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

PRMCE Professionals - Bargaining Update — Wage Scale Overhaul Begins

On Monday, May 5, our union bargaining team representing the Professionals at Providence Everett returned to the table for our fourth session of contract negotiations with management.

Over the past several weeks, we've laid the foundation for these negotiations by presenting strong non-economic proposals focused on safety, equal opportunity, and critical workplace protections. At our most recent session prior to this one—April 8—we began the shift toward economic issues by introducing proposals related to wage premiums and differentials.

This week, we took a major step forward: our team presented Providence with our initial proposal on compensation and wage scales—a key priority for Professional workers across Providence Everett.

From the early stages of this process—dating back to our contract audit on January 8—it's been clear that our wage scale needs serious improvement, and we identified several high priorities:

• "Ghost steps": years of service with no pay increase

• Low progression between steps, often just 1.75% increase for each step

• Overall wage rates that fall below regional standards for comparable Professional roles—and fail to reflect the value of the skilled, life-saving work we do every day

Taking all of this into consideration, we delivered a comprehensive, forward-thinking proposal designed to correct these inequities, which includes:

• Clearer standards for recognizing prior relevant experience, ensuring new hires and current employees are fairly placed on the wage scale

• A restructured wage scale that removes all ghost steps, increases the percentage between steps (so members progress faster), and shortens the overall length of the scale—helping us reach top pay sooner

Management listened to our presentation and took the proposal under review. While they have not yet offered counters, we made it clear that our approach is both transparent and data-driven. We walked through the rationale behind each of our structural changes, because we believe there should be no mystery in our demands: we are calling for fair compensation.

Contract Action Team Meeting

May 14
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Teamsters Local 38 Union Hall

• 2601 Everett Ave

• Everett, WA 98201

"We are proud of the work we did to build a strong, evidence-based proposal. We feel like it represents the priorities of our coworkers, and the reality that our pay here is just too low... we're looking forward to keeping up the conversation and ensuring that we earn what we deserve!"

— Taylor Widener, Dietitian

Your bargaining team:

• Taylor Widener, Senior Dietitian

• Holly Gramse, Physical Therapist

• Sara Dillon, Senior Discharge Planner (Case Manager)

Take Action

• Sign the strike pledge card: 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: "How to Strike and Win"
  May 31
  10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  Labor Temple
  Register here

• Step up! We need department leaders to keep members engaged in the fight >>

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

• Update your contact information: Click here >>