Mason General Tech - Bargaining Dates Set!

Our Bargaining Team is excited to get to the table to negotiate a fair contract. We will begin bargaining on June 4, but we need to hear from you about your priorities! 

Make sure you fill out your bargaining survey!

We will have a Virtual Contract Meeting on Thursday, May 20 @ 7PM to go over the results and discuss our priorities. 

Your Bargaining Team: Brenda Routson, Jennifer Madara, Pam Murphy, Jessica Turner (not pictured), Melody Warren (not pictured)

Virtual Contract Action Meeting on Thursday, May 20 @ 7PM !

RSVP for Zoom info here: 

Planned Parenthood - Bargaining Continues

Our Bargaining Team met with Management on Wednesday to receive Management’s non-economic proposals for our contract. Unfortunately, many of these proposals were outright anti-union including:

• Using union dues to cover the cost of Management’s attorneys’ fees for lawsuits related to our contract

• Large expansions of Management rights, potentially eroding union rights 

• Voiding the entire union contract’s protections during “emergencies” as defined by Management

• Allowing discipline and attendance to determine layoff and recall instead of seniority and disrupting seniority for certain recall scenarios

• Limiting workers’ ability to take action educating co-workers and the public during contract disputes and bargaining

Our Bargaining Team proposed adding per diem employees to our contract, and Management rejected the idea entirely. If you work with a per diem, please reach out to a member of the Bargaining Team.

We need to stand together for a contract that improves our wages and working conditions with NO TAKEAWAYS. Wear your sticker to support the Bargaining Team when we return to the table May 10!

Your Bargaining Team: Charlie King, PAC Rep - Tacoma; Monalisa Baumann, MA - Kent; Jennifer Morgan, PCC - Tacoma; Sage Alixander, Insurance Biller - Seattle

Join us for a Virtual Contract Action Meeting on Tuesday, May 11 @ 7PM for more updates! Get the Zoom info here: 

Worker candidates WIN at PCC!

PCC has just announced that worker candidates Donna Rasmussen and Laurae McIntyre have WON seats on the co-op Board of Trustees! They are the newest board members governing our co-op, alongside new candidate Rodney Hines. 

We know why this happened: Hundreds of PCC workers spent months organizing to make it happen.

We gathered thousands of signatures, wore buttons, held actions outside our stores, spoke up at board & CEO meetings, participated in info pickets and Contract Action Team meetings, and kept talking with each other about why we deserve representation on the co-op board and how we can work for the changes we want to see. We did this!

And our community stood with us all along the way, from signing petitions to contacting PCC administration to showing up in person at our pickets.

“We listen to hundreds of customers every day, and they told us PCC would be a better co-op for members, customers, workers, and the community with both of us on the board. We’re ready to share our expertise in shaping the values and direction of this community.” - Donna (View Ridge)

“Our co-op can expand without losing its core mission and overstressing our existing stores and staff. With our voices on the board, the decisions that steer the future of our co-op can be informed by our one-on-one conversations with our customers and working with the beautiful food from our farmers and providers.” - Laurae (Fremont)

Let’s celebrate this win, and keep the momentum going: Our bargain for a fair contract isn’t over, but we move forward knowing that when we organize, we can win. PCC members are energized, and we are ready to do what it takes to win a contract that respects our work, protects us from harm, and pays us fairly for the essential work we do.

PCC - PCC Reveals Priorities

In a week where PCC promotes office staff and shares that their sales have increased 25% over the past year, they hold to their unacceptable wage proposal. Through three days of bargaining PCC proposes no wage increases in the first year of the contract and no increases to the wage scale through the life of the contract, with only an increase to the Journey rate of 5 cents from their last proposal. 

Last week our Bargaining Committee made wage proposals to increase the Journey rate of pay by $1.45 each year with improvements to the wage scale in each year of the contract, including a safeguard to keep our wages above State and Seattle minimum wage. We reached an agreement for new safety committee language in the contract which will help ensure a safer workplace. We also made proposals that maintained our commitment to improve our retirement, create a better process for PCC to partner with community and to create a training program that would help workers develop skills in our industry. 

Join us at a Contract Action Team meeting where we will be doing a Picket Captain Training and discussing how to prepare for a possible strike. 

May 17 - 10am & 7pm
May 19 - 10am & 7pm

RSVP through the link below!

“PCC needs to be a leader in the Grocery industry and if they are not prepared to lead, we are prepared to fight to return PCC to its roots and for a contract that gives us better wages, better access to training, a better retirement and community a stronger voice.” 

– PCC Bargaining Team

Atsuko Koseki, Edmonds Deli;
Greg Brooks, Fremont Meat;
Keith Allery, Greenlake Village Deli;
Quinn Ráo, Ballard Front End;
Scott Shiflett, Redmond Meat;
Yasab Pfister, Burien Front End

Our next bargaining dates are 5/18 and 5/21. 

Kaiser Spokane Pharmacy Techs - Positive Gains in Bargaining

On April 29, bargaining went well as we continued negotiations and had a robust session that led to some agreements. These positive conversations around key topics are leading the way for us to have a fair contract. 

We are excited to say as we ended the day of bargaining, we had agreements on Rest and Meal Periods and Stand-by pay.  We continue to talk about Vacation PTO, Floats and Staffing, and Alternative work schedules to include daily overtime. We feel confident that these few topics will be agreed upon early in our next session and we will head to economics.  

Questions or ideas to share, please reach out to the Bargaining Team or Union Representative Maureen Hatton at 509-340-7370

“We are optimistic about the forward movement in bargaining as our seniority and time of service was acknowledged by management showing us we that our voices are valued.” 

– Jackie McFarlen and Tiffany Yeates, Bargaining Team

MultiCare Update - "Stop the disrespect!"

“Stop the disrespect!”

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 this week.

We spent countless hours working through the outstanding issues on the table, trying to come up with a counteroffer that might be more acceptable to the Employer but still address our members’ concerns. For example, the Union floated the idea of allowing the PTO-WS program but, instead of a use it or lose it system, hours would instead roll back into our standard PTO bank at the end of the year. However, we told management that if they expect us to make real movement on the PTO issue, they first need to guarantee that we will not lose PTO hours AND must make movement on several of our proposals.

MultiCare responded with nothing. That is right, management not only failed to make movement. They failed to make a proposal altogether. We are working hard to have a constructive dialog with management, but they continuously treat our efforts with disrespect. It is extremely frustrating that we have had 15 bargaining sessions and have made so little progress just because MultiCare “is not interested” in changing the status quo.

At this point, the only way to get MultiCare “interested” in change is if we get the community involved in our fight. That is why we have planned a Community Car Caravan for Thursday May 13 @ 3pm, where we will hear from the bargaining team then drive our cars over to Tacoma General. MultiCare members and community leaders will join together, showing management that we stand in solidarity for a fair contract.

Your Bargaining Team will meet with Management again on May 11, 18, 25, 27, and June 1.

RSVP to join the Community Car Caravan!
Thursday, May 13
3 PM
Shiloh Baptist Church
1211 S I St
Tacoma, Wa 98405
>>Click HERE to RSVP<<

Join the UFCW 21 MultiCare Facebook Page for the latest updates

Zenith American Solutions - Bargaining Continues

We met with Zenith management on April 27, 2021 and discussed our Healthcare proposals. A few agreements were reached but nothing substantial was agreed too. Management rejected our proposal that would have eliminated any additional healthcare costs and proposed to only contribute the minimum amount required to our pension plan. We know that these issues are important to you and we will continue to represent our collective interests at the table. .

“We are standing together to secure a fair contract that addresses your priorities. We still have a ways to go as we get into economics in the coming sessions.” 

— Carlotta Bogdon

Your Bargaining Team: Carlotta Bogdon, Sr. Fund Accounting Specialist; Debbie DeVore, Sr. Pension Processor; Sue Wehmeyer, Sr. Claims Processor. 

Questions or concerns? Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep, David Trujillo @ dtrujillo@ufcw21.org or 360-419-4665

Not getting communications from us? Be sure to update your contact information!

Next Bargaining Date: 
May 10 and 24

Harbors Home Health and Hospice tentative agreement reached

Harbors Home Health and Hospice

Tentative Agreement Reached

Bargaining Team Recommends a YES Vote

Our bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with management that includes some of these highlights:

• Wage Increases Each Year

• Increases to Wage Premiums

• Ratification Bonus

• Retirement Improvements

Please join us on Zoom May 6 from 6:00pm-7:30pm to learn more about the exciting changes to our contract.

Harbors Home Health and Hospice Vote Meeting

May 6, 2021 at 6:00PM Pacific Time

“We hope everyone will be able to attend and look forward to talking about the important wins we achieved during these negotiations.” - Harbors Home Health and Hospice Bargaining Team: Sarah Schimelpfenig, RN; Megan Rolfing, RN; Stacy Mathis, Medical Records

Vote Online on May 7th from 9:00am – 9:00pm

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

North Valley Bargaining Update

North Valley Bargaining Update: Management still wants to limit our EIB Usage

While we agree on many issues the limited use of EIB affects all members. As we continue to go through the COVID -19 pandemic management proposing to limit our EIB usage is not acceptable.

Support your Bargaining Team by signing the petition and wearing your sticker to show management we want a fair contract.

“In Solidarity — sticker up! We are working hard to have all our voices heard”

Our Union Bargaining Team: Amy Radcliff, HUC; Michelle Beattie, Radiology; Megan Vickers, RN; Jason Daniels, RN

Lourdes Counseling Center Contract Vote

LOURDES COUNSELING CENTER CONTRACT VOTE SCHEDULED OUR BARGAINING TEAM IS RECOMMENDING A NO VOTE 

After a year of negotiations, the employer continues to neglect the needs of their employees. The employer has continued to refuse to recognize Charge RNs as part of the Bargaining Unit. We continue to fight for Compensation including a fair placement on the new wage scale for existing employees that recognizes their experience with Lourdes as well as Daily Overtime which is a staple in most Union Contracts.

Our next bargaining date is April 30, 2021 and will determine if there is a need for an additional vote.

Now is the time to make your voices heard. Come to a vote meeting to review the full details of the employers proposed contract, get questions answered, and vote.

CONTRACT VOTE SCHEDULED
Wednesday, May 5, 2021

» 8:00 am – 10:00 am
» 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Hampton Inn Richland
486 Bradley Boulevard
Richland WA 99352

These votes are open to all Represented workers at Lourdes Counseling Center. Employees must be present at whichever time is most convenient in order to cast your vote. If you have any questions, please contact your Union Representative Austen Louden at 509-340-7372.

Planned Parenthood Bargaining Begins

Summit Pacific Medical Center - Getting Closer!

Our Bargaining Team met with Management Wednesday and bargained into the night. We were able to make a lot of headway on our outstanding issues. Just a few issues remain including:

• Daily Overtime

• Unpaid time off in certain circumstances

• Grievance and arbitration process to handle contract violations

We were ready and willing to come to an agreement Wednesday night, but Management has said that they need to review our proposals further. We are eagerly awaiting a response from them so that we can move to voting on a fair contract for workers. 

Your Bargaining Team: Angi Swinhart, Barbara Ford, Jessee Bednarik, Michael Granstrom

Bartell Drugs - Bartell’s (actually Rite Aid) Says Spare Change Only for Wages

We met with Bartell Drugs (actually Rite Aid) again today to bargain over our pension, health care, and most importantly our wages.

Their reaction to our wage proposal was surprising, as it seemed to us that they thought we had just asked for the $8.6 million that the Rite Aid CEO made in 2020. They claimed that our proposal was “pie in the sky” and that even though we made substantial changes to our proposal, it was characterized as just “shaving nickels.

We were then shocked that Bartell’s (actually Rite Aid) only added a nickel to both of their 10-cent wage increases to make it them just $0.15. And these increases again came with no guarantee to be in addition to increases in the minimum wage.

“We did a lot more than just ‘shave nickles’ from our proposals. But somehow they think adding nickels amounts to a living wage” 

— Kia Haggerty

We head back to the bargaining table May 7! 

Upcoming Meetings 

Tuesday, April 27

6:00 PM

Thursday, April 29

7:00 PM

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

Zenith American Solutions - Progress Made, but More Work to Be Done

Your bargaining team met with management on April 19 and 21 to continue negotiations. We reached agreements on many of the remaining language proposals but there are still a few more to discuss. 

We also passed the employer our Healthcare and Pension proposals, that would eliminate the additional healthcare costs for employees and increase the employer’s contribution to your pension. We look forward to getting a response from them on those proposals and hope to start digging in on wages in the coming sessions.

“We feel encouraged by the movement at the table this week. But we still have a lot of work ahead as we discuss economics.” 

— Sue Wehmeyer

Your Bargaining Team: Carlotta Bogdon, Sr. Fund Accounting Specialist; Debbie DeVore, Sr. Pension Processor; Sue Wehmeyer, Sr. Claims Processor. 

Questions or concerns? Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep, David Trujillo @ dtrujillo@ufcw21.org or 360-419-4665

Kaiser Spokane Pharmacy Techs - Progress on Our Issues

On April 15, our Bargaining Team met with Kaiser to continue negotiating on important language issues. We made gains in conversations regarding seniority dates and highlighted how important this is to members. We worked collaboratively to make improvements to the Vacation PTO request process. Our team discussed weekend on-call shifts and industry standards on standby pay and call-in premiums. Other top issues worked on include daily overtime and scheduling and lunches/breaks. A big thank you to everyone  who shared feedback regarding preferences for breaks- this helped our team to work through ideas and solutions to make sure everyone is getting their breaks. 

The Union proposal to maintain our current retirement plan is currently being reviewed by the Kaiser National Benefits Department and we will share more details soon.
Our next bargaining date is scheduled for April 29 and the entire day will focus on the topics of Floats and Staffing. 

Questions or ideas to share, please reach out to the Bargaining Team or Union Representative Maureen Hatton at 509-340-7370

“We are excited that we are pushing forward! It’s motivating to see movement and we look forward to talking to everyone as we prepare for the next session.” 

– Jackie McFarlen and Tiffany Yeates, Bargaining Team

PCC - Holding the Line on Economics

Hundreds of PCC workers, customers, elected officials, labor allies, and other community supporters joined informational pickets outside PCC stores on Wednesday, calling attention to our fight for a fair contract and the co-op’s need for worker representation on the Board of Trustees. We rallied outside the Columbia City, Central District, Edmonds, and Bellevue stores.  

On Friday April 16, our bargaining committee met with PCC to present our economic response to PCC’s wage offer of $0/.25/.25 for Journey Grocery and $0/.30/.30 for Journey Meat and no increases to the bottom of any scale – even as minimum wage increases. PCC had also proposed a two-tiered system that would pay new hires less for current work done in Groups A and B.

Our economic response Friday included:

• $1.50 Increases for journey each year and increases throughout the scale retroactive to January 

• Improved language for helper clerk promotion

• Longevity increases for long-tenured employees

• Increases to night and evening premiums

• Improving and securing our Retirement and tying contributions to a percent of wages instead of a fixed rate. 

To move closer to agreement we have accepted Management’s proposal to maintain separate scales inside and outside Seattle. We have proposed increases at the bottom of the scales that would bring the two scales closer together. We have also proposed wage escalators to ensure that each scale starts at least $0.25 above minimum wage as minimum wages increase.

Let’s Return the Co-op to its Roots and vote for worker candidates Donna and Laurae in the PCC Board elections! 

“We brought all of your energy from the info pickets to the bargaining table to make sure we could hold the line on our economic demands. Thanks for giving us your support and enthusiasm to keep pushing PCC for a fair contract. We need to keep that energy up!” 

– PCC Bargaining Team

Atsuko Koseki, Edmonds Deli;
Greg Brooks, Fremont Meat;
Keith Allery, Greenlake Village Deli;
Quinn Ráo, Ballard Front End; Scott Shiflett, Redmond Meat; Yasab Pfister, Burien Front End

Our next bargaining dates are 4/26, 4/27, and 4/30. 

MultiCare Update - April 19, 2021

“We’re tired of moving in slow motion, it’s time for the employer to show some interest.””

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 April 6 and 13 only to hear more of the same… “not interested.”

We have been negotiating with MultiCare since January and the employer has refused to make any significant movement during the last few months. We have brought to Management’s attention the many issues that our members said need to be addressed, however, they have shown no interested in making any changes. They have REJECTED our proposals to:

• Freeze healthcare costs for the life of our contract,

• Reduce healthcare eligibility from 0.75 FTE to 0.60 FTE,

• Create a flexible incentive plan when accepting extra shifts above our FTEs, 

• Have more control over our PTO banks (eliminate PTO-WS program), 

• Force the employer to hire FTEs when overusing per-diem staff,

• Competitive wage increases to help with recruitment and retention.

They also continue to push for the removal of Presidents Day as a holiday, demand more control over your work schedule and want to make significant changes to our seniority / layoff language. Their latest 1% / 1% / 1% wage proposal was insulting but not surprising after months of this behavior from Management, they just do not seem to care.

We cannot continue to tolerate the delay and must force the employer to move on these issues. Please take a moment to fill-out the online MultiCare Staffing Survey and tell Management that we deserve better. Additionally, beginning April 21, you should reach out to your Bargaining Team member or Union Representative for a “We are the Care in MultiCare” button to wear in the workplace.

Your Bargaining Team will meet with Management again on 4/20, 27; 5/11, 18, 25; 6/1.

UPCOMING DATES TO HOLD 

• April 21: “We are the Care in MultiCare” button launch 

• May 12: Virtual Campaign Update Meeting 9AM & 6:30PM

• May 13: Community Car Caravan Action 3PM- 5PM

Sign the Staffing Petition!

Click-List - Safety First! UFCW 21 Bargains Over New Internet Shopping Carts

On Thursday, April 15, the Union met with Fred Meyer representatives about the expanded internet shopping carts that were introduced to many stores. Since internet shoppers have started to use the new carts, many workers have reported not only that they are hard to start, stop, and safely handle; but have also reported that aches, pains, and even injuries have been on the rise.

We started off by asking a lot of questions like:

• Did they do tests on these new carts to determine what the maximum safe weight is?

• Did they train anyone on how to safely operate them to prevent injuries and industrial illnesses?

• What efficiency have they gained from the new carts?

We expect Fred Meyer to provide answers to these questions and more at our next meeting on May 5. 

“We are just beginning the process and to hold Fred Meyer to account for decisons that adversely impact workers. I look forward to hearing their response at our next meeting.” 

– Maggie Breshears 

Join us for our next online meeting!
Thursday, April 22
6:00 PM

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

April Telephone Town Hall Calls

As COVID restrictions make it more difficult to meet in person and members face increased risks and concerns around COVID safety and other issues, we are continuing regular Telephone Town Hall calls for members to get important updates, ask questions of union leadership and special expert guests, and come together to plan how we can keep each other safe and fight for fairness at work even during this ongoing crisis.

UFCW 21 Member Telephone Town Hall
Monday, April 19 at 6:30 PM
☎️ 888-652-2664 Meeting ID: 5853

 All you have to do is pick up the phone when it rings between 5:30-5:40pm on Monday, or if you don’t receive a call, just use the call-in number and Meeting ID above.

UFCW 21 Health Care Member Telephone Town Hall
Monday, April 19 at 7:30 PM
☎️ 888-544-2310 Meeting ID: 5854

All you have to do is pick up the phone when it rings between 5:30-5:40pm on Monday, or if you don’t receive a call, just use the call-in number and Meeting ID above.