St. Michael Medical Center RN - Bargaining Update

This Wednesday, May 21 our bargaining team met with leadership of Saint Michael Medical Center for what was our eighth bargaining session.

In the morning we presented ideas on how we might come to agreement on major outstanding economic issues, including:

• Staffing

• Charge Nurse duties

• Mandatory Call

• Open Call

• Break relief shifts

While we caucused after this, we began the process of crafting our next set of other economic items not addressed above such as wages and premium pay.

In the afternoon, management responded on the outstanding non-economic issues we do not have Tentative Agreements on already. This shrinking group of sections of the contract we need to respond to them on includes the Residency Program, precepting, and our proposed workplace violence prevention program.

"We have many Tentative Agreements, but we are still hoping for some more movement from management on major economic issues."

— Lindsay Gearrllach (OBS)

We're asking everyone to start wearing gold and blue UFCW 3000 swag on bargaining days! We'll be distributing bandanas and other items to show unity and solidarity.

Next Bargaining Dates

• June 12

• June 18

• June 26

Strike Pledge Card

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Contract Update Meeting

May 27
7:00 PM

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

Providence Centralia Hospital Technical - Bargaining Update

Providence Centralia Hospital Technical
Bargaining Update

Working to Raise Wages at All Steps

On Thursday, May 8, our union bargaining team met with Providence Centralia management for our third session of contract negotiations. Today marked a notable step forward, as we received the employer’s first counter to our wage and compensation proposal.

We were cautiously optimistic in reviewing management’s response, as their initial proposal similarly addressed a few of the key priorities we’ve raised at the table—most notably, eliminating “ghost steps” on the wage scale, as well as providing an outline for an experience audit process to ensure Technical workers at PCH are paid at the rate which aligns with their years of experience.

But there’s still room for improvement: the employer’s counter showed little movement on premiums—aside from a proposed increase to evening and night shift differentials; rates for standby (on-call), lead and preceptor pay, and weekend shift differentials were proposed at the current rates in our CBA.

In response to the employer’s counter, our team got to work drafting a response of our own—carefully reviewing each job classification’s current pay, comparing these to the rates being earned by healthcare workers at other regional hospitals, and building a strong second proposal on compensation and wage rates. We presented this proposal to management in the afternoon, and in our response highlighted that while we recognize the employer’s movement toward increasing compensation, our position still stands that the high number of vacancies across many of our units proves that stronger action is needed to truly attract and retain technical workers from across the region—management must offer highly competitive compensation to make Providence Centralia the destination caregivers want to commute to—not away from.

Beyond our wage scale, we maintained a proposal to increase various premium rates and included changes to the structure of some existing premiums to incentivize career growth, and reward skill development for workers who hold additional certifications or bachelor’s or master’s degrees.

We’re looking ahead to our next-scheduled bargaining date on May 28 to continue negotiations and working toward a strong contract!

Bargaining Team: Jennifer Frunz, Mammography Technologist; Jennifer Mullins, CT Technologist; Shauna Allen, Pharmacy Tech; Shea Carney, Respiratory Care Practitioner

"Our focus is to win a contract that respects our hard work, addresses staffing, and makes Centralia a place Techs choose to stay!"

— Shea Carney, Respiratory Care Practitioner

Contract Action Team Meeting

May 15
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Take Action

• 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.

• Leaders in Action:
  May 31
  10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
  Olympia Labor Council Building
  How to Strike and Win >>

• Step up! We need department leaders to keep members engaged in the fight. Providence United – UFCW 3000 >>

• Organize, organize, organize: Know a worker who wants to join the union? Send them here >>

St. Michael Medical Center RN - Bargaining Update

On Thursday, May 8, our bargaining team returned to negotiations with the hospital and presented a comprehensive set of both economic and non-economic proposals. We are still apart on elements of our proposed workplace safety language. That said, we were able to tentatively agree on items such as:

• Enhanced new hire orientation language to better support incoming staff

• A shortened review window for per diems—from six months to three months—to assess eligibility for an FTE position

• Clearer language on paycheck errors, ensuring timely resolution

• Refined staffing committee language to align more closely with the staffing law SB 5236

Our economic package proposal was met with some familiar objections, particularly to our pension proposal, which management claimed would strain their ability to provide more significant wage increases. We reiterated that whether we're talking about a pension, a longevity bonus based on years of service, or staffing ratios with associated premium pay, all of these are designed to encourage retention of experienced RNs at SMMC.

We asked management directly: What do you propose to retain RNs?

In response to our proposal allowing RNs to access EIB after eight hours (instead of the current sixteen), management countered with language from the SMMC Professional and Technical Workers' contract that would significantly reduce the total amount of PTO we currently accrue. Their justification? It would allow for first-day use of all sick leave. This is not the trade-off we were looking for.

We're asking everyone to start wearing gold and blue UFCW 3000 swag on bargaining days! We'll be distributing bandanas and other items to show unity and solidarity.

Next bargaining dates

• May 15

• May 21

Sign our Strike Pledge Card >>

Next Contract Action Team Meeting

May 15
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Virtual via Zoom

"We need EVERYONE to sign the dang strike pledge cards to show management we are serious about getting the BEST contract possible!"

— Tammy Olson (ICU)

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