UFCW 3000 Member Story: St. Michael Medical Center Bargaining Team

Susan Mayer, Pamela Reese, Vanessa RosaDino, and Christy Sammons

The bargaining team at Saint Michael Medical Center has been meeting with the Employer for over a month to negotiate a new contract working conditions for themselves and their coworkers. The bargain is now well into the economic parts of the agreement, and the committee is learning fast that their employer, Catholic Health Initiatives, needs to not just hear from them, but from everyone working at St. Michael Medical Center.

So, Susan, Pamela, Vanessa, and Christy are talking to their coworkers and collecting stories to share at the bargaining table about what would make their workplace better, and what effect of management’s proposals would have; because an injury to one is an injury to all.

EvergreenHealth Kirkland and Clinics - Bargaining Begins

EvergreenHealth Kirkland and Clinics
Bargaining Begins

After months of trying to schedule dates to negotiate for our new contract, we have confirmed that our first bargaining session with Management will be on Friday, March 31. Additional dates scheduled for bargaining are April 12 and April 28.

Our Bargaining Team is busy reviewing the contract and writing proposals. We heard loud and clear that workers want competitive wages and benefits, improved staffing and a voice in the workplace!

Stay tuned!
Look out for upcoming meeting information for updates on our contract negotiations.

If you are not receiving bargaining updates, scan or go to: ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

EvergreenHealth Kirkland and Clinics Bargaining Team: Jennifer Bradshaw, mammography; Chris Dizon, echocardiology; Kevin Daly, laboratory; David Dimalanta, radiology; Desiree Huttinger, cardiology; Anna Goodsell Hennager, respiratory; Justine Hedrick, CT scanning; James Kerr, surgery/OR; Kimberly Mitchell, labor and delivery

Questions? Please contact Union Rep Jack Crow @ 206-436-6614.

Northwest Center - We’re Excited for bargaining to begin!

Northwest Center
We’re Excited for bargaining to begin

United in our determination to better advocate for ourselves, our families and kiddos, we are excited to join UFCW 3000 union. With an eye toward having a larger voice on issues and ways to deliver the best care to our families and kiddos.

Last week we had our first meeting as a Bargaining Team to commence writing proposals for our very first contract. We worked on language that will help us get higher wages, better benefits, foster a safe and healthy working environment, improve safe staffing standards, and conditions that will reduce burnout and ensure safe, manageable work.

“It’s thrilling to start making this dream a reality! It’s empowering to take all this knowledge we have and finally put it down in a contract that works for us! We’re changing how birth to three services are represented - and being a part of that change is exhilarating!” - Jenica Barrett, Speech Language Pathologist, Bargaining Team

"It’s inspiring to work with such a passionate group of people and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together!" - Kimmy Burns, Physical Therapist, Bargaining Team

"I’m excited to stand together in uplifting our collective voice and making a positive change!" - Cassie Villarreal, Speech Language Pathologist, Bargaining Team

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Holly Purcell

Holly Pursell with her family in Port Angeles

Planned Parenthood medical assistant Holly Purcell in her own words about working at her clinic in Port Angeles:

“I have always been a big supporter of Planned Parenthood.  They helped me with some of my healthcare needs when I was younger and living out on the East coast. Their mission and work are so valuable and offer a much-needed service to many people across the country. When I saw that Planned Parenthood had a job posting for a medical assistant in 2017, I knew I had to apply. I’ve been working for Planned Parenthood ever since and enjoy my job tremendously. It’s such a rewarding feeling knowing that you are helping your community. The Port Angeles team is small but mighty! It consists of myself, a medical receptionist, a clinician, and a health center manager. We have all been working together for a long time and we treat each other like family. They have been there for me during some of my toughest times.”

Holly and her husband have loved and fostered many children since marrying in 2012 and have adopted 3 of them, creating their family. Their family enjoys their many pets which include a cat, two lizards, three dogs, and five fish. Wow!

St. Joseph Medical Center Technical - Bargaining Continues

“Progress at the bargaining table has moved at unprecedented speed! However, important issues such as call/standby remain unresolved.”

Our Bargaining Team: Vanessa Giles (Surgical Tech), Kat Wood (Radiology Tech), Michelle Gilmore (Respiratory Therapist), Monica DeWitt (Pharmacy Tech), Sissy Allison (Surgical Tech)

Our Union Bargaining Team met with St. Joseph Medical Center management again on February 22, 23 and March 2 to continue negotiations for our successor contract.

Understanding the need for swift action to stay competitive, contract negotiations began earlier than ever before. The employer, in their own proposals, quickly demonstrated that they shared our Bargaining Team’s sense of urgency to make changes to help recruit and retain high quality staff.

That doesn’t mean that we can only focus on wages and overlook the other important issues we face for the sake of speed. The Bargaining Team has been working to address other issues such as low census, the overuse of travelers, posting of FTE’s where needed, our slow grievance process, and much more.

We have made significant progress on the above issues, which is why our Bargaining Team decided to give management our initial economic proposal on February 23. We crafted our proposal after conducting a comprehensive market analysis that included a review of competitors such as MultiCare Tacoma General, Providence St. Peters, UW Valley Medical Center, and Swedish Medical Center.

One of the major factors considered was MultiCare’s move to eliminate all ghost steps (years with 0% increases) during their last round of negotiations. This has made it difficult for St. Joseph Medical Center to recruit and retain staff when healthcare workers know they can move down the street and get paid higher, years earlier than under our current wage structure. Thankfully, the employer agreed with our Bargaining Team’s assessment and has agreed with our proposal to eliminate all ghost steps! However, management’s plan to eliminate ghost steps is different from the Union’s, so more time will be needed to reconcile our differences.

We have also been holding management accountable to the concerning exodus of Anesthesiologist, which are required for many departments to function. Our Bargaining Team has brought the issue up at EVERY bargaining session with management reassuring us that the issue is being handled and that there is nothing to worry about. However, we haven’t seen any substantive changes that indicate that the issue has been resolved, so we will continue to discuss this issue at the bargaining table until we are confident the hospital has a good plan to handle the matter.

Our Bargaining Team will meet with management again on March 17, 24, 28 and 30 with our contract scheduled to expire on April 1. Stay tuned for further updates as bargaining progresses.

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Krystal Krotzer

Krystal Krotzer beams over the win of retro pay for her and her coworkers!

Shop steward Krystal Krotzer works as a pharmacy tech for Kaiser Permanente in Spokane. As a leader, Krystal took on an arduous fight with her union rep to get Kaiser to make good on owed retroactive pay dating back to December 2021. She helped gather evidence for the group grievance and didn’t give up until her coworkers got paid. Moving forward Krystal’s stewardship will be much appreciated by her fellow Kaiser union members. Good work Krystal!

Safe Staffing Bill SB 5236 Passes Senate Ways & Means Committee

We’re writing with an update on the progress of Senate Bill 5236 – our bill to create safe staffing standards in Washington.

Last Friday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee voted to pass an amended version of SB 5236. It is worth celebrating that this bill is continuing to move forward through the legislative process, even as we know the fight for a strong version with meaningful enforcement provisions is ongoing. At this point, a few senators have prevented us from implementing statewide safe staffing standards across the board as initially proposed. Despite this, the committee did amend SB 5236 to strengthen staffing committees and improve enforcement, setting a solid foundation for us to keep fighting for safe staffing standards. We’re confident this agreement gets us closer to enforceable staffing standards by establishing penalties for hospitals that continue to violate staffing plans, and under the amended bill, if hospitals continue those violations, they would be subject to Labor and Industries’ strict enforcement of safe staffing standards.

The most important thing for all healthcare workers to know is that negotiations at the Capitol around this bill – what staffing standards and enforcement will look like – are ongoing as we speak, and state senators need to hear loud and clear from their constituents that this bill should stay as strong as possible. 

There is still time for hospital lobbyists to try to weaken the bill, but that means there is also time for us to make our voices heard. Contacting your senator, and encouraging your coworkers, family, friends, and community to do so as well, is the main way we can keep up the pressure. Share your experiences with short-staffing and what it means for your patients. Let them know what the current lack of accountability around staffing plans looks like day to day. Make it clear that their constituents are paying attention and demanding action.

• Contact your state senator directly–find their name and contact information here.

• Or leave a voice message for your state senator via the legislative hotline: 1-800-562-6000.

Our next hurdle will be to get SB 5236 passed off the Senate floor by March 8th. We thank Sen. June Robinson for being our legislative champion on behalf of Washington’s healthcare workers and Sen. Christine Rolfes, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee, for keeping the focus on this bill until it was voted out of committee.

Your work and advocacy up to this point have been invaluable. We encourage you to continue reaching out to your Legislators to urge them to pass SB 5236.

We’re Telling Our Legislators: Safe Staffing Standards Can’t Wait

After supporting our communities through three years of a pandemic, staffing in our hospitals is worse than ever. We know we don’t have a shortage of healthcare workers; we have a shortage of healthcare workers who are willing to work in these conditions. That’s why we’re calling on the legislature to pass a comprehensive law that puts patient safety and healthcare workers first.

Senate Bill 5236 calling for safe staffing standards was introduced in the Washington State legislature and had its first public hearing Jan. 17. The bill includes:

• Safe staffing standards including maximum patient assignments

• Adequate enforcement of staffing laws

• Expanded protections for overtime and breaks

• Protecting our rights to staffing committees and expanding them to be inclusive of the entire care team

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Healthcare workers’ voices are critical!

Email your legislator. As constituents and union members, we know that direct communication with our elected representatives is one of the most effective ways to advocate for change. Send a message using our online advocacy tool:

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IN OLYMPIA:

The state Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce heard public testimony in support of SB 5236

“Less than one year ago I provided testimony on HB 1868 hoping this state would pass a law ensuring nurses and patients had safe healthcare environments – instead, staffing got worse. Not because this state isn’t educating enough nurses. The shortage is not nurses, the shortage is safe work environments. No amount of money can keep nurses repeatedly experiencing moral injury and burnout.” - Kelli Johnson, RN, Providence Regional Medical Center, Everett

“I have served on the staffing committee at our hospital for many years and have chaired that committee for the last year and a half. I am here to tell you it is infuriating to sit in committee month after month, year after year and see how our staffing guidelines are breached every single day on many units a day leaving nurses in untenable, dangerous and heartbreaking situations.” - Nonie Kingma, RN, Sacred Heart Hospital, Spokane

“Implementing safe staffing standards in every Washington hospital is the one thing that will make patient care safe again and keep healthcare workers like me at the bedside. Patient care is devastated, and that’s devastating for those of us at the bedside. Where I work, folks’ fingers are on the send button to resign. They are ready to move to outpatient care, retire — frankly, anything else. This bill makes working in a hospital safe again. This bill is what will keep and bring healthcare workers back to the beside.” - Melissa Swetland Leaptrot, RN, St. Anne Hospital, Burien

Senate Hearing on Safe Staffing Law a Huge Success!

Watch UFCW 3000 member Kelli Johnson, Providence Everett ER nurse, speak to state senators about the importance of safe staffing standards.

This week UFCW 3000 members and our allies at SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and WSNA, along with community supporters, made our presence known at the State Capitol during a state senate hearing on Safe Staffing bill SB 5236. Health care workers testified during the committee hearing and met with lawmakers to ensure they know how desperate the staffing crisis is—and how important it is to pass statewide safe staffing standards now.

“Less than one year ago I provided testimony on House Bill 1868 hoping the state would pass a law ensuring nurses and patients have a safe healthcare environment. Instead, staffing got worse,” said UFCW 3000 member and Providence Everett emergency RN Kelli Johnson to the senate committee. “The shortage is not nurses, the shortage is safe work environments. No amount of money can keep nurses repeatedly experiencing moral injury and burnout, two of the top three reasons nurses leave the profession.”

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We are not alone: Firefighters, mental health advocates, rare disease patient advocates, and others also testified in support. And more than 2,000 people signed in “Pro” in support of the bill, more than twice as many as those opposed!

Take action to support SB 5236:

Safe Staffing Bill Scheduled for a Hearing

This week the coalition of healthcare workers from UFCW 3000, WSNA, and SEIU 1199NW, relaunched the WA Safe + Healthy campaign and Senate Bill 5236 to pass safe staffing standards to address the worsening hospital staffing crisis.

Please join healthcare workers from across the state for our first hearing in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee scheduled for:

Tuesday, January 17 @ 10:30AM
Washington State Capitol - Senate Hearing Rm 1
John A. Cherberg Building and Virtual

(John A. Cherberg Building to the Capitol map link HERE)

Even if you are unable to testify in committee due to time constraints or distance, there are several other ways for members of the Senate Labor Committee hear from you about how unsafe staffing levels have impacted you, your patients, colleagues, and communities across the state.

The more healthcare workers and community our elected leaders hear from, the more likely they are to pass this critical legislation! Next week we will be wearing stickers in the worksites to show our support for safe staffing. Your Union Representatives will be in touch and getting those to workplace leaders for distribution.

Questions, or to get involved in helping lead the fight for safe staffing, please reach out to your Union Representative.

The fight's not over: We’re heading back to Olympia to address the staffing crisis

We haven’t given up the fight for safer staffing. Last legislative session, we made momentous progress in elevating the staffing recruitment and retention crisis to lawmakers, media, and the public. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to secure safe staffing standards in 2022. But we know the crisis hasn’t gotten better – if anything, it’s gotten worse.

We’re gearing up now to take the fight back to Olympia and do what it takes to make sure healthcare workers have the staffing they need to provide excellent care. We look forward to sharing more policy specifics soon. But we need you to keep fighting, too.

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Last year’s success was only possible because of activism from healthcare workers like you. Your voices are powerful. They move legislators to act. Help us make the most compelling case to legislators by sharing your personal staffing story!

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Read what our members have to say about why they’re back in the fight to win safe staffing...

“Nurses and other healthcare workers continue to burn out under the stress of caring for more and more patients. Across the state, we’re seeing long backups in emergency rooms and patients waiting in the ER until there’s a bed and a nurse to take care of them. We’re seeing nurses and other healthcare workers run ragged trying to keep up. That’s why we can’t let up on our fight for safe staffing. We need state-level solutions, which is why we’re headed back to the legislature to win safe staffing in 2023.” -Jacob Garcia, Med-Surg Registered Nurse, Astria Sunnyside

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“We need to do something now to retain our experienced staff and attract new caregivers to the field. We have lost too many co-workers to burnout already. It’s painful to see just how much short staffing is affecting patient care. I’m encouraging my co-workers and all fellow healthcare workers to speak up so state lawmakers can hear directly from those of us on the front lines. Solving this problem is going to require lawmakers to act in the interest of patients and ensure our communities have access to quality healthcare with safer staffing.” -Iliana Ramirez, Medical Assistant, Lourdes Medical Center

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“Safe staffing cannot wait. We are going back to the legislature more united than ever for safe staffing standards for all healthcare workers. We’re asking everyone for their support, and to be ready to talk to their legislators, friends, and family. We are moving forward, now join us!” -Ade Adeyemo, Certified Nursing Assistant, UW Medicine - Northwest Hospital

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Nancy Pyanowski

Nancy pyanowski, UFCW 3000 member and medical laboratory dispatcher at Labcorp

It’s #MemberMonday and today we’re spotlighting Nancy Pyanowski, a proud UFCW 3000 member who works as a medical laboratory dispatcher at Labcorp.

Nancy has a big heart & a fighting spirit; she cares deeply about her patients and her coworkers! Nancy works tirelessly to advocate for her coworkers and safety at her job. Her colleagues point out that Nancy is always ready to share her experience & knowledge, especially when it comes to their rights at work.

Nancy has really stepped up as a worker-leader, too, as she’s actively involved as a shop steward and bargaining team member for her unit. As she says: “We are the union; when we’re united & resolved, we have the power to win!”

When she’s not working, Nancy enjoys cooking & working out with her personal trainer. Nancy — thank you for your leadership at work and for reminding us how important it is to safeguard our rights at work so we can better enjoy our lives off the clock!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Brittany Reusse

Brittany Reusse, proud UFCW 3000 member and ICU RN

It’s #MemberMonday and today we’re spotlighting Brittany Reusse, who is an ICU RN at Providence St. Mary Medical Center!

Shortly after graduating from nursing school, Brittany and her husband relocated to Walla Walla because they wanted to settle down in a town with a strong community atmosphere. Immediately prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brittany began working in the float pool. Working through such a challenging time deeply bonded Brittany with her coworkers and allowed her to make many connections throughout the hospital across different units and roles. Eventually, Brittany settled into a permanent position in the ICU.

In the spring 2021, the ICU needed a representative on the bargaining team for contract negotiations. Brittany volunteered, passionate about connecting nurses together, ensuring excellent patient care, and advocating for better working conditions for her colleagues. Brittany says that being the ICU representative (and now a union shop steward!) gave her important perspective on solidarity and what workers can achieve together when we are united.

Brittany — thank you for your leadership and all your hard work in serving your patients, your coworkers, and your community!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Nurses at PRMCE Step Up

This #WorkerWednesday, we want to especially recognize three amazing UFCW 3000 members at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, WA.

Heidi, Kristen, and Trevor are all nurses who work at PRMCE. As frontline healthcare workers, they have seen first-hand the impacts of the staffing crisis on their work. Because of their dedication to providing the best possible care to their patients and their community, these amazing worker-leaders have been stepping up to advocate for safe staffing!

Outside of the workplace, Kristen, Trevor, and Heidi have helped raise community awareness on the staffing crisis by appearing in the local papers & media. They’ve also organized coworkers & fellow union members to testify at city council meetings, sharing the perspective of essential workers with lawmakers.

Trevor, Heidi, Kristen…thank you for the work that you do to advocate for your coworkers while working hard to keep your patients and our communities safe & healthy!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Aleda Adams

Aleda Adams, UFCW 3000 member, shop steward, and healthcare worker at Forks Community Hospital

It’s time for another #MemberMonday! Today, we are spotlighting Aleda Adams, who has worked at Forks Community Hospital for over 15 years. Since 2018, Aleda has also been a union shop steward, identifying issues that her coworkers face on the job and advocating for collaborative solutions. Her leadership has extended to Aleda joining both the Labor Management Committee and her unit’s bargaining team. During a recent wage increase contract vote, Aleda met with coworkers to ensure that each person understood the voting process. Aleda answered questions about wage scales and the tentative agreement, so that her coworkers could submit their ballots feeling confident about the information they had been given.

Beyond her own participation, Aleda is always encouraging her coworkers to become more active in our union. In fact, Aleda has convinced coworkers throughout the years to receive steward training as well! As she says, “There are ongoing benefits & wins we can get by being active in our union.”

Thank you for all of your hard work, Aleda!

Providence Everett, listen to your caregivers!

We are facing staffing issues across all units daily, and Providence refuses to listen to our staffing solutions! We will be sharing our stories with the community during our leaflet action:

Wednesday, August 24
10:30am - 12pm
Colby and Pacific Campus Entrances

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Sonia Padilla

Sonia Padilla, UFCW 3000 member and health care worker at North Valley Hospital

This week’s #MemberMonday spotlight is on Sonia Padilla, who has worked at North Valley Hospital in Tonasket, WA for 20 years!

Sonia immigrated to to the United States from Mexico at the age of 15. For 3 summers, she worked in the orchards while learning English. In her senior year of high school, Sonia told her dad that she wanted to try something other than farm work. Sonia enrolled in the CNA program offered through her high school.

Sonia recalls going to the North Valley Hospital DNS every other day, asking if any positions had opened. Finally, she was offered a position as a sitter; at the time of her hire, Sonia was also the only Latina worker at the hospital. In the two decades since, Sonia has advanced her career from CNA to currently a MA-C in the Emergency Room.

Sonia's patients love that she always treats everyone as if they are her family, providing the most compassionate care she can to her patients and their families. Her co-workers deeply respect Sonia, seeing her as a treasure trove of knowledge and expertise. Sonia is always looking out for her co-workers' rights, bringing forward issues, and helping to enforce their contract.

She is a bright star to her co-workers and community. Sonia — thank you for all that you do!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Victor Diaz

Victor Diaz, proud UFCW 3000 member

It’s time for another #MemberMonday! This week, the spotlight is on Victor Diaz, who works at Mid Valley Hospital in Omak, WA.

Victor has worked many jobs throughout his career, from retail to construction. During his time in construction, Victor worked at non-union companies. Throughout the years, however, Victor learned more about unions and how worker-members come together to fight for rights and protections at work. Victor loves to give back to his community, and when the opportunity opened up for him to become a healthcare worker, he took it. He was even more excited to learn that his position was represented by a union and has been a proud UFCW 3000 member ever since.

Fun fact: Victor is a 7-year volunteer firefighter captain for his local community in Riverside, WA! Victor — we’re so inspired by how you give back to your community, and we’re so glad to be a part of your team.

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Gina Noel

Gina Noel, RN at Providence Regional Medical Center and proud UFCW 3000 member

Another week, another #MemberMonday! Today’s spotlight is on Gina Noel, who is a staff RN at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, WA.

Gina is an active leader in her workplace and has been ever since she became a UFCW 3000 member. Gina has participated in multiple Union actions, attended leader trainings, and even joined her fellow members in advocating for safe staffing legislation. She shared her story and the story of her coworkers with lawmakers, helping them better understand the realities of the healthcare staffing crisis and the challenges essential healthcare workers face day in and day out.

Gina recently joined her home floor's staffing committee and is a voice for her unit. While doing this work, Gina identified multiple floors that had no members present to speak on behalf of their particular units. Using social media, Gina and her coworkers organized Zoom meetings to recruit fellow nurses into their med tele & surge staffing committees, resulting in the most RN participation on this committee in years!

Gina — by encouraging your coworkers to get involved in advocating for the changes they need in their own workplaces, you have truly become a role model for leadership and initiative. Thank you for all that you do!