UFCW 3000 Member Story: Julia Douglas

Julia Douglas, ICU RN at Providence St. Peter Hospital and UFCW 3000 member

This week’s #MemberMonday spotlight is on Julia Douglas, who is currently an RN in the ICU at Providence St. Peter Hospital.

Julia approached one of the PSPH RN stewards about participating in the 2022 contract negotiations. While she as an ICU RN, Julia wanted to help RNs working in the emergency department, as it was a field she had worked in previously. Throughout negotiations, Julia tirelessly advocated for the ED RNs who are currently working in one of the most dangerous and emotionally challenging environments in patient care.

Julia’s persistence was rewarded. In fact, management actually commended Julia on her advocacy for a department she did not work in, and listened to her proposals and concerns. Julia helped the negotiating team push for language that will improve working conditions, and create a safer and more collaborative environment for all. Julia’s hard work helped win a strong contract, which was ratified by the RNs at PSPH last week!

Julia embodies the definition of solidarity and raising the voices of those who go unheard. She is an inspiration to all of us. Thank you, Julia!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Ralph Leads by Example!

Ralph Stumbo, UFCW 3000 member and worker at Kaiser Permanente, with his grandkids

#MemberMonday is here and today’s spotlight is on Ralph Stumbo, who is currently an Alliance Partnership Representative at Kaiser Permanente. Ralph has worked at KP (formerly Group Health Cooperative — GHC) for almost 35 years!

Ralph grew up in Federal Way and went to college in Portland. After he graduated, he had the opportunity to return to Washington State and began working at Group Health as a respiratory therapist. Ralph loves working in healthcare and says he works hard because it is so rewarding for him to help patients and his coworkers.

Within a few years of starting at Group Health, Ralph attended training sessions and became a shop steward for his workplace. Through the years, he has been actively involved with contract negotiations and helping to advocate for his coworkers. In fact, Ralph is currently serving as part of the Labor Management Partnership (LMP) and continues to center his patients through that work.

Ralph says that he did not set out with the intention of being a shop steward or any other kind of workplace leader. Rather, he says that his service to others, whether his patients or his coworkers, has brought him tremendous joy — and that joy is what motivates him every day.

“Shortly I will return to the pulmonary lab and once again be giving awesome care to my patients whom I have missed…Whether you work in healthcare, in grocery, food service, retail, etc., it doesn’t matter, you are serving your fellow humans and that is something for which you should be proud!”

Ralph — your generosity, humility, and joyfulness are so inspiring to witness. You are an incredible example of the UFCW 3000 members who step up every day as worker-leaders, advocating for their coworkers and for change in the workplace. Thank you for leading by example!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Christina Delgado

Christina Delgado, UFCW 3000 member and Pharmacy Tech at Kaiser Permanente

Happy #MemberMonday! This week’s spotlight is on Christina Delgado, who is a Pharmacy Tech at Kaiser Permanente. Christina has been a member of our Union for 35 years, having started her career at Pay N Save and a member of UFCW Local 1001!

One day, a fellow coworker and Pharmacist at her store talked to Christina about working in Pharmacy. Christina’s interest was piqued because she knows just how important getting the right medications can be for people to live healthier lives. Christina decided to attend Pharmacy Tech school and the rest, as they say, is history! She’s now been in Pharmacy for 22 years and prides herself on the quality of care and service that she’s able to provide for her patients.

Christina is a natural workplace leader. In fact, she has been a shop steward for many years and also became a contract specialist about 6 months ago. You can often find Christina making the rounds, meeting new members, and welcoming them to our Union. Christina talks to her coworkers about issues they may have in the workplace with the goal of identifying strong leaders and providing the training needed to resolve issues at a work unit level.

When asked why she’s stepped up as a worker-leader in her unit, Christina said: “It’s critical to have strong leaders in place, in each department, in each unit, making a difference in the clinic and providing a voice for all employees.”

Christina — thank you for all that you do on behalf of your patients and your coworkers & fellow members. We’re so inspired by your leadership, positivity, and hard work!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Madison Derksema

Madison Derksema, Pharmacy Tech at Seattle Children’s Hospital and UFCW 3000 Member!

It’s Monday, and that means it’s time for another #MemberMonday story! This week’s spotlight is on Madison Derksema, who is a pharmacy tech at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Madison simply gets things done. Her coworkers agree: their department is a better place to work because of her efforts. Since starting her job in 2018, Madison has truly stepped up: first as a shop steward, then as a member of her department’s Contract Action Team (CAT), and most recently as a member of the contract negotiations team!

During contract negotiations, Madison pushed hard for two additional & specific pay differentials for her department. She also fought back against inequities in the advancement process, helped file grievances, advocated for COVID safety protocols, and is now working to streamline the vacation request process to include greater transparency. At the negotiations table, Madison always asked management the tough questions!

In addition to all of these fabulous accomplishments, she regularly informs her coworkers about their rights at work, benefits, and protections as union members. She also recently joined the Health Care Advisory Board (HCAB)! Beyond that, Madison is empowering her coworkers to come together to advocate for the solutions they need to make their workplace more fair and just for all.

Her leadership is making Seattle Children's Hospital an even better place for workers, patients, and our communities; Madison — thank you for all of your hard work!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Jessica Leon

Jessica Leon, RN at Lourdes Medical Center and proud UFCW 3000 member, pictured with her family

It’s time for another UFCW 3000 #MemberMonday spotlight! Today’s story is about Jessica Leon, who currently works as an RN at Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco, WA.

Jessica is a dedicated nurse, mother, and leader in her workplace. Growing up, her parents imbedded in her the importance of helping others and of being mindful in relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and community members. These skills are constantly on display whether Jessica is at work or at home.

Jessica states that she is currently working on building relationships with her coworkers and encouraging them to organize together to bring about change in their workplace. In fact, Jessica stepped up as a leader this year by joining the bargaining team at her hospital. In her eyes, having a voice at the table has helped her encourage others to advocate for their rights at work.

Outside of work, Jessica is very close with her family, and spends as much time with them as she can. She is proud of the fact that her family comes together and works through challenges and goals as a team. Jessica wants to keep learning and growing as a worker-leader in her hospital so that she can help her coworkers have quality family time, since it is so important for her!

Jessica — thank you so much for your leadership in the workplace and in the community!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Rachel Brings the Union Difference to the Pharmacy!

Rachel Putnam, UFCW 3000 member and Pharmacy Tech

This week’s #MemberMonday spotlight features Rachel Putnam, proud UFCW 3000 member and Pharmacy Tech!

Rachel has wanted a career in healthcare for as long as she can remember. From early childhood, she has been fascinated by the human body and how it works; because of this, Rachel decided to pursue a career in Pharmacy! Rachel says: “I chose this path because I have taken daily medication since I was 8 years old, so the pharmacy has always played a pretty big role in my life.”

Rachel joined Group Health in 2014, which later was acquired by Kaiser Permanente. Reflecting back, Rachel says that “what I admired most was their promotion of innovative healthcare. The world is always changing, as is the world of medicine, and this is a company that not only changes with it, but also promotes change for the better.”

 If you spend even a few minutes with Rachel, it will become very clear to you that she is very passionate and knowledgeable about her work! Her coworkers know this very well because, in 2021, Rachel became a Union shop steward. Rachel wanted to step up as a leader because she wanted to do her part to bring about change for the better and to fight for workers’ rights in her workplace. In her words: “Every worker is a person, and therefore every one of them should have a voice. Employees are not just employees — they are human beings with families, their own goals and dreams, and lives outside of the workplace. I became a steward to be part of making this more widely acknowledged and respected.”

In talking about what victories are just around the corner, Rachel is confident she can help her workplace improve! “My goal as a Shop Steward is to make a difference in how workers are treated, and push alongside my fellow stewards for better staffing, better working conditions, better pay, and more protection for workers who face bias or unfair treatment. I want to be a part of something bigger than myself, and to be a part of driving the change that will allow working people to have the influence and respect that they deserve.”

Since becoming a shop steward, Rachel has become more involved with UFCW trainings for Stewards, delivered strong messages in videos about Safe Staffing legislation, and continues to participate in monthly Steward Workshops to gain more knowledge and to ultimately help her coworkers stand together for the change they want to see at work!

We are so inspired by Rachel’s leadership. It’s people like Rachel that make UFCW 3000 members such incredible advocates for themselves and their coworkers. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a shop steward and leadership training, check out: https://www.ufcw21.org/steward-training

#UFCW3000 #MemberMondays #1u #UnionStrong #EssentialWorkers #HealthcareHeroes

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Tamra Empowers Coworkers

Tamra Cabuco (right) poses with her co-worker during a Safe Staffing Sticker Action

Another week, another UFCW 3000 #MemberMonday spotlight! Today, we're featuring Tamra Cabuco.

Tamra works at LabCorp and is an extremely hard worker who loves her job and uplifts her coworkers. Most of all, Tamra cares very deeply for the patients she helps -- and they love her too!

Tamra is so dedicated to her patients. Sometimes, due to short-staffing, she is forced to work her entire shift with no break or lunch because she wants to provide the proper care for all of her patients. Tamra knows that she and her coworkers deserve to rest, eat, and hydrate while on the clock. She also knows that the best way to enact fundamental change is for her and her fellow workers to unite and organize for their rights at their workplace.

That's why Tamra is leading the charge as a workplace leader, educating coworkers on their rights at work, and bringing awareness to the community at large about the challenges she and her coworkers face. Tamra is fighting so that she and her fellow LabCorp employees get the respect that they deserve from a company that posted earnings of over 16 Billion dollars in 2021!

Tamra is empowering coworkers to be the change they want to see in their workplaces and we couldn't be more inspired. Go Tamra!

#HealthcareHeroes #EssentialWorkers #UnionStrong #1u #UFCW3000

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Rebecca's Balancing Act

Rebecca Landers and her family

It's #MemberMonday and today's spotlight is on UFCW 3000 member Rebecca Landers!

Rebecca works as a nurse at Providence Mount Carmel in Colville, WA. She is very involved in her workplace, participating actively on both the Professional Practice and Leadership committee and the Staffing Operations Council. Rebecca is also a member of the FMC UBC.

Outside of her work in healthcare, Rebecca is a proud mother of two boys, Garrett and Corbin. Rebecca travels extensively with Corbin, who is on the 16U AA Hockey team for the CDA Hockey Academy. In fact, recently, his team won the Idaho State Championship and is headed to Troy, MI in April for the National Hockey Tournament! Meanwhile, Garrett has started his own botanical fish tank business and imports plants from Indonesia for resale. Both boys are succeeding academically as well and are both attending Head Start.

It is clear that Rebecca is doing a wonderful job of balancing being a mother, nurse, and a workplace leader! Members like Rebecca are amazing representatives and leaders of UFCW 3000. #UnionStrong

UFCW 21 Member Story: Brad Exercises His Rights

Brad Starkey, cleaning worker and UFCW 21 member

Happy #MemberMonday! Today’s spotlight is on Brad Starkey, EVS worker at Sacred Heart hospital and proud UFCW 21 member.

Brad is an experienced cleaning worker who understands how to handle management while he’s at work. He says that sometimes, his manager will visit where he works 2 to 5 times a day to monitor what he’s doing under the guise of “seeing if anybody needs help.” In Brad’s words, he knows that, if he needs, he “can easily pick up the phone and ask for help — a fact that management knows all too well.”

Recently, the EVS manager and another of Brad’s supervisors brought him into their office to ask him questions. He quickly determined that they were trying to find something — anything — that they could discipline Brad about. At that point in the conversation, Brad informed management that he wanted to have Union Representation present during this questioning. His manager stated that Brad could not do that, at which point Brad quoted his Weingarten Rights, which establish the right for workers to have union representations at investigatory interviews.

At this point, Brad simply refused to continue further conversation with management and subsequently called his rep. Brad says that this has been a long-standing problem with management at Sacred Heart, refusing to acknowledge caregivers’ Weingarten rights.

We commend Brad for advocating for himself and leaning on his legal rights to representation as a union worker! As an essential cleaning worker, he and his co-workers deserve dignity and respect in the workplace, and asserting your rights as a worker is one way to keep management in check. Thank you for all your work, Brad! #UnionStrong #EssentialWorkers #WeingartenRights

Remember: your UFCW 21 member card includes information about your Weingarten rights and we encourage you to keep your card on you, especially while at work! Are you a member, but haven’t received your card yet? Please get in touch with us and we can help.

PRMCE - The Hospital Recognizes Our Staffing Complaint Forms!

On October 28, 2020, we met with the Hospital. We have spent the last two bargaining sessions talking about staffing. In this past session, the Hospital told us they would recognize our CSI staffing complaint form—available on ufcw21.org/csi. Their position has changed since our last bargaining session. Also, we talked about PPE with the Chief Nursing Officer and she has promised to ensure that all nurses are able to receive more than one mask during their shift if the nurse requests one. 

As for our proposals, the Hospital has rejected a majority of our proposals except for recognizing gender identity in the non-discrimination article. We discussed the parameters of professional development under the education funding article. We want to ensure nurses are not being denied funding for relevant courses and we are trying to increase available funding. 

Bargaining is going slowly, but we hope they will start hearing our demands to change language, which currently does not benefit the Hospital or the nurses. One way to pressure the Hospital, is by taking part in our car sign action. If you have not received a car sign, please contact the bargaining team or Anthony Cantu, Union Rep @ 206-436-6566. 

In addition, we currently have a 30-day contract extension which expires on November 30, 2020. During a contract extension we are not able to call for a strike, picket, or work stoppage, but we can take other actions like a car sign action. We will continue extending the contract as long as we are making progress at the bargaining table. 

Our next contract action team meeting will be on November 10, 2020 @ 8 PM via Zoom. Our next bargaining sessions are on November 13 and 17.   

OUR RN BARGAINING TEAM: Juan Stout, ER; Kimball Conlon, ER; Betsy Bourg, Glasgow; Cindi Dyson, Float Pool; Bill Hisaw, OR; Jenney Gannon, L&D; Madison Hamilton

PRMCE RN - Staffing is a Major Concern!

On October 21, the RN bargaining team met with Providence for the second time this bargaining cycle. We discussed several articles like union membership, nurse staffing committee, seniority, union access, and staffing. The Hospital rejected most of our proposals and wishes to keep current contract language.

We mentioned to Providence that staffing is a huge concern for the RN unit. In the past few weeks, we have received and forwarded several CSIs (staffing complaint forms) to Providence. Providence is currently refusing to recognize the Union’s staffing complaint form, which was created in coalition with other healthcare unions (WSNA and SEIU 1199NW). Although this is their position, the State recognizes our form and we can file complaints with the State, so we encourage you to continue submitting the CSI forms on ufcw21.org/csi.

We will continue to discuss staffing issues and fight for appropriate staffing for the safety of the RN unit and the patients.

In addition, we will have a car sign action in solidarity with Providence Centralia and St. Peter’s. If you want to distribute signs to your co-workers/community please contact your Union Rep, Anthony Cantu 206-436-6566. 

Our next bargaining session will be on October 28 and November 13 and 17. We will be holding a contract action team meeting on November 10 @ 8 PM via Zoom.

---

OUR RN BARGAINING TEAM: Juan Stout, ER; Kimball Conlon, ER; Betsy Bourg, Glasgow; Cindi Dyson, Float Pool; Bill Hisaw, OR; Jenney Gannon, L&D; Madison Hamilton

---

Join our online CAT meeting! 

Tuesday, November 10
8:00 PM

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

PRMCE RN Contract Extension Vote

Contract Extension Vote

At the end of May 2020, Providence approached the Union and proposed a contract extension for the RN unit through June 2021. The current RN contract expires October 31, 2020 and we had planned to start bargaining before October.

It is typical that the Union and Providence enter a contract extension of three months during regular bargaining in order to keep the contract in effect. Since this is a longer than typical extension, we started having weekly calls amongst the bargaining committee and key RN leaders to discuss the benefits and negatives of an extension.

After many meetings, your RN bargaining committee/leaders have decided that an extension would NOT be beneficial for the unit.

Currently Providence is offering a 4% increase in 2020, but all RNs would start paying for parking as of October 2021. Meaning that a portion of your increase would go towards parking. Parking was a huge issue during the professional and technical units’ bargaining last year. They fought to postpone paying for parking until the RNs started paying for parking. As so, an extension with paid parking would affect the RNs, Pros, Techs, and even other union members at PRMCE. Although a 4% increase sounds enticing, all units would loss the benefit of free parking and we likely will never be able to win back that benefit!

That said, your bargaining committee and RN leaders are recommending a “NO” vote! We will be conducting the contract extension vote via standard mail. All ballots must be postmarked by August 7, 2020 in order to be counted. If you do not receive mail from the Union, please update your contact information online: ufcw21.org/update-your-information or contact Anthony Cantu, Union Rep (206)436-6566.

Vote meeting to explain the contract extension: Tuesday, July 28 at 8pm via Zoom Meeting After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.