Providence Centralia Hospital Technical - Celebrating Wins, but Still Holding The Line!
/On Wednesday, May 28, our union bargaining team met with management for our fourth day of negotiations representing the Technical workers at Centralia Hospital. At yesterday's meeting, we held two joint-sessions with Providence, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Across these two exchanges of proposals, we're feeling like serious progress has been made on achieving the contract PCH Tech workers deserve:
Progress on Non-Economic Proposals
We opened the day by presenting responses to a number of open non-economic Articles; key topics including:
A new Workplace Safety article, to ensure stronger protections for workers and patients alike.
Enhanced Bereavement Leave, recognizing the importance of time to grieve and heal.
New shift assignment language, aimed at prioritizing union workers for pre-scheduled extra shifts before travelers or agency workers.
Donning & Doffing clarification; workers who wear hospital scrubs should have appropriate (and paid!) time to do so.
Bargaining team release time, reinforcing the importance of having our full union bargaining team present, prepared, and ready to represent coworkers at the table.
In our morning session, we also received Providence's second compensation proposal. While the employer made minimal movement on premiums and differentials; increasing the Preceptor Premium by just $0.25 and the 2026 across-the-board increase by .25%; their latest proposal on wage rates was far more encouraging:
Providence moved significantly closer to our union's wage rate proposals, in some cases offering rates that exceed hospitals in Olympia and Tacoma. This signals positive momentum. Our team did identify several classifications that are still falling short of market standards, and in the counter proposal we returned, we continued to push for equity across all positions.
Afternoon Session: Holding the Line on Key Economic Proposals
We responded to management's second wage proposal and highlighted our demand that all wage rates reflect competitive, market-based standards. We also held the line on key priorities, including:
Shift incentives for staff who pick up extra shifts beyond their FTE
Additional compensation for workers with multiple specialty certifications or advanced degrees.
What's Next?
Our team is eager to return to the bargaining table at our next scheduled session on Monday, June 2. Considering the progress made on May 28, we're hopeful that this momentum continues, and Providence continues this movement in the right direction!
Our Bargaining Team: Jennifer Frunz, Mammography Technologist; Jennifer Mullins, CT Technologist; Shauna Allen, Pharmacy Tech; Shea Carney, Respiratory Care Practitioner
"We're excited to see things moving in a positive direction. June 2 can't come soon enough! We're ready to keep the pressure on, and fight for real progress and the fair pay we deserve; in line with what neighboring hospitals are already offering!"
— Shauna Allen, Pharmacy Technician
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. Providence United — UFCW 3000
Organize, organize, organize: Know a worker who wants to join the union? Send them here.