My years teaching and my years in labor are not separate chapters; they’re the same story told in different languages. In both spaces, the goal is to help people find their voice, claim their agency, and recognize their power as interdependent, not individual. Both require listening. Both require courage. Both require faith in the transformative potential of ordinary people.
Read MoreThis summer, hospitals across the state took a few more big steps toward implementing Washington’s safer staffing law, a union member-led measure to help nurses deliver the level of care their patients deserve.
At St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, WA, medical-surgical nurse Meredith Francisco, who served on the new staffing committee, says the process worked out well enough. However, as many of us suspected when the landmark legislation passed in 2023, she and other nurses see room for improvement. Workers also voice serious concerns about loopholes that hospital managers already appear to be exploiting.
Earlier this month, UFCW 3000 member Richard Talbot, a grocery worker at Fred Meyer #25 in Bellingham, joined Washington Congresswoman Suzan DelBene and a group of SNAP recipients, food bank staff, educators, and community advocates at the Arlington Community Food Bank to talk about the devastating cuts to nutrition assistance in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB).
Read MoreJason Millione and Aric Martinez know a thing or two about fresh cut fruit. The two are produce clerks at the Mill Creek Fred Meyer and have 16 years of experience between them. Their store used to lead the district in Fresh Cut sales.
Read MoreWorking the self-checkout area ranks as one of the toughest jobs in our grocery stores, mostly because running these departments with skeleton crews forces cashiers to serve multiple customers and to deal with multiple problems at the same time. The working conditions are more than just frustrating—they can be dangerous, too.
Read MoreIn the face of mass dismissals in the public and private sectors, plus a new federal administration bent on stripping away workers’ rights, it can be hard to know how best to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. But in an article for The Chronicle, Steven Trifft, an environmental services worker at Providence Centralia Health Center, lays out a pretty convincing path forward…
Read MoreWhen Jessica Foster was told that she couldn’t leave the floral department at the North Bend QFC without having her payrate lowered, she contacted her union representative and pursued a grievance to protect her pay and further her career.
Read MoreKristen Crowder works as a Registered Nurse at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett and is an active leader within the hospital as a shop steward, a member of Providence Everett bargaining team, the Hospital Staffing Committee, and an advocate on the RN Conference Committee.
Read MoreThomas Nelson has been working at Safeway in Spokane in April of this year. He comes from a family with a strong union back ground, and so he decided to become a shop steward to help his coworkers and make sure they know about their rights on the job!
Read MoreColeen Dahlman holds a deep passion for helping her community. At work, her passion drives her as a CT Tech—a trained imaging specialist doctors depend on to diagnose patients—in the Radiology Department for Kaiser Permanente Olympia Medical Center. Outside of work Coleen loves to quilt and donates her quilts to people in her community and coworkers.
Read MoreWith the rising costs of living, many people are watching every penny and every paycheck, budgeting with dwindling means and having to choose what necessities to prioritize. Unions are in the fight for improving living conditions through better wages and benefits. Two UFCW 3000 grocery store members recently experienced the benefits of their union backing when they discovered issues with their pay.
Read MoreKris Wood works at Mason General Hospital in the lab and has been a union member since 2012. Over the years Kris has held various positions of leadership and advocacy for her coworkers and community.
Read MoreHector Pradis is a shop steward at the Redondo Safeway, and knows how important it for union members to advocate for each other.
Read MoreBy day, Colleen works in the Lab at Tacoma General as a Med Tech. Outside of work, she conquers Ironman competitions.
Read MoreBryan poses in front of a mural in Racine, Wisconsin during a break from canvassing. This is his third election canvassing with Ufcw 3000, having previously worked in Missouri in 2018, and Minnesota in 2022. This was his first time door knocking for a presidential candidate.
Read MoreErika Bolser has worked as a medical assistant with Skagit Regional Health’s urgent care at station square for over 7 years and been involved as a shop steward since 2018. For Erika one of the most important things she does is to welcome new hires to the union and make sure they know their rights under the contract.
Read MoreVivian Pitre has worked at the North City Safeway off 175th St. in Seattle for 6 years. She spent four years doing fresh cut work in the produce department, but didn't like how isolated the job was, so two years ago, she transferred to the deli department. She loves the interaction with customers.
Read MoreSix out of the Seven Bargaining Committee members had never sat at a bargaining table before, and this is only the second contract fight for the workers at Twin City Foods (TCF).
Seis de los siete miembros del Comité de Negociación nunca se habían sentado en una mesa de negociaciones antes, y esta es solo la segunda lucha contractual para los trabajadores de Twin City Foods (TCF).
Read MoreI have been with the Silverdale Safeway since 2020 working in different departments all over the store. Recently I have stepped up and taken the role of Shop Stewart at my store, because I believe my coworkers should be informed and updated on our next Contract Negotiations in 2025.
Read MoreBillie Thomas stepped up to become a workplace leader at Tacoma General for this years MultiCare contract campaign. Find out what inspired him to do so and how he and his coworkers stood together for a historic contract.
Read MoreWe are the Union. The members of UFCW 3000 are over 50,000 members working in grocery, retail, health care, meat packing, cannabis, & other industries across Washington state, north-east Oregon, and northern Idaho. UFCW 3000 is a chartered member of UFCW International with over 1.4 million workers in North America.
To build a powerful Union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and in our communities.
