PRMCE Union Grievance Newsletter June 2024

Through grievances, we can enforce our contracts and assert our rights! If you have experienced issues with your supervisor not following the contract language, please reach out to your RN union rep, Anthony Cantu, at (206) 436-6566, or Pro/Tech union rep Jack Crow at (206) 436-6614.

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Labor & Industries Meal Period Guidance

On July 1, L&I will begin to enforce compensatory damages for missed or untimely meal periods. As a result of this new rule, Providence has added more meal period questions to the Kronos time clock. We encourage you to do the optional training on the Kronos changes so you can correctly log your meal periods. If you do not receive appropriate compensation for untimely or missed meal periods, we encourage you to file a complaint with L&I here.

Additionally, we currently have an active grievance which is on Step 3 for Pros, Techs, and RNs. We are seeking compensation for missed and untimely meal periods. We are also looking into potential litigation over this matter.

An example from L&I guidance:
Jimmy works a 12-hour shift as a nurse in a regional hospital. On his last shift, Jimmy received only one hour-long lunch break at the fifth hour of his shift. Jimmy has not received compliant meal periods for this shift because he did not receive his second, 30-minute meal period and he worked more than five hours after his first meal period ended without starting that second meal period. The second meal period is a missed meal period. Jimmy must be paid 11 working hours for the time he worked and must also receive an additional 30 minutes of pay at his agreed wage rate because of the missed meal period.
Pay for Missed Break: 30 minutes
Pay for Additional Time Worked: None

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Meal Periods/Time Clock Rounding Class Action Lawsuit

Providence has appealed King County Superior Court’s decision on the class action lawsuit (Bennett et al v. Providence Health Systems) regarding missed pay for time clock rounding and missed second meal periods. This lawsuit covers all Providence hourly employees who were employed from September 2018 to May 2023. We will be keeping an eye on the Appellate Court’s decision, which likely won’t occur for several months.

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RN Contract Signature

We are working through finalizing the contract with PRMCE. We have found typos in the document they submitted to us and have asked them to correct the typos. Although the final contract has not been signed, we have a valid and enforceable agreement. Please refer to the redline in the meantime: ufcw3000.org/find-your-contract/2015/2/12/providence-regional-medical-center-everett-rn-contract

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RN Anniversary Wage Increases/Years of Service Step Progression

This grievance concerns RNs who did not receive their step increase between February 21, 2024, and March 2024 and did not receive an additional step. PRMCE responded to the grievance stating that they are working on providing retroactive pay to nurses owed step increases and are still getting their system in place to track additional step progressions. We find their answer unacceptable and are waiting to meet with PRMCE for Step 2.

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RN Low Census Extra Shift Incentive

PRMCE responded to our grievance and stated that the new extra shift incentive language allows them to cancel/low census incentive shift RNs prior to travelers/agency RNs. We strongly disagree with PRMCE and believe that incentive shift RNs should be low censused with premium shift RNs. We are awaiting Step 3 meeting dates.

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RN Low Census Index

PRMCE has not provided access to the low census index in every unit. The low census index tracks each nurse’s low census hours and helps determine the low census order. We are waiting for PRMCE’s response to our Step 2 meeting.

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RN FMC Per Diem Scheduling

We have filed a demand to bargain for FMC per diem RNs who have been told they can only pick up 12-hour shifts. We believe this is a change in employment conditions. Additionally, we filed a grievance for FMC RNs who are being excluded from incentive shift pay, even though they have worked two shifts in a pay period. We will be meeting with PRMCE on July 29 to bargain over these changes.

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Inpatient Rehab Closure

Providence has announced they will be closing inpatient rehab sometime in October 2024 and moving inpatient rehab services to an offsite Lifepoint/Providence facility. We are currently bargaining with PRMCE over the effects of this closure. Our next bargaining date is on July 17.

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RN Self-Scheduling

Providence announced that some units will be moving from templates to self-scheduling. We have demanded to bargain over the effects of this change and are awaiting a meeting date.

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RN Biweekly Weekend Rotation

Around June 19, Providence announced RNs will be working weekends biweekly to be “compliant” with the weekend language in Article 8. Under the new contract, we changed the definition of a weekend but did not change weekend scheduling language: “The Medical Center will make a good-faith effort to schedule all regular full-time and part-time nurses for every other weekend off.” We believe Providence is misinterpreting this language. We will be having a discussion with Providence next week to resolve this issue. If our discussion is not productive, we will be taking necessary next steps like a grievance.

LabCorp - Contract Ratified!

Our Union Bargaining Team is excited to share that with more than 60% turnout, our members overwhelmingly voted YES to ratify our new contract yesterday!

This contract includes higher wages for every position, the elimination of ghost steps, 401k improvements, and expanded benefits plans starting in 2025. We’re proud that our unit came together to help raise the bar for laboratory professionals.

The $750 ratification bonus and new wage rates take effect on the second full pay period after ratification (early August). More information about the changes and how to make the most out of the new benefits plan to follow. The new wage scale, benefits plan summary, and the full redline agreement will continue to be available for members to access on our website.

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep Christie Harris at (360) 409-0620.

“We know that the fight doesn’t end here. Let’s use our momentum to continue to learn about our rights, enforce our contract, and build our union power!”

—Debby Gibby, Bargaining Team member & Senior Lab Assistant

Still fired up? Sign up for Steward or Leaders in Action trainings!

Be sure to check out our website for upcoming community events, member meetings, training opportunities, and union benefits programs.

LabCorp Tentative Agreement Reached! Contract Vote Reminder

Our LabCorp Union Bargaining Team is excited to announce that we have finally reached a tentative agreement with the company. While this was not a quick or easy process, we’re proud of the hard work our members put in to pushing LabCorp towards a fair contract. We saw more members than ever before engaging their coworkers, demanding better, and taking action together, and it shows in our agreement.

Our Bargaining Team fully recommends a YES vote!

This tentative agreement has some big wins and big changes, including:

• Wage increases for all classifications (averaging 11% in the first year and 15% over the life of the contract, with a guarantee that no one will receive less than 5% upon ratification)

• Elimination of ghost steps (no more skipped anniversary raises)

• Shortened the total number of years it takes to reach the top of the scale

• Increased 2nd and 3rd shift differentials

• $750.00 ratification bonus

• Healthcare & Benefits expansion beginning January 1, 2025

  • Eliminated eligibility waiting period for new hires

  • More plan options and more medical carrier options

  • HRA, HSA, and FSA options

  • Telehealth (MDLIVE) coverage

  • Premium reductions via Annual Wellness Screenings

  • New voluntary benefits and support services, incl. wellness programs, accident & critical illness insurance, adoption assistance, recovery support, fitness reimbursement, reproductive health and parenting services, and more

  • Employee stock purchase plan

  • 401k improvements, incl. 5% company matching, all contributions 100% vested, and immediate eligibility

  • Tuition reimbursement

  • No takeaways to union PTO, sick leave, or bereavement

  • No additional costs for benefits until the end of 2024

• Monthly allowance for members who work from home

• Parking for couriers at James Tower

• Improved language for company communications regarding errors on paychecks, applying for short-term disability, medical premium repayment options, and changes in work schedules

• Improved language regarding union membership, new hire orientation, and union stewards

“It was a tough fight, but we won some of the highest wage increases in LabCorp union history. Our Bargaining Team members recommend voting YES!” —Kyle Chrisman, PST Specialist

Online CONTRACT VOTE: Tuesday, June 25 @ 5:00am — Wednesday June 26 @ 5:00pm

Members will need to have their personal email address on file with the union in order to receive the online vote email with their unique log-in information to vote on the agreement. Please update your contact information ASAP at ufcw3000.org/update-your-information >>

If you have questions or don’t receive the online vote email, you can contact your union Rep. Christie Harris at 360-409-0620.

Vote documents (including the Highlights summary, benefits plan summary, and full redline changes) will be available for you to review online and at the drop-in contract Q&A meetings prior to the vote.

DROP-IN CONTRACT Q&A MEETINGS: Saturday, June 22

ONLINE only: 9:00am—10:00am & IN-PERSON+ONLINE 1:00pm—3:00pm @ 23040 Pacific Hwy S, Des Moines. Zoom Meeting ID: 712 328 6135. Reach out to your Union Rep or a member of your Bargaining Team if you have questions about the agreement and can’t make it on Saturday.

Conifer St. Michael Medical Center Bargaining Update

On June 6, 2024, our opening letter requesting bargaining dates with Conifer Revenue Cycle Solutions was sent. On June 13, Local 3000 received a response from Conifer saying that the Employer considers “this request to be overly premature”, and that “Conifer does not understand the reasons for beginning negotiations so early”. Well, it is because we are hoping to secure a new Collective Bargaining Agreement as soon as we can! As such, we were not able to set bargaining dates in June or July, but have secured August 28 for our first day of bargaining. Meanwhile, we do have a request out for September bargaining dates and look forward to getting to the bargaining table. As stated in our previous update, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires October 31, 2024.

Union Representative Ryan Degouveia has assembled a Bargaining Team of our coworkers and we will be holding an open virtual meeting for all workers at Conifer St. Michael on June 25 between 5:30PM and 6:30PM. We hope to have an open and frank conversation about folks’ top priorities. As our Silverdale office is in the process of moving, this will be online-only via Zoom. Details will be forthcoming via text message very soon!

Should you have any questions or wish to be involved in building workplace solidarity to win a strong contract, Union Representative Ryan Degouveia can be reached at 360-662-1982.

Make sure your personal contact information is up to date so you don’t miss important bargaining information and union benefits!

Update your information here >>

Kaiser Permanente Pro Tech, Optical, & Pharmacy: Wage Increases Coming Soon!

Hooray! Wage Increases in Upcoming Paychecks

Kaiser UFCW 3000 membership ratified historic mid-contract wage increases for all members on April 19. Management gave word that those increases have been processed in HRConnect and we anticipate your new wage to be in your next paycheck coming on 6/21/2024.

Please note: The retroactive pay will not be on this same paycheck. The retroactive pay for all hours worked (from the effective date until now) will be coming in either of the the next two pay periods: 7/5/24 or 7/19/24.

The wage increases ranged from 5% to 9% depending on job classification. To understand your new wage, multiply your current wage by 1.05, 1.06, or 1.09:

e.g. $30.00 x 1.05 = $31.50
       $25.60 x 1.09 = $27.90

Please reach out to your Union Representative or Contract Specialist with any questions or concerns!

Contract and rep information:

• Pro-Tech & Optical

• Pharmacy Contract & Rep

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Send them to update the contact information we have on file here.

PRMCE Update on Inpatient Rehab Closure

On June 13 and 14, we met with the PRMCE Management team to discuss the closure of the inpatient rehab unit and negotiate over the effects of this decision. During this meeting, Providence informed us that they plan to officially close the unit sometime in mid-October 2024. The current plan is to retain all PRMCE inpatient rehab employees until the official closure date. Employees who have accepted a position at the new rehabilitation facility in Lynnwood (Lifepoint/Providence Swedish Rehabilitation Unit) will transition to the new location after the PRMCE unit closes.

Throughout our discussions, it became clear that Providence and Lifepoint’s plans are still evolving. However, it appears they are committed to securing positions for all interested inpatient rehab caregivers and are negotiating with Lifepoint on wages and benefits. Providence confirmed that Lifepoint will match the current inpatient rehab caregivers’ wage rates, PTO accruals, continuing education funds, tuition reimbursement, and hire dates.

We also requested that Providence ask Lifepoint to delay the job offer acceptance deadline of June 21st, but Providence stated that Lifepoint cannot extend this date. We recommend that each caregiver make their own decision regarding the job offer from Lifepoint based on their personal circumstances. If you do not accept a position at Lifepoint now, we are unsure if a position will be available for you in the future. Nonetheless, all Pro, Technical, and RN bargaining unit members have the option to take a vacant position at the Colby Campus using the bumping language in their contracts.

Moreover, we presented a severance proposal that included PTO/EIB cashout and other benefits for all laid-off employees, but Providence rejected this proposal. We will likely be meeting with them again soon to present a counterproposal.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your bargaining team or union representatives, Jack Crow at 206-436-6614 or Anthony Cantu at 206-436-6566.

Our union Bargaining Team: Mary Brown, Daudette Catey, Allison Axelrod, Jane Warner, and Debbie Stevens