PRMCE RN - Bargaining Update

On July 27, we held a banner and leaflet action at the Everett Marina Concert Series. We spoke with community members and asked them to send an email to the Providence General Foundation-Everett. The email calls out the staffing crisis at the Hospital and demanding that the Foundation hold Hospital Administration accountable for their lack of collaboration around staffing issues at the bargaining table. Please encourage your friends and family to send an email to the Foundation:

>> Share this link! Stand with Providence Everett RNs

Also members of the Everett City Councilmembers and Snohomish County Board of Health will be writing a letter to Hospital Administration and the Foundation supporting our contract negotiations! The community and elected officials support our efforts for safe staffing! 

Response to the CNO’s email: On August 1st we will have a second day of contract negotiations with a federal mediator. Our first mediation session resulted in a rejection on our staffing language and a wage proposal which still puts us dollars behind Swedish, Overlake, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Evergreen. A 19.4% increase (divided in multiple increases from 2023 to 2026) will not be enough to remain competitive with other hospitals in the area! 

It has also come to our attention that Hospital Management has published their contract proposals and indicated if the proposals are tentative agreements (meaning Management and the nurse bargaining team have mutually agreed). We believe this is a tactic to frustrate the bargaining process and cause confusion. We will be sending out a version of our full proposal next week so nurses can read through all of our proposals and we can discuss them together. 

WA State Sick Leave accruals: Under WA’s Paid Sick Leave law, employers are supposed to record WA State sick time. Although PRMCE nurses accrue PTO and EIB, you should have a line item on your paystub or on the employee portal showing how much PTO is considered “WA State Sick Leave.” We have asked Providence to comply with the law so nurses know how much protect sick leave time they have available, but Providence has denied our request. We filed a grievance in May to resolve this issue and will also address this issue in negotiations.  

Incentive Pay: In the past the Hospital and UFCW 3000 agreed that nurses would receive time and a half or double time pay if they worked an extra shift beyond their FTE. An issue that arose is that nurses who called out sick and used “protected sick leave”, per the WA Paid Sick Leave law, were denied incentive pay. In February 2023, we told Providence that this was discriminatory, and these nurses should receive the incentive pay. Providence originally rejected our request but has changed their position. They are now providing incentive pay to nurses who call out sick for an extra shift, but use “protect sick time.” 

We are unsure how long Providence will continue providing incentive pay but we are requesting at the bargaining table that incentive pay be part of the union contract. Currently Providence Centralia and Providence St. Peter’s (Olympia) have incentive pay in their contract. 

We need to show PRMCE that we are serious about our proposals and are willing to strike! If you have not already signed the strike pledge, please click on the link below!

>> Sign the Strike Pledge! PRMCE RN - I Promise to Take Action

Also encourage your coworkers to update their information:

>> Update Your Information!

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Below are the current articles that are open and our last session prior to mediation proposals: 

Article 2 Union Matters—union security, Providence must provide personal emails for each nurse (if available) 

Article 4 Union Representation—union representatives will have access to all unit conference rooms, Providence will ensure that two bargaining committee members per unit will have their shifts covered in order to attend negotiations 

Article 6 Employment Practices—a nurse may request for a written warning to be removed from their file if the discipline is 18 months old, documented coachings/counselings shall be removed from a nurse’s file, upon request, after 9 months

Staffing—additional $5/ hour per shift to nurses if their unit falls below the staffing plan for their unit plus major improvements to the staffing committee agenda like reviewing nurse exit interviews and addressing acute staffing issues immediately

Article 7 Seniority—a new list for skill departments to reflect current department breakdown, Providence will notify nurses of recall via email and mail

Article 8 Hours of Work and Overtime—double time pay for nurses on standby on holidays, travelers will be low censused first and then agency nurses, 12 break relief nurses, per diem nurses minimum shift scheduling

Article 9 Compensation—Nurses will need to work 1,664 hours instead of 1,872 hours to advance to their next step increase. $3.00 Evening shift differential and $6.50 Night shift differential. After 24 months of working on third shift, nurses shall receive an additional $3/ hour in addition to their shift differential. Standby on-call pay of $7/ hour. Float Pool/Resource Team pay of $5. Increased premium for preceptors to $2.00 to train the nurses we desperately need. Expanded holiday pay for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for night shift nurses. $800 Standby Bonus for nurses who work more than 500 standby hours each calendar year, $1100 standby bonus for nurses who work more than 800 standby hours in a half year, $1250 for nurses who work more than 1100 standby hours in a half year

Wages—Step increments between steps would be an average of 2.5%. Currently the step increments vary between step. Increase base to Swedish’s base rate of $42.22 on June 1, 2023. The new wage table would range from $42.22 (Base)  80.55 (Step 35). November 1, 2023 8.25% increase, 2024 5% increase, 2025 6.5% increase

Article 15 Committees—Staffing Committee would reflect the new staffing law, which means if the Hospital violates this article we can file a grievance and take the grievance to arbitration if necessary. Additionally if the staffing plan is not adhered to by a margin of 85% and a nurse works on their day off, .9 to 1.0 FTE nurses shall receive double time pay and .5 to .89 FTE nurses shall receive 1.5 time pay for all time worked up to 40 hours (these nurses will receive double time for work beyond 40 hours)

Article 16 Nursing Education/License—Increasing education leave hours to 40 (prorated by FTE), increasing education dollars, and tuition reimbursement of $5,250 for all nurses with a .75 FTE or above

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PRMCE RN Bargaining Team—Trevor Gjendem, Juan Stout, Carrie Rimel, Kelli Johnson, Stephanie Sausman, Julie Byum, Kristen Crowder (not pictured) (Top left to bottom right) 

Upcoming Actions

August 1—Negotiations with Providence Everett Management 

August 3—5:30pm to 6:30pm Leaflet Action at Everett Marina Concert Series (park on Grand Ave or Everett Marina paid parking)

August 6—Everett Farmer’s Market Leaflet Action 10:30am to 12pm (meet on Pacific and Wetmore) 

August 16—Community Townhall with Nurses 5pm to 6pm Everett Labor Temple 

August 17—AquaSox Game Leaflet Action 6pm to 7pm- Nurses are encouraged to bring friends/family (free tickets will be available to the game after the leaflet, please RSVP with Anthony Cantu 206-436-6566) 

August 27—Everett Farmer’s Market 10:30am to 12pm (meet on Pacific and Wetmore)

WhidbeyHealth Pro-Tech & LPN - Positive Progress on Non-Economics

On Wednesday, July 26, our bargaining team got tentative agreements on almost all non-economics—including strong language on non-discrimination, as well as language stating that we only have to give 14 days-notice for resignation instead of 21 days.

We proposed our economic proposals today and expect to hear back with counters from WhidbeyHealth at our next bargaining session on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. We asked for significant across the board increases, language on experience for experience, stronger over-time language, higher differentials and more. We are hopeful that WhidbeyHealth will continue to bargain in good faith and understand that patient safety means we need higher-wages to retain and recruit more staff!

Our Bargaining Team: Rosalie Nguyen, Pharmacy; Jennifer MaCNeill, Lab

Providence St. Peter Case Managers - Committed to our patients and deserving of better wages

Providence St. Peter Case Managers
Committed to our patients and deserving of better wages

“Nurses do more than bedside care. We touch every aspect of a patient’s life.” —Mary Briles, Case Manager RN, Bargaining Team member

Our Bargaining Team met with Management on July 26. We bargained with the Employer all day. The Employer is proposing an alternate wage scale which devalues the nursing care that Case Managers provide. Without Case Managers, the whole hospital grinds to a halt.

We demand that the Employer acknowledge the essential care that we provide to our patients!

With the first day of negotiations behind us, we await further information from Management to our Bargaining Team before we can confidently counter their most recent proposal.

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Jim O'Brien

Jim O’Brien

Union contracts often have provisions for overtime above what the law requires and additional premium pay for being assigned extra responsibilities and job duties. Unfortunately, employers don’t always pay what was agreed to in the Union contract, so it’s up to rank-and-file union workers and stewards to enforce the contract and hold the employer accountable.

Jim O’Brien works at the Pacific Campus for Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. Recently Jim and other nurses have been assigned up to 5 nursing students to train (in nursing it is known as “clincal precepting” and nurse trainers are known as “preceptors”) while still carrying full patient loads. Jim and his fellow nurses had concerns about caring for patients while training 5 nursing students at the same time, and while reviewing the RN contract for Providence Everett he discovered that there was a premium clinical precepting that the Employer was not paying.

Jim and his union rep contacted his manager to request the premium for all the nurses in Jim’s unit. Management quickly agreed to pay the premium going forward and is conducting an audit with the Union to make all the nurses whole for the missed pay.

Way to go Jim! When everyone makes sure to enforce our union contract, we all benefit.

PRMCE RN We Must Come Together to Fight Providence, Not Each Other

As Registered Nurses, we have spent years fighting for our careers and our lives. We are all at the boiling point over Providence’s lack of leadership. The severity of our staffing concerns and the deterioration of our working conditions continue to go unaddressed. We want to give the best care to our patients and community and Providence management has failed us at every step.  

In recent months, we have led the fight for staffing legislation in Olympia, we have packed the halls of the Everett City Council, and we have prayed at vigils with the community we serve. Since May, as your union RN bargaining team, we have been fighting to win wages that are competitive with Swedish Edmonds and staffing language that can set new standards in Washington state. Now we are organizing to build the power we need to strike Providence and reform the broken healthcare system that is burning out nurses and hurting our patients.  

While we are building the support for a transformative strike, efforts have emerged to decertify our union. While we recognize there are legitimate frustrations, and a need for clearer communication and rigorous transparency, becoming an unprotected nonunion workplace is not the answer. We are working to improve vital functions of our union, and with feedback from RN coworkers, we will see that the needed improvements are made. We are committed to a process that will see our union held accountable to its members and dramatically increase participation for RNs. This will hold through our contract negotiation and beyond. We are committed to this because losing our union will put all our careers at risk. If a decertification effort were to pass, we would be at the mercy of Providence management. We would lose the rights and protections in our contract that we have fought for over the last 30 years, from when we were members of UFCW United Staff Nurses Union Local 141, to today. 

What many of those pushing decertification petitions may not know—or may not be telling their coworkers—is that after any decertification we would have to wait at least one year, by law, to reorganize with another union. During that time we would be ‘at will’ employees subject to termination at any time, for any reason. At that point, we would have to negotiate a new contract, which could take another year or more. If we lose our current protections, we are not going to be able to recover overnight the rights and benefits we have won over three decades. They would be lost to us for good. 

Nearly as important: if a decertification petition is filed, our current bargaining process immediately grinds to a halt. Providence will not bargain with us in good faith while a decertification effort is underway. Even a failed decertification vote would drain energy and momentum away from winning an improved union contract. At precisely the moment in which we must be united and working with one voice as proud Registered Nurses, a decertification effort would play right into Providence’s hands. We must come together, reject the decertification petition, and prepare to strike Providence for a fair contract that protects patients and enhances our careers.

We have reason to believe a better world is possible for RNs and our hospital. During the last five years we have built “Providence United”, a powerful coalition between SEIU 1199NW, UFCW 3000, and WSNA, the three healthcare unions in our state. Together we have taken on Providence in every hospital and taken action in solidarity with each other, including striking at Swedish and taking strike votes statewide. Working together we’ve pushed for the strongest staffing laws in Washington history. Now we are implementing the law with substantive input from frontline RNs and organizing for enforcement and accountability from hospital management.  

The unions in this coalition are 100% committed to standing in solidarity with one another in our collective fight against greedy healthcare corporations. WSNA and SEIU have pledged full support for us in our fight for a fair contract and our unions have a Unity Agreement to support one another and not support any effort to destroy what has been built over so many years. None of the three Unions will accept new members who have decertified and destroyed a contract that has been built over decades of struggle. 

Read the unity letter here: https://ufcw3000.org/s/Unity-Letter-Healthcare-Unions.pdf

As we escalate with public actions and community, political, and media outreach over the next few months, SEIU and WSNA will be supporting all actions as we prepare for a strike when our contract expires on October 30, 2023. We will have educational meetings on what it means to strike, planning financially, and getting commitments from nurses to be Strike captains for their units. We can learn from nurses in UFCW represented hospitals like Providence St. Peter’s Hospital and CHI St. Michael’s Medical Center- and from Swedish nurses with SEIU and Seattle Children’s nurses with WSNA. The best strategy and solidarity comes when we unite together- when one group of nurses take militant action- it can start a new wave of higher standards in the healthcare industry. We can lead. We can do this together.  

The real questions are- Will you join us in fighting Providence management? Will you join us in building the kind of Hospital that we can be proud of? Will you join us in protecting the lives of our loved ones? Will you join us in transforming our careers and the future of the nursing profession? Will you join us to fight for the new nurse out of Grad school that started during Covid, who only knows ratios of 6/1, and the 30-year nurse who is the heart and soul of your department?  

We have a choice to make together- and call on every nurse to sign the strike pledge, reject the decertification petition, and talk to one another respectfully and in solidarity as we take action together.  

— UFCW 3000 Nurse Bargaining Team: Stephanie Sausman, Kelli Johnson, Juan Stout, Julie Bynum, Carrie Rimel, Trevor Gjendem, Kristen Crowder  

“My Union is important to me because it is necessary for the protection of nurses and holding our employer accountable. I want a contract that fairly compensates our nurses and protects them and our patients. We need to recruit and retain nurses and having a good contract is the only way that we are going to be able to do that. I will continue this fight on my coworkers behalf. You all deserve better.” — Stephanie Sausman, Pre-Op 

“Being a Union Member is important to me because it gives me an opportunity to represent nurses who I admire, it’s a way for me to fight for them, to advocate for my co-workers both publicly and as a representative in the staffing committee.” — Trevor Gjendem, 8 South

“Being a part of a union is important to me because I have worked in organizations that are not union backed. I know how employers treat their employees when they are not represented and protected by a contract. You are not paid what you are worth and you have no employment protections. Being a part of the bargaining process has shown me just how ruthless this employer would be if we didn’t have union backing and has just solidified my belief in union representation.” — Juan Stout, Emergency Department 

“Being part of a union that is committed to working for us, hearing that we need, and then following through is what is important to me. UFCW is committed to all three, I look forward to continuing working with them to get a contract nurses have worked hard to get these past three years.” — Kelli Johnson, Emergency Department  

“UFCW is important to me because without a union I would have a mature contract that protects me as a nurse. Without staffing language and fair wages, I could not safely care for my patients.” — Kristen Crowder, Labor and Delivery

“Through a union contract nurses have a voice to fight for competitive wages that focuses on recruitment, retention, and patient safety. Without a contract we don’t have a voice.” — Julie Bynum Float Pool

“The more we know, the stronger our voice will be! I can do better; WE can do better - together!” — Carrie Rimel, Cath Lab 

PRMCE RN Bargaining Update

On July 16 we held a banner action on Pacific and Broadway and showed the public that we are fighting for better staffing for Snohomish County. We will be holding more actions in Everett (see below) to make the community aware that we are fighting for a competitive contract and safe staffing at PRMCE.
On July 19 nurses and the Bargaining Team met and discussed future actions and how we can improve union transparency/communication. Our union staff and your bargaining team are committed to implementing the solutions nurses proposed and are open to your feedback. We want all nurses to know that we hear their concerns!

On July 21 we will be going to negotiations with Hospital Management. This session will be mediated by a federal mediator. Given PRMCE’s lack of movement on our staffing and wage proposals, we have decided to use a neutral third party to mediate this negotiation session.

It is clear to us that this contract will determine if nurses leave or stay at PRMCE.We are fighting for historic staffing language and will not concede until PRMCE agrees!

We need to show PRMCE that we are serious about our proposals and are willing to strike!

If you have not already signed the strike pledge, please click on the link PRMCE RN - I Promise to Take Action! 
Also encourage your coworkers to update their information:https://ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

Below are the current articles that are open and our last proposals:

• Article 2 Union Matters- union security, Providence must provide personal emails for each nurse (if available)

• Article 4 Union Representation- union representatives will have access to all unit conference rooms, Providence will ensure that two bargaining committee members per unit will have their shifts covered in order to attend negotiations

• Article 6 Employment Practices- a nurse may request for a written warning to be removed from their file if the discipline is 18 months old, documented coachings/counselings shall be removed from a nurse’s file, upon request, after 9 months

• Staffing- additional $5/ hour per shift to nurses if their unit falls below the staffing plan for their unit plus major improvements to the staffing committee agenda like reviewing nurse exit interviews and addressing acute staffing issues immediately

• Article 7 Seniority- a new list for skill departments to reflect current department breakdown, Providence will notify nurses of recall via email and mail

• Article 8 Hours of Work and Overtime- double time pay for nurses on standby on holidays, travelers will be low censused first and then agency nurses, 12 break relief nurses, per diem nurses minimum shift scheduling

• Article 9 Compensation- Nurses will need to work 1,664 hours instead of 1,872 hours to advance to their next step increase. $3.00 Evening shift differential and $6.50 Night shift differential. After 24 months of working on third shift, nurses shall receive an additional $3/ hour in addition to their shift differential. Standby on-call pay of $7/ hour. Float Pool/Resource Team pay of $5. Increased premium for preceptors to $2.00 to train the nurses we desperately need. Expanded holiday pay for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for night shift nurses. $800 Standby Bonus for nurses who work more than 500 standby hours each calendar year, $1100 standby bonus for nurses who work more than 800 standby hours in a half year, $1250 for nurses who work more than 1100 standby hours in a half year

• Wages- Step increments between steps would be an average of 2.5%. Currently the step increments vary between step. Increase base to Swedish’s base rate of $42.22 on June 1, 2023. The new wage table would range from $42.22 (Base)  80.55 (Step 35). November 1, 2023 8.25% increase, 2024 5% increase, 2025 6.5% increase

• Article 15 Committees- Staffing Committee would reflect the new staffing law, which means if the Hospital violates this article we can file a grievance and take the grievance to arbitration if necessary. Additionally if the staffing plan is not adhered to by a margin of 85% and a nurse works on their day off, .9 to 1.0 FTE nurses shall receive double time pay and .5 to .89 FTE nurses shall receive 1.5 time pay for all time worked up to 40 hours (these nurses will receive double time for work beyond 40 hours)

• Article 16 Nursing Education/License-Increasing education leave hours to 40 (prorated by FTE), increasing education dollars, and tuition reimbursement of $5,250 for all nurses with a .75 FTE or above

Our PRMCE RN Union Bargaining Team: Trevor Gjendem, Juan Stout, Carrie Rimel, Kelli Johnson, Stephanie Sausman, Julie Bynum, Kristen Crowder
 

Upcoming Actions

July 25 Bargaining Update Meeting 8pm-9pm via Zoom: 

July 27 5:30pm to 6:30pm Leaflet Action at Everett Marina Concert Series
(park on Grand Ave or Everett Marina paid parking)

August 3 5:30pm to 6:30pm Leaflet Action at Everett Marina Concert Series
(park on Grand Ave or Everett Marina paid parking)

August 6 Everett Farmer’s Market Leaflet Action 10:30am to 12pm
(meet on Pacific and Wetmore)

August 17 AquaSox Game Leaflet Action 6pm to 7pm
Nurses are encouraged to bring friends/family(free tickets will be available to the game after the leaflet, please RSVP with Anthony Cantu 206-436-6566)

August 27 Everett Farmer’s Market 10:30am to 12pm
(meet on Pacific and Wetmore)

LabCorp Pushing Forward!

LabCorp
PUSHING FORWARD!

Our Union Bargaining Team: Nancy Pyanowski, Kyle Chrisman, Sam McVay, Lisa Magee, Matt Noll, Shelby Tyner, Deborah Gibby

Our LabCorp Union Bargaining Team met with Management on July 19 to continue negotiations. We were presented with their 2023 Healthcare, Vision and Dental insurance plans and dove deep into plan changes, benefit expansions, and cost projections. We presented new proposals on work-from-home stipends, automatic enrollment for Free Lab Testing, vehicle take home options for Service Reps, and limiting premium repayments after returning from leave.

Management did not come with counterproposals or answers to our questions from last session. Despite this, we pushed forward with our discussions on staffing metrics and hiring plans for departments like Accessioning and Cytogenetics that have been understaffed and overworked for more than a year, despite our co-workers urging Management to take action.

“We had a long and unproductive day in negotiations. Management is still delaying and failing to respond to any of our proposals or questions. Nevertheless, we continue to come to each session prepared, fired up, and ready to negotiate a fair contract. We insist Management do the same on August 1.” – Sam McVay, Customer Service

Calling all 3rd shift members at James Tower! Come get FREE coffee, doughnuts, and snacks outside of the James tower, and talk to our Bargaining Team about what you want to win in your contract.

Friday, July 21 @ 9PM-11PM
Saturday, July 22 @ 3:30AM-7AM

Go to linktr.ee/LabForce3000 for updates, links to our Slack and Facebook, and more.

Have questions? Want to get involved? Contact your Union Representative Christie Harris (206) 436-6606

Evergreen Health Kirkland Evergreen workers honored by board of commissioners

Many of us packed the board of commissioners meeting on July 18 and shared stories of the struggles we face every day. We spoke of the difficulty of recruiting staff at below market wages, the skyrocketing cost of living, and the frustration we all feel with Management’s refusal to propose adequate cost of living increases at the bargaining table.

The board seemed receptive to our concerns and shared their own desire for a fair contract that puts real money in our paychecks.

As a result of our statements and show of solidarity, the board made a last-minute decision to honor the sacrifices we and other care providers have made by awarding the frontline staff of Evergreen the annual “EvergreenHealth Community Service Award”.

July 19 we bargained with Evergreen and let Management know why it is important to pay competitive wages. We talked about being constantly short staffed and working with many highly paid travelers who don’t have the same skills and commitment to Evergreen that we have. Management maintains that they don’t want to pay top wages but feel they are being competitive. We bargain again July 25 and 26.

“The minimal response from Management on our wage proposals has left workers feeling more undervalued than ever” —Jennifer Bradshaw, Mammography Tech

“Me and my coworkers are constantly struggling to keep up as we perform more work with less staff, why would a new tech decide to work here when they can be paid more and work less elsewhere?” —Justy Hedrick, CT Tech

Olympic Medical Center (Pro Tech and Support Services) - Waiting for Management’s response to our proposals

Bargaining Team: (Standing L—R): Nancy Dahl, Ultrasound Tech; Kim Goss, Financial Advisor; Hector Pozernic, Physical Therapist; Cameron Van Winkle, Laundry Worker; (Seated L—R): Cathy Macphail, Negotiator, Patricia Wood, Technical Specialist Lab; Amanda Beck, Surgery Tech; Jake Purvis, Pharmacist; Joshua Johnston, CT Tech; Deviny Blore, Imaging Services Rep II; Terry Wray, Patient Access Rep; Not Pictured: Robert Elofson-Gilbertson, Radiology Tech; Aimee Oien, Union Representative

Olympic Medical Center (Pro Tech and Support Services)
Waiting for Management’s response to our proposals

We had a full Bargaining session with Management at Olympic Medical Center on July 13.

Our Union Bargaining Team has proposed to significantly increase wages and other compensation as well as addressing huge challenges around staffing. We have made many other proposals to improving processes and work—life balance.

Although Management has been friendly, we still haven’t received many proposals from them. We hope to have a better understanding of their priorities when they respond. We meet again on Friday, July 28.

For additional information or to get more involved, reach out to a Bargaining Team Member or to Union Representative Aimee Oien at 360-662-1981.

Update your information!

Members of UFCW 3000 can have their bargaining updates and other helpful information emailed to them. It is very important that your personal contact information is correct with your Union to be sure you receive updates on bargaining with your employer, union benefits, bargaining surveys, as well as contract vote information: ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Craig Kistler

Craig Kistler

Craig Kistler is a former Marine Deputy who now serves his community at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center as a Mental Health Counselor.

He joined the union about a year ago. He was happy to join because he saw the union addressing the needs of him and his coworkers. Craig and a co-worker talked about the benefits of the union and that the union started with the members at the work site, which is why he became interested in being more involved in helping build the power of the union.

He is happy to be a shop steward and is excited to be part of the bargaining team for the upcoming contract negotiations.

Planned Parenthood Bargaining Update

The bargaining team knows you all want to hear about your raises. In order to keep leverage, we must first address issues like holding Management accountable for staff safety, adhering to a strong non-discrimination clause, treating all workers fairly, responding to staff concerns in a reasonable time, and the amount of time low level discipline remains in a personnel file.

Management offered many packaged proposals, a “we will agree to this, if you agree to that” but we could not accept most packages because what they would have us agree to was out of the question. As a result, we unpackaged things in our counters. For example, Management is holding to their proposed language allowing them to negate the contract in the case of a natural disaster (power outages, snowstorms, epidemics), only now it comes as a package deal with totally unrelated articles. We disagreed. Again.

We are standing strong on our proposed non-discrimination language, language that strengthens our Labor Management Committee, and language addressing safe staffing concerns. Management seems to have little interest in countering as all their proposals just remove our own reasonable proposals, adding no counter to any of our language proposal except their language, that would not ensure we all have safety and security at work. United in our efforts, we look forward to the next bargaining session on Monday, July 31.

“My frontline coworkers deserve agency in deciding safe staffing levels and security issues that impact them.” - Alison DeBoise

“After witnessing and participating in 6 years of DEI policy attempts, work groups and staff turnover I’m deeply disappointed by GNHAIK’s disinterest in including DEI language in the contract throughout this process. We’re giving them simple ways to demonstrate action toward being the inclusive organization we apparently strive to be and they keep slashing DEI language without offering anything in return.” - Mollie Overby

Forks Community Hospital Service & Tech Contract Ratified!

Our Union Bargaining Team wants to thank you for participating in the contract vote. The collective bargaining agreement was ratified July 6 with 100% voting YES! This agreement:

• Increases wages a minimum of 15% over the life of the contract

• Protects affordable health care

• Adds multilingual pay to the contract

• Adds certification pay to the contract

PRMCE—Listen to Your Nurses and Community!

Since May 2023, we have been bargaining with Providence Everett management. Our objective has been safe staffing levels for our community and patients. Providence has rejected our staffing language and our ideas to retain and recruit nurses. It is time for our community and elected officials to hear about the staffing crisis at Providence Everett!

Nurses want the best for patients. Providence Everett wants the best for their pocketbooks.

It is time we take a stand.

Join us and bring your family and friends to one of the actions below and sign your strike pledge card! By signing a strike pledge card, we are saying that we are willing to strike in the future.

Wednesday, July 12

Snohomish City Council Meeting @ 10:30am

• 3000 Rockefeller Ave. 

• 8th Floor, Jackson Board Room

• Robert J. Drewel Building

• Everett, WA 98201

Everett City Council Meeting @ 6:30pm

• William E Moore Historic City Hall (Police, North Precinct)

• 3002 Wetmore Ave.

• Everett, WA 98201

Thursday, July 13

Banner and Leaflet at Everett Marina Summer Concert @ 4:45PM to 6:00PM

• On W. Marine View Drive (near Lombardi’s) underneath the Grand Avenue Park Bridge

Sunday, July 16

Banner and Leaflet Action @ 5:30PM to 7:00PM

• Broadway and Pacific Ave

• Everett, WA 98201

LabCorp - Negotiations Continue

LabCorp
Negotiations Continue

Our LabCorp Bargaining Team met with Management on June 29 to continue negotiations. We proposed additional holidays (MLK day, Juneteenth and Veterans Day) to recognize Union members of color and former service members. We made proposals to address issues with excessive overtime, understaffing, and mandatory schedule changes. We also proposed additional bereavement and union leave, penalties for untimely resolution of paycheck errors, more training for management on medical leave processes, and better access to HR.

NEXT CAT MEETINGS:
Thursday, July 13 on Zoom
9am—10am and 6:30pm—7:30pm
Find the link at: linktr.ee/LabForce3000

NEXT BARGAINING DATES:
July 19 and August 1

“We shared your stories about overtime and staffing problems. Unfortunately, although we come prepared every session with full proposals and explanations for them, management has chosen not to respond to our contract language proposals and deferred addressing previous issues until they receive all our economic proposals as well. This delay tactic is unacceptable! Despite this, we remain prepared and ready for action as we head into our next two negotiations sessions.” —Matt Noll, Cytogenetic Technologist

STAY IN THE LOOP!
Please make sure to join and follow our Slack or Facebook group for important updates regarding Contract Action Team meetings and negotiations.

Questions or concerns? Reach out to our Bargaining Team or Union Rep, Christie Harris at 206-436-6606.

EvergreenHealth - Evergreen Workers Show Their Strength!

Workers at EvergreenHeath took part in our first worksite action on Tuesday, July 20 by wearing union colors and holding a mass attendance at the board of commissioners meeting. We filled the room and showed management and board members that Evergreen workers are engaged and serious about winning a fair contract.

The sea of yellow forced management to sit up and take notice, and several voluntarily offered commentary on the importance of our work in the clinical and financial success of the hospital.

Make no mistake though, this action is not enough to move the needle at the bargaining table. We plan to attend the next board meeting on July 18 in even greater numbers and speak directly to management and the board about why we need a strong contract with fair wages, better benefits, and real solutions the staffing crisis we face every day.

Are you interested in raising your voice in support of a fair contract? Contact your rep Jack Crow at 206-436-6614 or jcrow@ufcw3000.org

Come to the next contract action meeting!

• July 11 • 5:30 PM

• TAN 138

Can’t make it? Join our Zoom meeting instead!

• July 10 • 10:30 AM

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

St. Michael Medical Center (Pro-Tech) - Contract ratified!

St. Michael Medical Center (Pro-Tech)
Contract ratified!

On Friday, June 30, we overwhelmingly voted to ratify our new collective bargaining agreement! Our new contract includes some of the highest pay in the region, a completely revamped wage scale with no ghost steps, increases to several differentials, and much more.

We will work with the Employer to get a final signed copy of your contract printed as soon as possible, but in the meantime, the redline version can be found HERE >>

Bargaining Team: Paul Harris, ER Tech; Chris Young, Transport; Don Szabo, Lead Medical Imaging; Rob Shauger, CNA 8th floor; Angela Roberson, Heart and Vascular; Connie Baker, RT; Kain McLeod, Pharm Technician; Alicia Krug, Surgery Tech

Providence St. Peter Hospital PTAs / COTAs Bargaining Update

“Unfortunately Providence rejected our proposal to place employees on a wage scale per their years of experience in their job classification. Having our years of experience recognized is a top priority!”—Cynthia Miner and Heidi Ranger

Our Union Bargaining Team met with Management on Thursday, June 29 to discuss the terms of our accretion into the technical unit represented by UFCW 3000. Thus far we have not been able to come to an agreement with Management about the structure of our wage scale and retaining greater continuing education benefits than the minimum required in the technical unit’s union contract.

As such, we are scheduled to meet with them again August 15. While we wish this were possible sooner, we also could not accept the offer on the table just for the sake of expediting the process.

MultiCare Covington Medical Center Contract Ratified

Bargaining Units has Overwhelmingly voted yes to ratify the contract!

We won:

• Historic wage increases that can help recruit and retain qualified staff!

• Increased PTO cash out

• Low Census Limits for RNs

• Staffing Accountability Language

• And other great wins!

The contract will immediately go into effect. New wages will go into effect on July 16.

If you have questions, please reach out to one of your bargaining team members or your union representative Ian Jacobson.

Planned Parenthood Bargaining Update

Bargaining Team: Michel Avery, Alison Deboise, Melissa Grindstaff, Monalisa Bauman, Mollie Overby

Today in Negotiations we got some wins in our non-discrimination language, as Planned Parenthood agreed with our language including: having your name, email, and ID badge match whatever name you choose. Planned Parenthood agreed with adding the anti-racism statement (public health crisis) we proposed and agreed that systemic and individualized racism deeply impact the health and wellbeing of communities. Planned Parenthood agreed to our proposal to email us via our work email about new job postings. Planned Parenthood is still refusing to agree to more than a one year contract, even with upcoming elections threatening your day to day safety. We are asking for a three year contract.

We are still fighting for strong language for stewards, as well as ensuring only 14 days notice for resignation for members.

Planned Parenthood told us that our staffing language proposal that ensures you have ways to voice concerns, as well as requiring Planned Parenthood to have a timeline to follow up on said concerns was not “one size fits all and doesn’t address issues that an employer sees”. We disagree with that, you deserve to have proper staffing that allows for quality patient care and services. Planned Parenthood wont even counter our staffing language, they are just saying NO. We will continue to propose safe staffing language, this is non-negotiable.

We asked that “when it comes to safety issues or other life threatening issues” that Planned Parenthood, The Union and Labor Management Committee must meet within seven days of a request for an emergency meeting. Planned Parenthood has said they were not interested in this. Given the recent safety concerns you have faced, we would hope Planned Parenthood would agree to this important proposal.

If you have questions contact our Union Rep Charlie King at 206-436-6518

Providence St. Joseph - New Three Year Contract Ratified at Providence St. Joseph Hospital for Service & Maintenance and Technical Units

Our bargaining team is excited to announce that on June 27, 2023, the new three-year contract was unanimously ratified at Providence St. Joseph Hospital for service & maintenance and technical units. This was a great time for everyone to learn about the new contract, ask questions, and vote. We connected with a lot of people and built our membership through this process. We are encouraged that the growth of our membership will strengthen the power that we have at the table.

The new contract has a competitive wage scale, increased premiums, an additional holiday, and cleaned up a lot of unnecessary language. The bargaining team spent some very long days with management, but they are excited, hopeful, and confident that this contract will help address retention and recruitment issues at St. Joseph.

If you would like to get involved, please reach out to your bargaining team. It takes all of us to fight for the benefits we work hard for!

Please reach out to your bargaining team or Union Representative Amy Radcliff at (509) 340-7370 with any questions or concerns.

Our Bargaining Team: Dawn Trotter, Financial Counselor; Bridgett McCoy, Coordinator; Terri Barbano-Cardin, Respiratory Therapist; Amy Radcliff, Union Representative