Harbor Regional Health Community Hospital - Bargaining Update

We have been bargaining over wages and premiums. Management has proposed a different wage increase percentage for every job, and some jobs have various percentages depending on the step. For some steps and jobs, the increases are significant, and for other steps and jobs the proposed increases are low. We are continuing to propose competitive wages that can retain and recruit, keeping the hospital fully staffed.

Management is claiming (again) that they are interested in being average or "in the middle" for pay as compared to other local hospitals. This has been their stated goal for several contract cycles, but we know how challenging it is to constantly be understaffed. We carry the load as the hospital continues to undercut employees.

Find Out How We Can Help Management See Why It's Important to Value Our Work! Contract Action Team Meeting:

Monday, July 7
6:00 PM
Duffys

• 1605 Simpson Avenue

• Aberdeen 98520

For additional information, contact a bargaining team member or Union Representative Kimberly Starkweather at (206) 436-6515.

Update Your Information >>

Bargaining Team: Dan James, Eric Timmons, Janet Byrd, Ana Garcia, Debi Sturm, Bambi Shope.

Lourdes Counseling Center - Bargaining Update

Lourdes Counseling Center
Bargaining Update

Bargaining has begun! Fighting for fair wages, premiums, and much more! If we want a strong contract, we must show the employer that we stand together! Now's the time to be unified!

Bargaining Team: Nicole Arnzen, Shanelle Cox, & Joseph Goodman

On Thursday, June 26 and Friday, June 27, we met with the Lourdes management team and made our proposals. The team was receptive and provided us with proposals, counter proposals, and tentative agreements. Our next bargaining session is July 16 & 17.

If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to join your Union, please contact a bargaining team member or your Union Representative, Juanita Quezada at (509) 340-7407.

Join UFCW >>

St. Michael Medical Center RN - SMMC RNs Deserve More

On June 26, we met with SMMC management for our eleventh bargaining session, where the hospital presented what they called a "comprehensive counterproposal." While there was some movement on break relief RNs, bereavement leave, preceptor pay, and float pay, management's wage proposal and response to staffing remain deeply disappointing.

The hospital proposed a wage increase of 5.25% upon ratification—a number that still leaves SMMC RNs behind St. Joseph's pay rates. Despite repeatedly hearing from RNs that unsafe staffing is driving burnout and turnover, the hospital offered no real solution on staffing. In fact, when we presented our staffing proposal again, management responded with deafening silence.

They continue to insist that they're "staffing above the matrix" and claim that contractual guardrails are unnecessary. We strongly disagree. Every day, RNs are working below matrix staffing levels due to chronic short staffing, floating to other units to fill gaps, or taking full assignments as charge nurses—sometimes doing both at once. This is not safe. This is not sustainable.

The hospital's message is clear: They're not listening.

Instead of offering meaningful fixes, they've doubled down on targeting specific departments. For instance, their latest proposal would restrict scrub privileges to only Emergency Department RNs—and they've rejected any kind of ED premium despite the high-intensity work and constant short staffing in the ED.

We are at a critical moment in negotiations. While there's been some progress, we are still far from winning what RNs need most: fair wages and enforceable staffing protections. Competitive contracts at Multicare and Providence include understaffing premiums and stronger staffing language—and SMMC RNs deserve no less.

If we want to win the contract we need, we need to show we're ready to fight for it. One way to take action right now:

Sign the strike pledge card >>

Let management know we're united and serious about what's at stake—our safety, our patients, and our profession.

The strike pledge card is to show our commitment to winning the best contract possible—your signature indicates that if we have to reject an offer on the table in the future by a vote, you will also vote to authorize a strike.

Together, we can win the contract we deserve.

Bargaining Team: Kim Fraser, Pre-Op; Janice Brown, FBC; Meredith Francisco, Med Surg; Lindsey Gearllach, Obs; Tammy Olson, ICU

Sea Wolf Bakers - Bargaining Update

On Tuesday, June 24, our bargaining team met with management for another joint session. In the morning, we were able to provide a counterproposal on the subject of excessive heat and breaks, and also came to tentative agreement regarding an attendance policy that will allow for equitable treatment of our coworkers.

In the afternoon, management presented a comprehensive counterproposal regarding all economic items: a wage scale based on months/years of service, health insurance, paid time off, retirement, etc.

Our next bargaining session will be July 8!

Contract Action Team Meeting

July 1
4:00 PM
Fremont Public Library

This will be for all of our UFCW 3000 coworkers at Sea Wolf to attend and discuss next steps in our contract campaign and get more details of the proposals!

PRMCE Pro - Professionals' Wages: Progress Made, But Not Enough...

On June 16 & 17, our union bargaining team representing the Professional workers at Prov. Everett met with management for two full days of back-to-back contract negotiations: marking our sixth and seventh sessions in this contract cycle.

On Monday, Providence presented its first official counter to our wage scale proposal. While their offer still falls short of what workers at nearby medical centers are earning, our team noted significant movement towards changes to our wage scale structure that our team highlighted in our initial proposal, back on May 5, for instance, Providence's proposal:

• Eliminates all ghost steps in the wage scale

• Raises the step increases between each level on the wage scale and reduces the number of steps on our scale- with no loss of overall wage growth (which results in more money, sooner!)

While this was a meaningful first step, a closer look at the proposed rates confirmed there is more work ahead. Our bargaining team got to work immediately, drafting a new wage scale counter, which we returned to Providence the morning of Tuesday, June 17—holding strong to our position that the Professional workers at PRMCE shouldn't earn lower wages than surrounding Medical Centers bargained with their union three years ago...

Tuesday the 17: Building Momentum

Following our second wage scale proposal, our team noted a shift in the momentum at the table from the Employer- and the next few proposal exchanges brought positive movement from Providence, and even resulted in agreements on several important items, including:

• An increase to the premium in-lieu-of benefits for Per Diem employees and Professionals with an FTE of less than .49 at PRMCE

• A new Inclement Weather Article, outlining a clear process for approved time off when weather prevents safe travel to the Medical Center

• Expanded Bereavement Leave protections, providing more flexibility for time to grieve and heal—including extending these benefits to Per Diem employees

On the afternoon of Tuesday the 17th, Providence returned to the table with their second wage scale proposal, which included increased rates of pay compared to their initial offer. While this movement was a positive sign, our bargaining team noted that the proposed wages would still leave us trailing behind our largest competitor—a gap that must be closed.

This is shaping up to be a critical moment for Union Professionals at Providence Everett, that this is going to take all our collective strength, unity, and solidarity to push Providence to offer the wages we rightfully deserve. If you haven't yet signed our Strike Pledge Card, take a moment now to add your name before our next-scheduled bargaining day on June 30, and mark your calendar to attend our next Contract Action Team meeting:

"This week showed real movement from Providence—but their wages still aren't cutting it. The fight's not over, and it's going to take all of us standing together to win what we're worth."

— Sara Dillon, Sr. Discharge Planner (Case Manager)

Bargaining Team: Taylor Widener, Sr. Dietician; Holly Gramse, Physical Therapist; Sara Dillon, Sr. Discharge Planner (Case Manager)

CAT Meeting

June 25, Wednesday at 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM 
2810 Lombard 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.

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 >>

Sea Wolf Bakers - Bargaining Update

On Tuesday, June 17 our bargaining team met with management for another joint session. After the last few sessions of discussion around economic proposals, they were able to provide us with their initial comprehensive economic proposal. The highlight of their proposal was a wage scale that would guarantee increases in pay based on months of service, with the seventh tier being the top of the scale after 60 months. We also had lengthy conversations about our tipping proposal and the concept of a surcharge, but have not yet come to agreement on these subjects.

In our counterproposal, which we passed at the end of the day, we addressed retirement, sick leave, paid time off, wages, scheduling, holidays, breaks, and other benefits.

We look forward to coming closer to an agreement next Tuesday, June 24 when we will receive another counterproposal from management, and another update will be forthcoming after that session!

Our Bargaining Team (Left to Right): Frankie Hull, Delivery Driver; Sophia Cerreta, Savory & Bread Departments; Miller Hammond, Barista; [Not pictured]: Haley Rydberg, Bread & Pastry Departments

St. Michael Medical Center RN - Management Rejects All Staffing Proposals at Ninth Bargaining Session

St. Michael Medical Center RN
Management Rejects All Staffing Proposals at Ninth Bargaining Session

On June 12, we met with hospital management for our ninth bargaining session. At our last session, we presented proposals aimed at addressing the ongoing staffing crisis, including:

• $5/hour staffing premium for nurses working below the staffing plan

• $5/hour Charge RN premium for nurses carrying a patient load due to understaffing or working double charge assignments

• Double-time pay for picking up vacant shifts after the schedule is posted

• Incentives for vacant call shifts

• Break relief RNs for all inpatient units—including the OR and Emergency Department

The hospital rejected every single one of these proposals.

When we asked management to explain why they turned down solutions designed by bedside nurses to fix a staffing crisis we live through every day, their response was insulting:

"You are asking for things that we do not think you need."

Let's be clear—hospital executives do not get to decide what nurses need to safely care for patients. Nurses do.

Our patients need more RNs and more support on the floors. The only way to get there is by recruiting and retaining nurses—not just offering flashy sign-on bonuses while ignoring the needs of the people already showing up every day.

Instead of investing in long-term staffing solutions, SMMC is choosing to underpay current staff and reject common-sense incentives. They're prioritizing temporary staff over the stability and experience that long-term nurses bring to the bedside.

SMMC must face the reality: you cannot fix staffing by ignoring the nurses doing the work.

We've made it clear: We need to be competitive—with St. Joseph's, with hospitals across Puget Sound, and even with Seattle, where many Kitsap nurses are now working for better pay and better conditions.

We're awaiting a response from management, and we hope they come back with a counterproposal that reflects what we know is needed—not what they think we can settle for.

Our next bargaining session is June 18. 

Join our CAT Meeting!

June 25
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM

Bargaining Team: Kim Fraser, Pre-Op; Janice Brown, FBC; Meredith Francisco, Med Surg; Lindsey Gearllach, Obs; Tammy Olson, ICU