Skagit Regional Health - It’s Time to Act, SRH Members!

“We are working hard to get a contract that meets the needs of the ever-changing work environment.  Work life balance and retaining quality staff is important.  In order to make that happen we need to show management we are united.” 

— Rindi Atkins, Radiology Tech 

Your Bargaining Team: 

• Aaron St. John – Central Supply Tech

• Alina Delano – Ultrasound Tech

• Ashley Price – Medical Assistant

• Jill Douglass – Data Entry Clerk 

• Maria Muñoz – Environmental Aid

• Megan Osborn – Med Tech

• Mike Koenig – Engineer

• Rindi Atkins – Radiology Tech 

• Thomas Kean – Exercise Physiologist

• Katie Davis – Social Worker 

• Cindy Tjaded – Surgical Tech

On Wednesday June 8, our bargaining team met with management for the eighth joint negotiation session. 

We presented management with various counter proposals and we able to come reach tentative agreements on several topics, including an enhanced Labor Management Committee, a modification of our no strike clause to ensure we can support other unions during their collective actions, and a revision of our Staffing Concern Form that will make it more accessible. Management; also provided several counter proposals of their own. While some of these proposals show promise, it is clear we are still far apart on some of the topics that are most important to us, like our demand that we have more control over how staffing and scheduling is handled.  

With each tentative agreement we move more items off the table and clear the path towards negotiating some of the biggest priorities in our next contract: higher wages and better benefits. In order to ensure management will keep up the pace and continue to work with us as we get into these tough topics, it is important that we keep up the pressure and show management we are serious about fighting for a strong contract.  It’s for this reason we have decided to hold a sticker up action on Tuesday June 21, the day before our next session. Our stickers send a clear message, “Support our Staff, Support our Patients” by wearing them we are letting management, our coworkers, and our patients that we need management to support us with a strong contract so we have the resources and staffing we need to provide the best care possible. We know that if on the 21st each of us as all our coworkers are wearing these stickers, management will have no choice but to hear our pleas at the table for better working conditions and higher wages.  

The stickers have already been delivered to each department and places in common locations such as break rooms. Please take as many as you need for yourself and coworkers and wear them on June 21. If your department or workplace does not have any stickers, please call our Union Rep Celia at (360) 419-4678 and we can arrange to get them to you.  

With the support of you and all our coworkers in the field, we know we can win the strong contract we deserve at the table.  

You’re Invited! 

RSVP to Our CAT Meetings

We will also be holding our next contract action meetings on June 21 via Zoom at 1PM and 6PM, if you haven’t RSVP’d to join one yet, please do so below!

Tuesday, June 21

1:00PM

RSVP link

6:00PM

RSVP link

Telephone Town Hall Call: Grocery Store Worker Contract Negotiation

Over 27,000 grocery store workers of UFCW 3000 and Teamsters 38 in Western Washington are coming together to negotiate for a better contract. Negotiations with the employers begin on Monday and will be followed by a 5 PM Live Telephone Town Hall. The call will focus on our plan to gain more respect, protections and better pay, answer your questions, and also go into details about winning better workplace training and safety. When your phone rings Monday at 5 pm, just answer and you will join the call. 
 
If for some reason you do not receive a call shortly after 5PM on Monday, or you get disconnected on the call, you can join us by dialing: 1-888-652-5399 and entering meeting ID 6692.

To learn more about how we are supporting workplace training, please read the following report published earlier this year by WE TRAIN WASHINGTON titled: “Investing in Essential Grocery Store Workers - A Blueprint for Workforce Development in Washington's Grocery Store Industry”

Read the previous Grocery Store Worker Contract Negotiation Updates Here >>

How you can help in the fight for a good contract:  

• Make sure your personal contact information is up-to-date: ufcw21.org/update-your-information

• Join our next Contract Action Team meeting!
  Call your Union Rep or a workplace leader or RSVP here!

• Sign up for a Picket Captain Training 
  bit.ly/groceryPCT

• Join the UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Workers Facebook group >>

2022 Grocery Store Worker Negotiations Kick Off

Grocery Store Workers have continued to show up for our customers and communities through some of the hardest conditions and circumstances imaginable. It’s time to celebrate our dedication to each other and kick-off this negotiation cycle united and strong.

All week union members, leaders, and Reps have been visiting each of our 200+ union stores handing out buttons, bargaining information, and taking pictures in workplaces as part of our strategy to get as many members involved, informed, and activated as possible! It’s time for employers to Respect, Protect, and Pay essential grocery store workers!

We are prepared and ready  

Preparations for next year’s contract negotiations have begun. Union grocery store workers are more involved and active than ever before as we partner with Teamsters Local 38 here in Washington and other UFCW locals across the Western U.S. Together we are the power of over 100,000 grocery store workers. 

Employers have shown over the last two years how much they prioritize their record high profits over the safety and pay of essential workers. The only way we change that is by making them change through collective action. When we fight together, we win together. 

When we fight we win  

Our Union Bargaining Team will build targeted contract proposals, based on the priorities set by the membership around everything from wages to better safety language, then take those proposals to the Employer's representatives at the bargaining table in early 2022. The Employer will also make proposals to our Bargaining Team. Often times these are proposals to cut our contract benefits and take away gains we have fought for and won in past contracts.  

In 2019, successful contract negotiations resulted in the largest wage increases in our union's history, improved safety language, stronger scheduling language, new workforce development and training language, maintained our health care benefits with no increase in costs, and perhaps the biggest win of all: secured and improved our retirement pension.  

This contract negotiation our union bargaining team, made of rank-and-file union members from diverse workplaces, will continue to focus on the priorities identified by thousands of members in the bargaining survey: 

• Win higher wages, especially at the top of our pay scales  

• Create more equity in pay between departments   

• Protect our high-quality, low-cost health care plan 

• Keep our pension funded and secure  

• Improve store safety and training  

• Improve recruitment and retention so we have the proper staff to help us get the work done 

2022 Grocery Store Worker Negotiations Kick-Off Telephone Town Hall Call

Join the 2022 Grocery Store Worker Negotiations Kick Off Telephone Town Hall Call

On Monday, November 8 @ 7PM, we’ll call you!

If you get disconnected or want to to join the call dial 1-866-304-0619 and enter Meeting ID 6395. Keep your personal contact information up-to-date with our union and make sure you know your rights and receive important bargaining updates.

On the Call we will discuss the negotiation process, how members can get involved, our unity work with other locals across the region - over 100,000 grocery store workers strong, and answer questions from members!

This year, we bring our Grocery Store Negotiations Kick-Off to each of our 200+ union stores as part of our strategy to get as many members involved, informed, and activated as possible! 

Grocery Store Workers have continued to show up for our customers and communities through some of the hardest conditions and circumstances imaginable. It’s time to celebrate our dedication to each other and kick-off this negotiation cycle united and strong! Look out for fellow union members, leaders, and Reps handing out buttons, union swag, bargaining information, and taking pictures in workplaces the week of November 8-12. It’s time for our employers to Respect, Protect, and Pay essential grocery store workers! 

Prepared & Ready

Preparations for next year’s contract negotiations start now. Union grocery store workers are more involved and active than ever before as we partner with Teamsters Local 38 here in Washington and other UFCW locals across the Western U.S. Together we are the power of over 100,000 grocery store workers.

Telephone Town Hall Calls for Healthcare Members Monday November 1

Join us for a live telephone town hall with fellow health care workers and our union reps and bargainers for updates on how our union is addressing the staffing crisis in coalition with other health care unions, ways we’re advocating for safer staffing, retention bonuses, incentive pay, and how you can get involved. 

Health Care Workers’ Telephone Town Hall: Monday Nov. 1 @ 6:30 PM 

You will receive a phone call at the number we have on file for you between 6:30 and 6:40pm on Monday, but if you miss the call or don’t receive it, just call in yourself: 

Call-in number: 888-544-2310  Meeting ID: 6309 

Join fellow Kaiser Permanente workers for a union telephone town hall to discuss our latest bargaining sessions and our fight for a fair contract! This Weds November 3 we will hold Informational Picketing for Pro Tech Optical members at Bellevue, Capitol Hill, and Tacoma Specialty Clinics, and Leafleting at Silverdale.  

All Pharmacy and Pro Tech Optical members are invited to sticker up and invite family/friends to Informational Pickets to show solidarity on this day. Get all the updates and ask questions of our union rep and bargainers. 

*Special Guests includes Hal Ruddick, Executive Director from the Alliance of Health Care Unions and members of our 21 bargaining teams.  

Kaiser Permanente Bargaining Telephone Town Hall: Monday Nov. 1 @ 7:30 PM 

You will receive a phone call at the number we have on file for you between 6:30 and 6:40pm on Monday, but if you miss the call or don’t receive it, just call in yourself: 

Call-in number: 888-652-5403 Meeting ID: 6381 

RSVP online for the November 3 Informational Pickets (Pro Tech Optical only) https://bit.ly/kip102021. 

Questions? Please contact Union Representative Rhonda Fisher-Ivie, 206-436-6584, or Contract Specialist Christina Delgado, 425-306-1357. 

Town Hall Call on Monday - Good News on Your Pension

How will you retire?

You’re invited to our educational Town Hall – Monday at 4 PM. We will be joined by our retirement pension experts and take your questions live. Just answer your phone when we call on Monday at 4 PM.

If for some reason, you don’t get a call, you can dial into the Town Hall. On Monday September 27 at 4 PM just dial 1-888-231-5462 and enter meeting ID 6308. Hope to talk with you then.

Background:

It’s Your Retirement
We all hope to retire, after a lifetime of work, with enough income to live with some dignity and independence. A solid retirement plan will help. It has many sources: personal savings, Social Security, and retirement/pensions and investments. Your retirement pension from work at the grocery store is one of these sources.

While some of you may be near retirement after decades of work, others may have just started at the grocery store in just the last few years. Whatever your situation, your pension is one of the most important ways to have income when you retire. Your employer begins making payments into your pension when you are hired, and you become vested in the pension plan typically after just 5 years of work in the stores.

Good News

1 – A Solid Plan, a Brighter Future – In the Summer of 2021 our Pension made a very positive announcement – we were able to complete the final step to secure the pension funding after many years of effort. This includes a new plan that: is more resilient to the ups and downs in the stock market; creates a Stabilization Fund for years when the investment returns drop below 2%; and, connects your employer’s retirement contributions to your wage instead of a fixed amount so that as you get paid more, your retirement value goes up as well.

2 – Solution Allows for Shifting Focus to Higher Wages – Every three years our union members get the right to negotiate with the employers over the terms of employment – wages, benefits, working conditions and more. This includes Health Care and Retirement benefits. Because we have successfully addressed the pension and health benefits over the last decade, our hope is that as we go into contract negotiation in early 2022, we can now take the time and energy with the employer representatives to focus on members’ other top priorities: first and foremost is increased wages. We are also looking forward to trying to make improvements in the contract for training, staffing and additional ways to improve safety and respect in the workplace.

Need to Know Details About Your Pension
The amount someone gets at retirement depends on many things. If you have a question about your specific pension benefits, when you are vested, or other topics, please call our grocery store workers’ retirement plan administrator, Zenith, at 206-282-4500 or 800-225-7620, press option 2, then press 3.

Grocery Store Workers Have Right to Wear Black Lives Matter Buttons

For Immediate Release: September 17, 2021
Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 21, 206-604-3421

Grocery Store Workers Have Right to Wear Black Lives Matter Buttons

National Labor Relations Board Tells Kroger’s QFC and Fred Meyer to Reach Settlement or Change Policy

Seattle, WA -- Region 19 of the National Labor Relations Board has informed UFCW 21 of its finding that Fred Meyer and QFC – both Kroger companies – violated federal labor law when it prohibited workers from wearing union-sponsored Black Lives Matter buttons.

Specifically, Region 19 found merit in UFCW 21’s charges that Kroger violated the law by: 1) failing to bargain with the Union over a change in workplace conditions – in this case the practice of allowing the wearing of buttons at work; and 2) prohibiting workers from taking action together – in this case, by wearing Black Lives Matter messages – to protest racism in the workplace and in society, generally.

Region 19 will now seek a settlement agreement with Kroger, which would likely require a change to company policy. If a settlement cannot be reached, Region 19 would typically issue a formal complaint and a trial would be held before an Administrative Law Judge, whose ruling would be subject to an appeal to the NLRB in Washington D.C.

“This is very uplifting. When workers were trying to speak out through these buttons and collectively say Black Lives Matter and Kroger said to take the buttons off, that was an insult. This decision is welcome news in our work to bring attention to social and racial injustice in the workplace and in our neighborhoods”, said Sam Dancy a Front End Supervisor at the Westwood Village QFC in West Seattle, WA.

Motoko Kusanagi, a Front End Checker at the University Village QFC in Seattle reacted, “We wore the pins because it seemed like the right thing to do. My coworkers showed me their pins happily, letting me know they stood in solidarity with me and my family. One of the core values of the store is inclusion, so we did not think “Black Lives Matter” was a radical statement for this business. The amount of pushback we received for such a small showing of support still sits wrong with me to this day. I’m glad we could fight back.”

UFCW 21 President Faye Guenther concluded, “In the wake of this welcome action by the NLRB, we are calling on Kroger to respect workers’ rights and take meaningful steps to address racial inequities in Kroger workplaces. Among other things, Kroger needs to do a better job of hiring and promoting African Americans at every level of the company and making it clear that it will not tolerate racism from customers or employees.”

Background

After Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020, many UFCW 21 members working in grocery and retail stores chose to express their opposition to racism by wearing face masks (otherwise worn for protection from COVID) or other items bearing the Black Lives Matter slogan.

Although Kroger issued public statements expressing sympathy with the Black Lives Matter movement, managers at Kroger-owned stores in Western Washington started ordering UFCW 21 members to remove Black Lives Matter masks in June 2020.

 UFCW 21 responded to the company’s Black Lives Matter ban by collaborating with Fred Meyer and QFC workers to distribute union-sponsored Black Lives Matter buttons with the UFCW 21 logo. When managers banned the Union buttons, UFCW 21 filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Kroger’s ban and the Union response received widespread local and national attention.

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UFCW 21 represents over 46,000 workers at grocery stores, retail, health care and other industry jobs.

Grocery Store Workers Survey

Listening to workers’ ideas and priorities, and taking action together makes all the difference

Throughout the pandemic Grocery Store Workers have been standing up and making their voices heard - The information collected in this survey will help set our priorities for next year’s Bargain with the Employer.

To begin choose your work location

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Bert’s Red Apple / Birchbay Market / Camano Plaza Market / Claus Meats / Cost Cutter – Blaine / Don & Joe’s Market / Everson Market / Farmhouse Market / Food Pavilion / Forks Thriftway / Haggen / Hilltop Red Apple / Metropolitan Markets / Poulsbo Red Apple / Ralph’s Red Apple / Saar’s Market Place / Town & Country / Uwajimaya / Vashon Market / Vashon Thriftway / Village Market Thriftway / West Seattle Thriftway / Other

🡇

You are invited to participate in a research survey of grocery store workers across Washington. This survey is not sponsored by any of these grocery stores, chains, or parent companies. The purpose of this survey is to provide clear and accurate information about the economic condition of grocery workers. As we approach a new contract bargaining cycle, the information this survey provides will be crucial to ensuring that members' priorities will be represented at the bargaining table. This survey will ask about the work you do, your family, your housing, and your ability to pay for basic costs.

The survey should only take 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Your answers in this survey will remain confidential.

Is Macy's Reliable for You? Tell Us Your Story!

In negotiations this year Macy’s has proposed changing the attendance system to rate us on our “reliability”. All while proposing to give us:

• Just $.25 or $.30 in raises every year,

• Eliminate the wage scales to move us to higher rates of pay,

• Rejecting the pandemic safety language we need for future outbreaks, and

• Not guaranteeing the MLK Day personal day we had for over a decade.

That doesn’t sound very reliable. So, your bargaining committee wants you to give “the boss” a review on how reliable they are.

Has Macy’s been a reliable employer when it comes to:

• Livable wages?

• Pandemic safety and safety on the job in general?

• Working conditions like breaks, air conditioning during hot or cold days, assistance from managers, etc?

• Following our union contract?

Go online to do this survey and tell us your story!

MultiCare - Informational Picket

Friday - August 6, 2021

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Tacoma General Hospital,
315 M.L.K. Jr Way, Tacoma, WA 98405
RSVP to the Informational Picket!

After more than a year on the front-lines of the pandemic, workers at MultiCare deserve a contract that includes fair wage increases for ALL workers along with more affordable and accessible healthcare. MultiCare’s current offer still leaves many healthcare workers behind with some receiving less than a 0.50% wage increase upon ratification and management still demanding the right to increase our healthcare premiums by up to $120/month by 2024.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We have been bargaining with management for more than six months, if we cannot come to a deal this month then we must take to the streets. Join the picket lines in solidarity with MultiCare workers to tell management that we demand a fair contract NOW!

You’re Invited! 

Please join your Bargaining Team in a virtual meeting to hear the latest updates from negotiations and to learn more about our upcoming informational picket. Your attendance is important as we’ll also talk about management’s strategies to undermine our solidarity, which will intensify as we get closer to our picket.

Thursday, July 22 @ 6:30 PM

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

MultiCare - Extra Bargaining Date

“Hopeful, but the deal isn’t done yet.”

Your Bargaining Team: Alexis Dotts, Glen Steele, Gregg Barney, Heidi Strub, Jamie Fenton, Julianna Van Enk, Kelly Gusman, Kurtis Chaffin, Patricia Brown, Ryan Boyd, Sammy Bainivalu, Teri Kruse, Wanda Rodriguez-Ramos, Yvette Broeckel

Your bargaining team met with management again on July 6 after the employer agreed to add an extra bargaining date to the calendar. 

We are happy to report that some progress was made as the Employer made noticeable movement on wages, reducing the number of people receiving less than a 2.5% wage upon ratification. While this is hopefully movement, their current offer still leaves many members behind with some still receiving less than a 0.50% increase upon ratification. The employer also continues to refuse paying these raises retroactively back to contract expiration (3/01/2021), instead offering a small $200 ratification bonus.

MultiCare also made no movement on our healthcare priorities, only offering to limit premium increases to no more than $40/month each year, which would give the employer the power to raise your rates by up to $120/month by the end of a three-year contract. Members made clear in the bargaining survey that we need to fight to make our healthcare plans affordable and accessible, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. 

They are also holding firm on several management power grabs. One of management's proposals is the addition of language that would allow them to implement new incentive pay programs without having to bargain with the Union. While incentive pay plans are a great tool to deal with staffing issues, we have rights as Union members to have a say in how they are implemented.

For example, a few months ago it came to the Union’s attention that MultiCare had implemented an incentive pay plan for RN’s that was ripe with issues. It was so bad that some members were reporting that extra shifts were being awarded unfairly to management’s friends via Facebook Messenger rather than through official channels. The Union demanded to bargain, and we eventually reached an agreement with management that ensured extra shifts were being fairly awarded to all eligible nurses along with other fixes to the plans many issues. Management wants to strip away your power to have a say in these decisions, a core Union right, which is unacceptable.

Your Bargaining Team shared these concerns with the community during our Rally @the Park. We’d like to thank our community partners who showed up to support MultiCare Workers: Fuse Washington, Asian Pacific Labor Alliance, Union of American Physician and Dentists, UFCW Local 367, Tacoma Ministerial Alliance, and Catherine Ushka from the Tacoma City Council. They all asked – when is your picket? We will be there! 

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“You all have been essential workers through all of this. You are the folks who have gotten us to where we are today and you deserve to be paid for that work that you have done, you deserve to have healthcare benefits yourself. And I sure hope the negotiation your involved in will make that happen.” 

– Laurie Jinkins, Washington State Speaker of the House

TOP PHOTO: David Barnes (Negotiator), Heidi Strub (Respiratory Therapist), Laurie Jinkins (Speaker of the House), Gregg Barney (Sr. Press Operator), Alexis Dotts (Nutritional Assistant)

BOTTOM PHOTO: Pastor Gregory Christopher, Shiloh Baptist Church

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Upcoming Events:

Contract Action Team Meeting
Thursday, July 22 • 6:30PM 
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.
https://zoom.us/join

Informational Picket!!
Friday, August 6 • 3:00PM – 5:00PM
Tacoma General Hospital

Bellingham grocery workers win their fight for a $4/hour hazard pay mandate

The Bellingham City Council voted 5 to 2 last night (May 10) to mandate $4 per hour hazard pay for frontline workers at large grocery chain stores in the city. Last night’s vote was a final procedural step, following initial approval of the ordinance two weeks earlier. The ordinance will go into effect at 12:01AM on May 25th. It will cover unionized employers, including Fred Meyer, Safeway, and Haggen, as well as some non-union stores such as Whole Foods.

Chris Vincent, a veteran produce worker at Bakerview Fred Meyer, helped organize co-workers to send emails and give public comment at multiple City Council meetings. Upon hearing of the victory, Vincent offered words of celebration:

“We fought an honorable fight for an honorable cause to give the hard-working people on the front lines what they deserve in these hazardous times. I want to personally thank the Bellingham City Council for recognizing the hazardous conditions we work in and for their support in compensating us for it. When we stand together, we win together!”

The Northwest Central Labor Council, led by Secretary-Treasurer Michele Stelovich, and Whatcom County Jobs With Justice, led by Betsy Pernotto, provided crucial support to UFCW21, engaging Council Members and mobilizing supporters to send messages of support and provide comments at several meetings.

Speaking before Council on March 8, the Labor Council’s Stelovich lauded frontline grocery workers:

“They stepped up, they went to work, and they made sure that we had food on our tables. So I just wanted to thank all the grocery workers that have done that. You know that some of the grocery stores have made huge profits… So these are things that they can afford to be able to give their workers… and reward them for being good employees that came to work under very difficult conditions.”

The Whatcom County DSA also mobilized supporters to speak up for grocery workers at multiple Council meetings.

The Northwest Grocery Association and Fred Meyer sent representatives to Council to speak against the ordinance, but there was little opposition, otherwise.

The City Council’s action last night was the culmination of a nearly year-long campaign by Bellingham grocery workers to demand continuation of hazard pay, after Albertsons and Kroger discontinued it last Spring. Members and community supporters held multiple protest actions to educate the public and sent hundreds of messages to City Council once the issue moved into the legislative arena in February.

Throughout the campaign, UFCW 21 members have also emphasized the need for improved COVID safety in their workplaces.

City Council Member Lisa Anderson shepherded the hazard pay ordinance to victory over several months, never backing down in the face of the grocery industry’s legal threats and misinformation.

The hazard pay ordinance covers workers at companies that employ at least 500 employees worldwide and at least 40 in Bellingham. At these companies, hazard pay will be required at stores that are over 10,000 sq. ft. and primarily sell groceries for offsite consumption or which are over 85,000 sq. ft., with 30% or more of their floor space devoted to groceries.

Thank You to the Bellingham City Council members who voted to support grocery workers: Lisa Anderson, Hannah Stone, Michael Lilliquist, Hollie Huthman, and Daniel Hammill

These Bellingham City Council members voted against grocery workers: Gene Knutson and Pinky Vargas

COVID Vaccine Information for UFCW 21 Members

Kim Fraser McMillian, RN at St. Michael Medical Center

"I am overwhelmed by the opportunity I have that hundreds of thousands who lost their lives did not. I am thrilled to protect my family, friends, and vulnerable patients. Cheers to a step towards ending this pandemic! Thank you, Lord. Thank you science!"

Roy (L), U Village QFC, and Andre (R), Ballard QFC workers

Roy: “It’s over with!”

Andre: “I’m happy I got the shot, I feel so much better!”

Susan Mayer, chef at St. Michael Medical Center

"My decision was easy.  I do it for my family, friends, patients, coworkers, community and then me."

Patricia Brown, LPN at Tacoma General

“I did it. Covid shot received!”

UFCW 21 members thanked Seattle Fire workers who provided vaccinations at a UFCW 21 vaccine event.

Kacie Starling, RN at Jefferson Healthcare

“I was hesitant at first. But being a primary care nurse puts me on the front lines of a battle we have been losing up to now. I got vaccinated because I don’t want to be a Covid victim, and I do want to be there for my patients.”

Roxanne (L) and Robert (R), Columbia City PCC

Roxanne: “I want to help end this and I want to protect my family and friends. And I want to hug people again!”

Robert: “I want to live! I want to be able to continue working and helping people at the grocery store. I can’t do that if I’m sick.”

Guardian Nurses assist at a UFCW 21 vaccination event

John Gustafson, RN at St. Michael Medical Center

"Got the first dose. Piece of cake. No reaction here. Get second dose in early January. Happy Camper. I am grateful and Thankful. Thanks to all who made this possible. This makes me so happy that this turning point will lead to the end of the pandemic. I am hopeful that everyone that wants a vaccine will get one soon. The more people that say yes and get the vaccine, the sooner the end will be of this awful virus affecting so many lives."

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:

   • King County: Sign up here to be put on the notification list for available vaccines in Seattle and King County at sites in Rainier Beach, West Seattle, and at Lumen Field (formerly called CenturyLink Field) - Anyone who lives or works anywhere in King County can sign up through this form

   • Southern and Eastern WA: Click here to learn more about vaccination sites in Kennewick, Ridgefield, Spokane, and Wenatchee

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: 

• Information from our UFCW international union on COVID vaccines 

• General COVID vaccine information from the Centers for Disease Control 

• CDC Information for vaccine administrators and health care professionals 

• Frequently Asked Questions from CDC 

• Washington Department of Health COVID vaccine page 

• Factsheet from Washington Department of Health 

• Frequently Asked Questions from WA DOH 

• Information for Health Care Providers from WA DOH 

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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 Union Advocacy In the News: 

KIRO 7: Intense lobbying underway to move essential workers up in vaccine line (12/10/20) 

NW News Network: Teachers, grocery workers, prison guards and oldest Americans may be next in line for COVID vaccine (12/22/20) 

UFCW: Governors Must Act on CDC Vaccine Priority for Essential Workers, Expedite Distribution as COVID-19 Infections Threaten Millions of Workers Still on Frontlines (12/22/20) 

KING 5: Union wants Washington grocery store workers vaccinated as soon as possible (1/4/2021) 

Q13: Confusion over Washington state vaccine timeline grows (1/15/21) 

KING 5: Washington starts COVID-19 vaccine Phase 1B with lower age threshold and adds more mass vaccine sites (1/18/21) 

MyNorthwest: Gov. Inslee unveils public-private partnership to ramp up vaccine distribution statewide (1/18/21) 

Public Health Insider: One Million Shots and Counting: A Tribute to the Community Partners Who Helped Us Get Here (4/7/21)

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United Actions calling out Kroger for Store Closures and Bully Tactics

MEDIA ADVISORY for Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 11 AM

For immediate release: April 7, 2021

CONTACT: Tom Geiger, UFCW 21, 604-3421

Grocery Store Workers and Community in Long Beach, LA, and Seattle To Call Out Kroger for Bullying and Store Closures   

The Kroger Co. Announced Closures of Seven Neighborhood Stores to Avoid Paying Workers a Temporary Wage Increase After Profiting $2.6 Billion During the Pandemic, Investing Earnings on Stock Buybacks Instead

Seattle, WA – On Thursday, April 8th, essential frontline grocery workers, community members, and supporters in California and Washington will host a symbolic “donation collection” in front of stores set to close, to help raise funds for the top supermarket chain in the country to pay its workers temporary hazard pay and call on Kroger Co. to keep stores open. 

In a theater performance style, workers and community members will ask shoppers to donate pennies in a collective piggy bank to pitch in and help pay essential workers to shame Kroger over its greedy behavior.

Kroger owns the California Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores and Washington QFC stores slated to shut down. The corporation falsely claims that these supermarkets are closing as a result of hazard pay when in reality it was a clear effort to intimidate workers, the community, and elected officials in an attempt to discourage any additional hazard pay ordinances from passing. 

Thursday’s actions will symbolize the extreme disparity between the company’s windfall COVID profits and its decision to cut workers’ pay since May 2020, despite persistent elevated sales and risk to employees.  

WHO:   Workers, customers, and community members in Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Seattle 

WHAT: Simultaneous demonstrations in LA, Long Beach & Seattle. Workers and community members impacted by the store closures will call out Kroger’s bullying and the greed that is driving their retaliatory actions closing stores that workers and communities depend on.

WHEN:  Thursday, April 8, 2021, at 11 AM

VISUALS: Blow-up piggy bank, jumbo pennies, and donation stand in front of the store

WHERE:  Wedgwood QFC at 8400 35th Ave NE, Seattle           

BACKGROUND: Local hazard pay ordinances have been passed in cities across California and in Washington, honoring workers for the sacrifice they make coming to work in a pandemic while others can work from home. In response to these temporary ordinances, Kroger Co. is the only grocery company announcing they will close stores instead of complying with the laws. Numerous requests for injunctions by the grocery industry challenging the hazard pay laws have been denied.

According to a Brookings Institution analysis, many of the United States’ top retail companies have earned record-breaking profits during the pandemic, but this increase in profit has not made its way back to workers. Grocers nationwide instead used their excess pandemic profits to buy back shares all the while threatening to close down stores and misleading the public that hazard pay would have to be passed onto consumers. 

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit – Hazard Pay Prevails

UFCW 21
For immediate release: 3.18.2021,  12:35 PM
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421 ( c )

In an effort to provide some compensation for the hard work and sacrifice of grocery store workers during the current health crisis of COVID 19, Seattle passed a hazard pay ordinance that went into effect on February 3rd. The industry quickly filed a lawsuit attempting to reverse this new law. Today the judge ruled against the industry. The city’s hazard pay law will remain in place.

Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 21 stated in response to the judge's decision:

“We have pushed for hazard pay for essential grocery store workers since May when the corporations running the stores decided, without even giving a reason, to cut the hazard pay that had been in place. The city’s hazard pay ordinance is a good law that provides temporary additional pay to the frontline workers in our grocery stores who have been putting their health and safety on the line every day since the pandemic began. The pay provides some additional income for these workers as their jobs have increased risk, increased demands, and increased hazards. And these workers’ labor is what has allowed the rest of the us in the community to get access to the food and other necessities we need and has resulted in the huge increased profits for the grocery store corporations.”

“This is a big win for grocery store workers who deserves this hazard pay and also a big win for all the other municipalities out there considering passing their own hazard pay ordinance that these laws are legal and will withstand the bullying lawsuits of the industry.”

Sound Retirement Pension Seminar

While planning for retirement can be confusing and frightening for many workers, many UFCW 21 members have the benefit of a pension when they retire. If you have questions about your retirement benefit, please join us at one of our regularly scheduled retirement seminars to learn about how to plan for your retirement and apply for your retirement benefit. These seminars are open to all UFCW 21 members, but the content is designed specifically for those members participating in the Sound Retirement Pension Plan.  

All seminars are conducted on-line over Zoom. Once registered you will receive a confirmation email and a Zoom meeting invitation.

March 9, at 5:30 PM

Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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March 10, at 12:00 PM

Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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March 11, at 6:30 PM

Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

PCC Worker Candidates Qualify for the Ballot!

A huge thanks to everyone that signed petitions in November and December to put Donna Rasumussen and Laurae McIntyre on the ballot for the PCC Board of Trustees elections! We have received official verification of those signatures from PCC, which means that workers will be on the ballot for the first time in decades.

Voting will be April 8-May 3; PCC will send ballots via email. To be considered an active member who is eligible to vote, you must meet the following requirements by today, March 4, 2021:

• Your membership is paid in full.

• You have purchased merchandise, cooking classes or gift cards using your PCC membership since March 5, 2020.

To learn whether you are currently an active member, log into your PCC website account and click “Membership.”

Learn more about Donna and Laurae:

Help nominate PCC worker, Laurae McIntyre, to the PCC Board of Trustees!

Learn more about worker candidate, Laurae McIntyre, and what she stands for:

Laurae

I’ve been a member of PCC since the 1980s, and I have family whose porches used to be part of the co-op’s original network of drop-off spots in the ’50s! I came to work at PCC about 6 years ago, wanting to work somewhere that aligns with my values and where I get to interact directly with a lot of people in my community. Our role has only become more important now, during the COVID pandemic. For lots of people, coming to the grocery store is one of their only opportunities for community and connection, along with healthy food. I’ve been really humbled by this experience and the appreciation our customers have shared with us.

PCC is a community. People become members because of what we stand for. We support local producers instead of corporate ones, our food is clean and handled properly from its beginning to the store shelves. People work here because of what we stand for, too. As a union shop steward in my store, I get to welcome new people to our staff. We have a young and vibrant workforce that is pushing us to step up on racial equity, LGBTQ inclusion, and justice for workers all along the food supply chain—including the workers in our own stores.

I want to make sure my coworkers are represented on the Board of Trustees.

PCC has been expanding so fast recently, focusing on opening new stores and big remodels. That’s great, I’m happy for us to grow. But given that the people who are usually on the Board of Trustees are business focused, some with no retail experience whatsoever, PCC workers agree we need some representation on the Board. We’re the ones working in these stores day in and day out. We want to protect the core mission of the co-op, the reasons why we work here, and why our members shop here.

With a worker voice on the Board, the decisions that steer the future of our co-op can be informed by the people interacting one-on-one with our customers and working with the beautiful food our farmers provide. We’re ready to have a voice in shaping the values and direction of this community.

Help nominate PCC worker, Donna Rasmussen, to the PCC Board of Trustees!

Learn more about worker candidate, Donna Rasmussen, and what she stands for:

Donna

I’m a working mom, and my whole family is invested in the mission and success of PCC—in fact, my partner and two teenage sons all work for the co-op. In my 40 years of customer service, I think PCC has hands-down the best customers I’ve ever worked with.

As PCC focuses on its growth, many of my coworkers and I feel it’s time to again have a worker voice on the Board of Trustees to ensure that customers, workers, and our community are kept front and center in decision-making. Members helped build this co-op, and as someone who interacts with our members and customers every day, I want them to know we’ve got their backs and that they can trust us. I spend money here because I trust us and I believe our co-op can grow, while holding onto its mission, values, and connection to the community.

I’m passionate about fair trade, gender and racial equity, affordable housing, and community living. For 10 years now, I have lived in a co-op housing community, where I take an active role and hold a position in community leadership. I’ve been a grocery store worker and active member of my union (UFCW), since the 1980s, serving on the union bargaining team during the big 1989 grocery strike. I also worked for QFC for 12 years, before and after it was bought by Fred Meyer and then the national chain Kroger. I experienced firsthand what happens when a well-loved community grocery store strays away from and loses what makes it unique. I have proudly been at PCC for more than 6 years now.

I’m committed to helping PCC continue to thrive while staying focused on our mission. That means connecting authentically with the communities we’re moving into as we open new stores. It means making sure PCC workers can afford to shop at our stores and live in our communities. When PCC takes care of its frontline staff, we can better take care of our customers. It also means continuing to support our small farmers and local vendors, even if they can’t produce enough to get their product in every one of our expanding locations. After all, as a co-op, our stores should be a reflection of our communities.

Right now, 8 months into the pandemic it remains stressful for most people to shop for food. My coworkers, including my boys, and I have committed to provide our customers access to fresh, healthy food in a safe and sanitized environment. We do our best to hold each other up and try to stay healthy ourselves, while working during such difficult times.

If I ring up your groceries or pass you in the aisle, please be sure to say hi!

Providence Centralia Hospital Community Letter

Dear Community & Patients of Providence Centralia Hospital,

We are the Technical Unit at Providence Centralia Hospital, serving you, our patients in a variety of different ways including Ultrasound, Echo, MRI, Interventional Radiology (IR), CT, X-ray, Respiratory Therapy (RT), and Pharmacy. Our jobs are very fulfilling, but also at times stressful, as we face chronic staffing shortages and now a global pandemic. We also know that it’s important for Tech workers to come together to voice our shared concerns, and to collectively advocate for the work conditions that we need for ourselves and our patients. That is why we voted to join UFCW 21 and are now meeting with management to bargain our first contract. We have joined the RNs at Providence Centralia Hospital and other Techs, Service, Dietary, and EVS workers throughout the Providence system in Washington State.

However, since we started the bargaining process, it has become clear that Providence Centralia Hospital does not respect our Technical Unit. While the RNs have an annual leave and sick leave bank, the Tech unit has an extended illness bank (EIB) and paid time off (PTO) bank. As of January 2021, Providence has taken away our extended illness bank, which acts as a short-term disability plan during medical leaves of absence. Providence has implemented a lesser short-term disability plan and is benefiting from the WA Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) program, which is funded by the State and WA workers. Instead of providing more time off to frontline workers during a pandemic, Providence is decreasing sick time and PTO and saving money by using the State’s PFML program.

In addition, they offered us barebone proposals and are not agreeing to memorialize several important policies such as leaves of absence and PTO. They are undermining our good faith effort to advocate for time to be with our families and to get the time off that we need to do our jobs well.

We know that we will need to take actions to show Providence Centralia that healthcare workers and community are aligned in advocating for basic needs in our hospital. We hope that you will join us. Please let us know if you have upcoming meetings we can attend and give an update, or if there are other ways of connecting our struggle with other advocacy campaigns on access to healthcare and basic human needs such as housing and food.

We are so honored to be your healthcare team and look forward to better care for all our patients.

Sincerely,
Providence Centralia Hospital Bargaining Committee:
Jennifer (Mammography), Jamie (RT), Verity (Pharmacy), Jennifer (CT), Kathy (RT)

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