have questions or need help, you can also contact us by email at vaccine@ufcw21.org.

  2. Through your employer: Your employer may be able to vaccinate staff at work, either through a pharmacy or clinic in the workplace or a vaccination event on-site. We have worked with many employers to ensure that everyone gets access. If your employer is vaccinating people at work and you have any questions or concerns about the process, contact your Union Rep.

  3. Through a city, county, or state-run mass vaccination site:

  4. Through a vaccine provider near you: Anyone who is eligible for a COVID vaccine can make an appointment at a provider in your area. This tool collects all available vaccine appointments in one place:

Need Help?

UFCW 21 members on the Sound Health & Wellness Trust can contact our Guardian Nurse service for assistance making COVID vaccine appointments by calling (877) 362-9969 and selecting option 2 (8am - 5pm).

You can also contact your Union Rep (just call our main office at 1-800-732-1188 to be connected to your Union Rep) or email vaccine@ufcw21.org.

KING COUNTY: Anyone who lives or works anywhere in Seattle or King County can call the Seattle Customer Service Line at 206-684-2489 from Monday through Saturday, between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. for assistance. In-language assistance is available over the phone.

STATEWIDE: Call the state COVID hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #. You can request help making a vaccine appointment.

VACCINE INFORMATION 

There are three approved vaccines for COVID-19: one made by the company Pfizer (sometimes called the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine), one by the company Moderna, and one made by the company Johnson & Johnson (sometimes called Janssen). Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people ages 16+ and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized for ages 18+. There are more vaccines in late-stage trials and in earlier phases of development and testing. On April 13, the CDC recommended states pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while they evaluate it further, and Washington State vaccine providers have complied.

There is a lot of information out there about COVID vaccines. We encourage members to look at the verified scientific information about these vaccines and be thoughtful about the sources of the information you rely on for a decision like this. Getting vaccinated is a choice, but it is a choice that affects your health and safety and our whole community, and it can help bring an end to a global health crisis. 

Here are some places to start: 

UNION ADVOCACY 

Our local and our international union feel strongly that essential workers have served our communities throughout this crisis and many of us are facing high risk of exposure at work, whether from the public or from close contact with coworkers. We have been advocating at the federal and local level from the very beginning of vaccine prioritization discussions for priority vaccine access for all frontline workers, including those in health care, grocery stores, meatpacking and food processing, and any other frontline essential workers. 

UFCW 21 Named to Washington’s Vaccine Command Center 

Our state has formed a partnership with companies, organizations, and unions that have the expertise to help ramp up our state’s ability to vaccinate people safely and quickly. We will ensure frontline workers have a voice in the broader plan for vaccination throughout this process, along with our role ensuring a high level of training and coordination. 

UFCW 21 Response to President Biden’s Changes to Vaccine Prioritization

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We have said from the beginning of our COVID-19 vaccine discussions that essential workers should not be pitted against each other for access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines. During the initial rollout of a limited supply of vaccine, we have been heartened to see Governor Inslee’s vaccination planning be guided by science and focused on equity. Essential workers like health care workers and food-supply-chain workers who have been maintaining our critical infrastructure must be prioritized in vaccine rollout, alongside older people who are most vulnerable to severe COVID-19 complications. Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities who have been hardest hit by COVID-19 must be given equitable access that acknowledges the reality of this pandemic and the ways it has disproportionately impacted them. Those continue to be the guiding principles of Washington State’s vaccine program.

Unfortunately, President Biden announced yesterday a major federal disruption to our state’s science- and equity-based vaccine program in an attempt to force teachers back into the classroom.

“Essential grocery store workers, food processing workers, and agricultural workers have spent a full year on the front lines of this pandemic and continue to face daily risks to our health and safety just to keep our communities fed,” said Samuel Dancy, QFC worker and UFCW 21 member. “We are still waiting for access to vaccines, and I was expecting any day to see the opening of our state’s next phase, which would start vaccinating me and my coworkers alongside teachers and childcare workers. I’m disappointed to learn President Biden is trying to prioritize vaccinations for teachers over all other workers.” 

“We pushed back against former President Trump when his COVID response was anti-science, and we will do the same with President Biden. The risks faced by grocery store workers and other essential workers over the past year have been enormous, and with new COVID variants arriving those risks have not abated. In addition, we know that one of the reasons BIPOC communities have been so heavily impacted by COVID is that people of color are overrepresented in dangerous front-line essential work.  Governor Inslee led with science and equity and we call on the Biden administration to do the same thing,” said Faye Guenther, UFCW 21 President.

UFCW 21 condemns this move from the Biden administration and we will do whatever we can to keep our members and all essential front-line workers in line for COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible. We look forward to working with our labor and community allies to do exactly that.

Letter from Governor to Hospital Admin: Listen to Workers for COVID vaccine rollout

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Read the whole letter here:

December 15, 2020

Dear Washington State Hospital Administrators:

I want to thank you for your partnership during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As your hospitals have neared capacity and ICU beds have filled this fall, I am proud of the way our Washington hospitals have worked together to manage the patient load and not let any one hospital become overwhelmed. I am also appreciative of your helpful messaging encouraging people to follow public health guidance around wearing masks, physical distancing, and staying home during the holidays.

With COVID vaccines available imminently, I recognize the challenge of getting the limited available doses distributed to your staff and workers in an expedient, organized, and equitable manner. However, I am confident that this can be done in partnership with the workers in your facilities.

To that end, I strongly encourage you to work closely with the health care workers and their unions in your facilities as you are developing your COVID vaccine distribution and prioritization plan. It is critical that the worker perspective be a part of the discussions, especially because of the important role they play in delivering care in your facilities. The workers on the frontlines of treating confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients have valuable experience that can be leveraged to make the first phase of vaccine rollout run smoothly.

During this pandemic, we have all relied on each other more, and now more than ever, we need to collaborate to get through these challenging, yet hopeful times. I am confident that our strong health care system can come together to make vaccine distribution among health care workers a success.

I look forward to celebrating our defeat of COVID-19 with you in the not-too-distant future. Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee Governor