St. Michael Medical Center Professional-Technical-Clinical Support - Long Day—Disappointing Ending

Tuesday, August 25

We came into bargaining on Tuesday, August 25, hopeful that we could make real progress toward a deal. The Employer had indicated that it was ready to get serious and work toward an agreement. Unfortunately, by the end of the day, we were disappointed by how little movement we saw on the issues that matter most to us.

Because we are currently in FMCS mediation, the discussions at the table are confidential since neither side passed a formal proposal. Instead, we exchanged “supposals”—nonbinding, hypothetical ideas used to test possible paths toward an agreement. Because of the confidentiality rules of mediation, we cannot share the specific details of those discussions.

What we can say is that the Employer’s wage position continues to fall short of what is needed. We did not see the movement we were hoping for on wages, premium pay, and important concerns around safety in the Family Birth Center. We entered the day expecting the Employer’s actions at the table to reflect its stated desire to reach a deal. Unfortunately, we ended the day still waiting to see that level of movement.

Our Bargaining Team continued working throughout the day, reviewing wage proposals classification by classification and reassessing our priorities to make sure we remain focused on the improvements that matter most to us.

We were also grateful to have one of our Union siblings from the St. Joseph Medical Center technical Bargaining Team join us at the table, share perspective from their own negotiations, and show management that we are united in our fight for a fair contract.

We started the day hopeful that we could make significant progress. We ended it disappointed, but still committed to doing everything we can to win the fair contract we deserve.

Sign the Strike Pledge Card Today! >>

We meet with management again next week on September 3, which we anticipate will be an important bargaining session as we work to determine whether the Employer is prepared to make the movement necessary to reach a fair agreement.

“Started with high hopes, ended totally disappointed.”

— Merry Brandt-MacFann, CT Technologist

Bargaining Team: Robel Haile, Clinical Pharmacist; Bryson Andrews, ED Tech; Olivia Almeida, Respiratory Therapist; Merry Brandt-MacFann, CT Technologist; Lara Williams-Graham, Certified Surgical Technologist; Angela Roberson, EP Technologist; Rob Shauger, CNA.

Confluence Professionals - Economics Incoming

Friday 14, we concluded our third bargaining session with management. Although we gave all our noneconomic proposals, management failed to give us a single reply at this session. Our focus in this session was largely on preparing our economic proposals.

Our goal is to ensure a benefits package that protects what everyone is already receiving while bridging the gap and inequities between different departments. Our team is working to ensure that we are building a contract that will improve the conditions of all departments! In order to achieve this, we need your input and your support.

Bargaining Team: Trevor Schultz, Trisha Self, Jessica Schell, Theresa Randolph and Clari Ramos.

Join Our First Contract Action Team Meeting!

Wednesday 26
6pm
330 S King St

This meeting is a great opportunity to get involved in your contract negotiations, where you can hear what is happening at the table and what you can do to help. A good contract isn’t won at the table—it is won in the field!

Covington Medical Center - Memorandum of Understanding Vote Scheduled

“40-Hour” Alternative Work Schedule

This has the potential to allow members to have the option of a flexible workweek schedule. Patient care will still need to be met, and the schedule is available only by mutual agreement.

This is an additional benefit that would be offered in all contracts at Covington Hospital. All changes to existing contracts must be voted on by the affected membership.

The full Memorandum of Understanding will be available at the vote.

Vote Scheduled

• August 21

• 11am - 1pm

• MOB Conference Room 3

You must be a member in good standing to vote.

Please reach out to your Union Rep, Charlie King, at 206-436-6518 with any questions or concerns.

MultiCare Allenmore - A Common Vision

We all want health care workers and patients to have the best possible support. Better recruitment and retention of quality staff, and improved experiences for caregivers and patients, are good for everyone. Allenmore members, joining with thousands of other UFCW 3000 members across MultiCare, can achieve this vision if we come together and stand united around what we agree is needed to improve our workplaces.

Two Steps Toward Progress

Two necessary steps for us to advance our contracts across the MultiCare system are growing our numbers and standing together. Even though bargaining does not begin at Allenmore until next year, the effort to move forward on these two paths is already underway.

Organizing More Workers Into Our Union

• Newly organized members at Capital Medical Center ratified a first contract, and their contract expiration date aligns with the Tech contract.

• Newly organized members at Women’s Clinic are accreting into the current Clinic Contract, and we are bargaining with MultiCare about how these workers will be placed on the wage scale.

• Newly organized workers at Mary Bridge Therapies will begin bargaining for a first contract soon.

If you know of workers at MultiCare who are not yet Union members but are interested in joining UFCW 3000, please contact a UFCW 3000 Union Organizer by calling or texting 206-414-9601.

Building Unity Across All Locations and Contracts

We are in the midst of conducting a MultiCare-wide pre-bargaining survey to identify members’ concerns and hopes for the next round of bargaining in 2027. If you have not yet filled out your survey, now is the time. Your opinions matter.

Complete the survey >>

Solidarity Sticker Up on Tuesday, August 18!

MultiCare is not treating all the members at Women’s Clinic with respect. Disrespecting one is disrespecting all—that is part of what being in a Union is all about. Women’s Clinic workers held a successful sticker action in early August and need broader support.

We are holding a Solidarity Sticker Up at Allenmore on Tuesday, August 18, to show our support for the Women’s Clinic members. Stickers will be distributed that day by workplace leaders and Union Rep Ondrea Shallbetter.

MultiCare Tacoma Women’s Clinic and Urogynecology - Bargaining Update—Taking Action Together to Reject Wage Cuts

Our sticker action was a huge success on August 5!

We will make sure everyone has stickers for the next round on August 19.

In bargaining, management continues to take an anti-union position by proposing to cut the wages of some workers who were hired above scale as we bargain to accrete workers into the MultiCare Clinic contract. Their proposal to place workers on the wage scale based on years of experience is generally good, but we have made it clear that this would result in cuts for some workers, and we are pushing back.

Next Contract Action Meeting

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

6pm

Join Zoom Meeting >>

If you have questions or would like to get more involved, please contact Union Rep Ondrea Shallbetter at (206) 436-6525.

“Equality opens the door, equity makes sure everyone can walk through it.”

— Timeka Gist

Bargaining Team: Violet Barkley, Kristina Matushevskaya, Timeka Gist.

The Doctors Clinic - The Contract Is Ratified!

On August 10, members of The Doctors Clinic came together to review and vote on our new contract. We are excited to share that the contract vote resulted in an overwhelming yes vote and that the contract is now ratified!

Now comes the important work of getting the contract reviewed and signed, as well as enforcing our new collective bargaining agreement. While the fight for a fair contract is over for this cycle, we must now pick up the work of building power in our worksites so that we can continue to improve what happens day to day. This means holding management accountable, training more Stewards, and always looking ahead to the issues we continue to face and how we can resolve them.

What’s Next?

• Wage increases and retro pay should be reflected in paychecks beginning with the first full pay period after ratification.

• We will finalize the contract and get it ready for print.

• We will schedule labor-management meetings with the Employer to make sure that issues are addressed as they come up.

If you are interested in getting involved, reach out to our Union Rep, Ryan DeGouveia, and let him know that you would like to learn how you can get more involved.

Optum Care, Inc. — Everett Oncology Clinic - Bargaining Update—Time for Collective Action!

Optum Care, Inc. — Everett Oncology Clinic
Bargaining Update—Time for Collective Action!

At our ninth day of negotiations on August 11, our Union Bargaining Team met with Optum after nearly two months since our last session. We spent the day exchanging a few non-economic articles back & forth; primarily speaking to parental leaves of absence & agency/traveler (non-bargaining-unit) employees, and on a positive note, we ended the day with two new tentative agreements, respectively.

However, based on the Employer’s provided timeline of “late July/August,” we started our day optimistic that more comprehensive economic counterproposals would be returned to us. Their initial offering on June 10 essentially said they would continue to pay us according to current practice, provide wage increases according to current practice, and hire new workers within their pay ranges according to current practice—all at their sole discretion. The same sentiment was reflected in their health care benefits proposal: They would simply continue doing what they are already doing, with little to no say from our newly formed Union.

But these reasons are exactly why we organized our Union in the first place! Joining together to bargain for our rights and benefits as dedicated oncology workers is not necessarily a testament to the invalidity of Optum’s practices. Instead, it is about securing a voice at the bargaining table and investing in our workplace to make the Everett Oncology Clinic the best version of itself.

All that said, the Employer let us know first thing in the morning that we would not be receiving any additional economic proposals that day, attributing the delay to new internal review and approval processes. While it is worth noting that, in just eight sessions before this one, we made exceptional progress on the noneconomic sections of our new Collective Bargaining Agreement, we all felt that if management had shown up prepared with reasonable wage and benefits proposals, we might even have been able to reach a final deal.

We took the opportunity during our first joint session on August 11 to express this frustration to management. Frankly, we have grown tired of waiting. We determined that, in order to win a strong contract, we would have to show our collective strength and solidarity to Optum. We decided to launch a strike pledge to show Optum that we are ready to take action, if necessary.

Add Your Name to the Strike Pledge >> 
(Your name will be kept anonymous)

Furthermore, to discuss the plan our team put together to continue building collective power, all Optum Oncology workers are strongly encouraged to attend our weekly Contract Action Team meetings through September 2. Details are below.

Weekly Contract Action Team Meetings

• August 20
  7pm–8pm
  Join Zoom Meeting >>
  Meeting ID: 881 0325 6615

• August 27
  7pm–8pm
  Join Zoom Meeting >>
  Meeting ID: 881 0325 6615

• September 2
  7pm–8pm
  Join Zoom Meeting >>
  Meeting ID: 881 0325 6615

Sticker Up and Union Swag Day - August 26

Our Bargaining Team has newly designed stickers that we plan to distribute throughout the clinic.

Wear your new sticker, Union merchandise, and UFCW 3000 colors—blue and gold—on August 26 to show management that we are all in this together!

“I’m unpleasantly not surprised—but we’re all in, and it’s time to get moving!”

— Molly Hugo, RN

Bargaining Team: Janis Laffin, RN; Molly Hugo, RN; Ashley Seidelman, Patient Care Coordinator.

2026 Labor Day Celebrations

Since 1882, when New York City unionists marched down Broadway to demand recognition, working people have set aside a day in early September to celebrate the labor movement's achievements. 

Through organizing, solidarity, and no small amount of good trouble, we've won the eight-hour workday, the weekend, Social Security and unemployment insurance, laws to keep us all safe on the job, and, of course, a real voice in our workplaces. 

At UFCW 3000, we know we have more history to write and more fights to win for the benefit of all working people. But it's hard to move forward without recognizing and learning from past struggles. 

To that end, here is where to celebrate Labor Day across Washington State this year. 

Angle Lake, SeaTac, WA
Monday, September 7, 2026 from 11am to 1pm
Angle Lake Park; 19408 International Blvd., SeaTac
MLK CLC

Burlington, WA
Monday, September 7, 2026 at 12:00pm
Maiben Park 1011 Greenleaf Ave, Burlington, WA
NW WA CLC 

Lakewood, WA
Monday, September 7, 2026 from11:30am to 3pm
Fort Steilacoom Park, 8717 87th Ave SW, Lakewood, WA 98498

Kennewick, WA
Monday, September 7, 2026 from 11:30am to 3pm
Columbia Park Main Stage5111 E Columbia Dr, Kennewick, WA 99336
South East LCL 

Chehalis, WA
Monday, September 7, 2026 from10am to 2pm
The VR Lee Building, 221 SW 13th St. Chehalis, WA 98532
Thurston Mason

Kalama,WA
Monday, September 7, 2026 from 10:30am to 3:30pm
Haydu Park; 253 Kalama River Rd, Kalama, WA 98625
Southwest WA

Kaiser Labor Job Positions are open - Apply now!

KAISER WORKERS, Come work with your Union: Kaiser Permanente Labor Positions NOW OPEN for January 2027!

UFCW3000 and the Alliance of Healthcare Unions, in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, invite you to apply to one of two open positions:
Contract Specialist – one year term and Alliance Partnership Representative (APR) – three-year term.

Both positions offer great opportunity to learn new skills and spend time doing meaningful work that has a direct impact on Kaiser workplaces.

If selected, you will be released from your current role. In your new role, you will continue to receive the same pay, benefits and seniority accrual, returning to your position after your contractual term.

Applications due by September 15. Both positions start January 2027.

APR JOB DESCRIPTION: Download job description here >>
To Apply: please email resume with KPWA APR Position in the subject line to: cmacphail@ufcw3000.org, mhatton@ufcw3000.org, Julie.kwiek@ahcunions.org, becky.t.peterson@kp.org 

CONTRACT SPECIALIST JOB DESCIPTION: Download job description here >>
To apply: Please fill out CONTRACT SPECIALIST Application here >>

MultiCare Women's Clinic & Urogynecology - Stop the Union Busting—No Wage Cuts at MultiCare!

Management has proposed cutting the wages of some workers who were hired above scale when they are placed into our Union wage scale. While management has proposed placing all workers on the wage scale at a rate of pay that reflects their years of service—which is good—this proposal to cut the wages of some workers is not fair and comes across as Union busting.

We have been working hard to achieve wage placement that creates wage equity without wage cuts. Let’s stand united for wage placements that are fair to everyone.

We are also excited to announce that we are having a Union Visibility Day at MultiCare: August 5th, 2026

Our message is clear:

Stop Union Busting—No Wage Cuts at MultiCare!

For more information, talk to Bargaining Team Members or Union Organizer Ondrea Shallbetter at (360) 409-0337.

Bargaining Team: Kristina Matushevskaya, Timeka Gist, and Violet Barkley.

“No member left behind—because when one of us moves forward, we all move forward together.”

— Timeka Gist

CommonSpirit St. Joseph Medical Center Technical Unit - Bargaining Update — INFORMATIONAL PICKET ANNOUNCED!

At our seventh session this contract cycle, our Union Bargaining Team representing the Techs at St. Joseph Medical Center found ourselves almost exactly where we were in our fifth and sixth sessions. After nearly two hours spent waiting on management’s counterproposals, we were again presented with a myriad of rejections, “held” articles—meaning their position had not changed since their previous iteration, which was often the iteration before that or simply existing contract language—and a quarter-of-one-percent (.25%) wage increase since their last proposal, totaling 2.50% in each year.

The Employer did, however, present new language in Article 9.4 regarding current contract language related to how experience credit granted to new hires for placement on the wage scale would trigger a “leapfrog” for current workers. When our team asked about the intent of the Employer’s addition to the Article, it seemed that both teams left with more questions than answers.

Beyond the aggravation caused by the Employer’s responses, we were also made aware of several more situations in which St. Joseph Medical Center management pulled bargaining unit members aside and questioned them about their Union activity and the potential for a serious labor dispute. We made it clear to the Employer at the bargaining table that this conduct is unacceptable, and we demanded that they put a stop to it.

We want to make it clear to all of our coworkers: your boss should not be questioning you about participation in our Union. If you or a coworker have been spoken to about anything related to ongoing negotiations or participation in Union activity, you are strongly encouraged to document the incident and call our Union Rep, Charlie King, at (206) 436-6518.

Our next bargaining date with the Employer is scheduled for August 12. We hope CommonSpirit uses the time between sessions to refocus its priorities on working with us toward a fair contract.

As we said in our previous update: nothing will change unless we take action together. Let’s show St. Joe’s management how unified we are.

Informational Picket

Wed, Aug 19, 2026
2pm - 4pm
St. Joseph Medical Center
1717 S J St
Tacoma, WA 98405

RSVP Now for Our Informational Picket >>

Contract Action Team Meeting

Tues, Aug 4
5:30pm - 6:30pm

Join Zoom Meeting >>
Meeting ID: 811 1026 4685
Passcode: 952476

Workers throughout the hospital have already signed the strike pledge card. If you have not yet, you can sign it by following the link below.

Sign the Strike Pledge >>

“Not sure what to say if I shouldn’t use profanity … this all just feels incredibly unserious.”

— Vanessa Giles, Certified Surgical Technologist

Bargaining Team: Michelle Gilmore, Respiratory Therapist; Monica Dewitt, Pharmacy Tech; Sissy Allison, Surgical Technologist; Chad Michels, Cardiovascular Technologist; Leslie Ball, Surgical Technologist; Vanessa Giles, Surgical Technologist.

PRMCE RN - Positive Movement

Bargaining Team: Kristen Crowder, Kimball Conlon, Carrie Rimel, Stephanie Sausman, Tulena Lammers, Terry Pierce, Scott Ryan, and Juan Stout.

“Our team had many small wins while working toward our end goals: staffing and retention for nurses and patients in our community. We had many productive conversations to share perspectives on high-priority issues. Let’s keep up the pressure and support the Bargaining Team.”

This week, our team bargained on two back-to-back dates, July 27–28. We had highly productive sessions and made significant progress on language wins while narrowing proposals.

We continued deep discussions on staffing language, low census, meal and rest breaks, competitive wages, and licensure and education benefits. We met with Providence to discuss barriers to accessing our education benefits and how the process can be improved so more nurses can access their benefits. We reached a tentative agreement on language that assures leave and reimbursement requests will not be unreasonably denied and that nurses will be reimbursed up to the contractual benefit regardless of budgetary constraints. We also discussed ways to educate nurses and leadership about the application and approval process.

There were lengthy discussions regarding missed meal and rest breaks and how to best assure that nurses are actually receiving breaks. Providence believes that all nurses are reporting their received breaks accurately and believes that the two units with the highest percentage of missed breaks are the Emergency Department and Labor and Delivery. We are working to find solutions, but we need all nurses to report missed breaks to support our Bargaining Team’s efforts at the table.

We return to the bargaining table on August 31 and September 1.

Contract Action Team Meetings

• Tues, Aug 4, and Tues, Aug 18

• 8pm

Our team will share highlights and tentative agreements reached in our updates. Join us for the Contract Action Team meetings to dig into the details.

Note: Our team is being transparent about proposals throughout the bargaining process, and the final recommended agreement may not include these items.

Priorities We Highlighted This Week

• Competitive wages for recruitment and retention

• Improvements to staffing and Staffing Committee language

• Emergent Needs Coverage Pay

• Break relief solutions

• Improvements to the assignment of low census, including clarification and mitigation for excessive low census

• Low Census Standby will be offered to nurses placed on low census

• Improvements to Charge premium

• Pension plan in addition to the current 401k retirement plan

New Tentative Agreements Reached

• Definition of Christmas Eve nights and weekends for night-shift nurses

• Adding floats to Skills Departments and Units, Exhibit B

• Weekend premium moving from $4.00 to $4.20 on April 30, 2027

• Study prep time allowed outside of scheduled work time

• Immigration and ICE Enforcement MOU

• Nurse education and licensure

All updates can be found on our website! >>

Take Action

• Continue to wear your Yellow and Blue Union colors.

• We have the right to wear our Union bandanas, swag, and colors—let’s get creative and have fun with it.

• File with L&I for missed meal breaks: Healthcare Workers Complaint >>

Questions, or want to find out how you can get involved? Contact a member of the Bargaining Team or Union Rep Anthony Cantu at 206-436-6566.

St. Michael Medical Center Service and Dietary - We Proposed Historic Health Care Improvements

Bargaining Team: Susan Mayer, Cook; Pamela Reese, EVS.

On July 21, our Union Bargaining Team met with the Employer and received its response to our latest economic proposal. While the Employer’s offer was disappointing, the session still resulted in meaningful progress.

After reviewing the Employer’s proposal, our team returned to work and finalized a major health care proposal that we have been developing behind the scenes for weeks. If accepted by the Employer, this proposal would significantly reduce what workers pay for health insurance while also substantially lowering deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs.

The proposal would provide Service and Dietary workers with the same health insurance plan currently available to the Pro-Tech unit, the Sound Health & Wellness Trust, creating long-overdue parity between the two bargaining units.

The comparison below shows the potential savings under the proposed Sound Health & Wellness Trust.

Healthcare Cost Comparison		Biweekly Employee Premiums (each paycheck)				Deductible		Out-of-Pocket Maximums
		Employee Only	Employee + Child(ren)	Employee + Spouse	Family Plan	Individual	Family	Individual	Family
Sound Health & Wellness Trust	Kaiser HMO	$18.00	$26.00	$38.00	$46.00	$750	$1,500	$2,750	$5,500
	Premera PPO	$22.00	$34.00	$46.00	$50.00	$750	$1,500	$2,750	$5,500
Employer's Current Medical Plan Options	Integrated Core	$68.02	$192.26	$161.32	$277.59	$1,500	$3,000	$6,000	$12,000
	Integrated Basic	$20.00	$139.39	$114.84	$196.77	$2,500	$5,000	$6,600	$13,200
	Integrated HDHP	$0.00	$85.53	$72.40	$126.62	$3,400	$6,800	$6,450	$12,900
Sound Health & Wellness Trust premiums include medical, dental, and vision coverage and are the same for all eligible workers, regardless of hours worked. The Employer rates shown are full-time medical premiums only; dental and vision coverage cost extra. Part-time employees pay higher premiums under the Employer’s plans than the rates listed above.

Sound Health & Wellness Trust premiums include medical, dental, and vision coverage and are the same for all eligible workers, regardless of hours worked. The Employer rates shown are full-time medical premiums only; dental and vision coverage cost extra. Part-time employees pay higher premiums under the Employer’s plans than the rates listed above.

Furthermore, the Sound Health & Wellness Trust only requires 60 hours in a month to qualify for employee-only coverage or 80 hours in a month to qualify for dependent coverage. The plan costs the same for all workers, regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time.

Combined with market-based wage increases and improvements to shift, weekend, and other premiums, these health care changes would go a long way toward addressing the hospital’s ongoing recruitment and retention problems.

We left the meeting encouraged by management’s initial response to the proposal. While the Employer has not yet agreed to these changes, management expressed a willingness to continue the conversation. Our Bargaining Team is excited to keep pushing toward what could be a truly historic improvement for workers covered by this contract.

Next Bargaining Session

August 5

We look forward to receiving the Employer’s response to our proposed health care changes.

“I feel that this day is going to go down in history.”

— Susan Mayer