Kaiser Permanente - UFCW Local 21 and Alliance Members Win Bonus for Hard Work Through the Pandemic!!

UFCW Local 21 and Alliance Members Win Bonus for Hard Work Through the Pandemic!!

As an appreciation for our hard work in partnership during this extraordinarily challenging year KP has agreed to our proposal for all UFCW and Alliance union members to receive a guaranteed Full PSP bonus payout. The news comes after KP agreed earlier in the week to extend COVID-19 benefits, including sick leave and childcare benefits, through the first quarter of next year.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alliance called on KP to revisit Performance Sharing Plan (PSP) goals bargained under pre-pandemic conditions. Given the unprecedented pandemic, redeployments of Trust-funded staff, the inability of many UBTs to meet, and even bad faith negotiations in one region – we had called on KP to convert the PSP to a guaranteed full payout. As a result, KP is granting partner unions with PSP at least 100% performance payout. Regions and individuals performing higher than 100% will receive the higher performance payout based on their plan’s performance. The payment will be paid in March on schedule with the regular PSP payment cycle.

Hal Ruddick, Executive Director of the Alliance, said, “We are pleased to see KP recognize the extraordinary and courageous contributions of our members and our partnership in the face of this overwhelming crisis. As our members cope with a barrage of misinformation, pain, and suffering, we can acknowledge these two victories, which are a direct result of identifying shared interests and putting forward solutions to meet this moment head-on.”

We congratulate our Alliance union leadership and members for their expertise, dedication, and hard work during this year.

---

UFCW Local 21 and Alliance Members from Across the United States Bargain to Extend COVID-19 Benefits for Union Members

After weeks of discussions with KP leaders, we are pleased to announce Alliance members will continue to receive COVID-19 sick leave and childcare benefits through the first quarter of next year.

COVID-19 Sick Leave Benefits

With the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, the Alliance has been calling on KP to extend COVID-19 benefits through the first quarter of next year. The COVID-19 sick leave benefits were set to expire December 31 and have now been extended to March 31, 2021. In particular, the Alliance had called on KP to refresh sick leave for individuals who have previously used the benefit. KP is providing up to 80 hours of sick leave to refresh on January 1, 2021. Unused hours in 2020 will not roll over. The sick leave benefit eligibility ends March 31, with benefits to be used by April 30, 2021. The eligibility and other details of the benefit remain the same and are in the attached slide.

Childcare Grant

Similar to the COVID-19 sick leave, the childcare grant has been extended and the grant eligibility remains the same. Alliance leadership continues to raise the issue of extending the childcare benefit to people who work from home as well as other issues related to childcare/school closure, including the need for flexibility around scheduling, attendance, voluntary temporary shift/hours changes, and other changes to help employees meet their unprecedented family obligations. The program is set to expire on April 3, 2021.

---

Union News

Wage Increases

• Our union colleagues from Local 21 received a 2.25% wage increase on October 1, 2020

WA State Paid Family Leave

• November 1, 2020 Pharmacy staff became eligible for Washington Paid Family Medical Leave

Save the Dates

• Pro Tech and Optical Contract expires 4/30/21. Take the bargaining survey

• National Labor Management Partnership Agreement expires – 9/30/21. Take the bargaining survey

• Pharmacy Contract expires 7/31/22

---

Labor Management Partnership (LMP) Update

By Ralph Stumbo, RT, UBT Consultant

As the Labor Management Partnership (LMP) continues to develop at KPWA you are going to hear new terms and acronyms and you will hear about new programs and teams being developed. I would like to spend a moment with you to introduce one of those new acronyms; APR.

APR stands for Alliance Partnership Representative. As UFCW 21 members in KPWA we are also members in the Alliance of Healthcare Unions. An APR at KPWA “represents” Alliance members in “partnership activities” at KPWA. APRs are members who have stepped out of their regular position and are performing “partnership” duties full time. At this stage of the LMP at KPWA that means participation on many different committees and teams whose focus is getting the KP-Alliance National Agreement fully implemented at KPWA. While there will always be a need to represent the Alliance on committees it will also include LMP training and helping to support and build labors capacity to be good partners in the Labor Management Partnership.

Since June 2019 I have been actively involved in implementing partnership at KPWA. In January 2021 Kim Liddell from the Pharmacy Fulfillment center at Renton will be joining me as an APR at KPWA. At the same time the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions (representing SEIU 1199NW & OPEIU Local 8 will have four Union Partnership Representatives (UPR’s). This represents a huge step forward for partnership at KPWA and you can look forward to an increase in labors ability help grow partnership to all areas of KPWA. Please join me in welcoming Kim to her new role as Alliance Partnership Representative.

---

Workforce Development with Labor Management Partership 

Workforce Development is a Labor-Management Partnership (LMP) program with goals to develop the workforce of the future at Kaiser Permanente WA (KPWA), build pathways for retention and career progression, and build the skills and competencies of KPWA staff through a culture of lifelong learning.

The Workforce Planning and Development (WFPD) Committee, a group of labor and management representatives from different roles throughout KPWA, collaborated to develop this Training Needs Assessment Survey. The survey is designed to capture your views and values of developing new skills and career advancement needs within KPWA. The goal of the survey is to collect data that can inform WFPD Committee projects.

Thank you for submitting your response by clicking here.

PCC - Board Nominations Delivered!

Monday, we delivered our nominations to get our two workers Donna Rasmussen and Laurae McIntyre on the ballot for the PCC Board of Trustees election. Workers, community partners, and union staff collected over 3,300 signatures for each candidate over the last month.

PCC has been pushing back on our efforts through the whole process from delaying on providing relevant information about the process to kicking PCC workers and union reps that were gathering signatures out of the stores. We believe these actions violate workers’ rights under the law and our union contract. We have taken legal action including filing a grievances and Unfair Labor Charges.

Next steps include PCC verifying the signatures that we delivered and official nomination of Donna and Laurae at the first annual co-op member meeting of 2021. We anticipate administration will continue to put more roadblocks in our path. 

We begin bargaining our union contract on January 6. Through our bargaining process we will be demanding dedicated worker seats on the Board.

PCC - Meet the PCC Board of Trustees Worker Candidates!

10/23/2020

Our union contract and the PCC bylaws allow for up to two workers to serve on the PCC Board of Trustees. However, there has not been a worker on the PCC Board for some time. 

Through our bargaining surveys, conversations with members, and CAT meetings, it’s clear that many workers are concerned about a disconnect between the central office and the stores and a lack of worker representation on the board. Two worker candidates have stepped up to run for the Board of Trustees, and we will be supporting their signature gathering efforts to get on the ballot. Our goal is for each candidate to collect 2,000 signatures of active PCC co-op members to be nominated, so look for a petition in your store! 

SIGN UP TO COLLECT SIGNATURES!

---

“I’m Laurae McIntyre and I’m running for a position on the PCC Board of Trustees.”

“I was a PCC member and shopper for years before I started working here and I know how important it is that we stay connected to our community as we continue to grow. Our continued success rests in the ability of our customers/members and team members working together as a community.  As a union shop steward who works one-on-one with customers every day, I am making myself available as a candidate for this position so that all our voices are represented in the boardroom.”

“Hi! My name is Donna Rasmussen and I’m running for a position on the PCC Board of Trustees.”

“I’m running because I believe the Board, and the cooperative, could benefit from the perspective of someone who connects with our co-op members, staff and customers every day. My entire household works for PCC, including my two teenagers who helped keep our store safe and sanitized as the COVID pandemic spread. I love my job, my coworkers, my customers and the values of PCC. I want to be a voice for [regaining and] maintaining the mission and values of PCC even as we continue to grow. I’m committed to making this a great place to work and to shop.” 

Harrison/St Michael Agrees to Meet with UFCW 21 Leadership

UFCW 21 sent a letter to management detailing our demands during this outbreak, and have received a response from management that they would like to meet with UFCW 21 leadership as soon as this week. We will update everyone with whatever we learn.

We also wanted to report back some of the results of safety surveys many Harrison/St. Michael workers took last week. The surveys showed:

• 78% of survey takers have had an issue with damaged, untested, or inadequate supply of PPE

• 60% believe they had an exposure to a COVID-positive patient or coworker since Aug 4

• 50% of quarantined respondents were put on paid admin leave while quarantined

• 18% were quarantined while waiting for test results

• 43% learned of the outbreak from a coworker

• 30% learned of the outbreak from news media

• 21% learned of it from hospital management

In many departments, large amounts of new PPE showed up almost overnight last week, and while we are frustrated that it took this much hard work from union hospital staff to get protective equipment on the floor, we’re glad it has now been made available. If you continue to have issues with unsafe PPE, you can always send us a safety report at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.

Hudson Dufry - Layoff Resources Meeting

You are invited to a Union Meeting on September 14 to receive important information on Unemployment, Healthcare, Benefits, Jobs, and More. 

We will be joined by King County Rapid Response, the Washington State Labor Council, and Community Organizations. 

Language interpretation available—please RSVP with your language needs by calling Union Representative Monica Smith, 206-436-6524

---

Monday, September 14
3:00 – 5:00 pm

Join by computer or phone — download the Zoom App to make it easy!

Computer: 

Link to Meeting

Phone: 

253-215-8782

Zoom Meeting ID: 852 1592 2174

---

Frequently Asked Questions:

What will happen to my healthcare benefits? 

If you were laid off in July, you will have healthcare through September. If you were laid off in August, you will have healthcare through October. Join us at the meeting on Sept 14 to learn about future options. Questions? Please contact Sound Health and Wellness Trust, 206-282-4500.

Will I be called back to work at Hudson New or Dufry?

Our Union contract has “recall rights” meaning that as work becomes available, you will be offered employment again by seniority. It’s important to keep Hudson informed of any changes to your phone number and email. 

What about my Retirement Benefits? Is there emergency hardship assistance?

All Hudson and Dufry workers have Retirement Benefits through Western Employees Benefits Plan. You qualify for a Covid-19 related hardship due to Layoff and may immediately request funds if you are in need. You will be asked to provide a copy of a layoff letter stating the reason for the layoff is due to the pandemic. Questions? Contact EB Management,1-800-524-4852.

PCC - PCC Delaying Raises While Eliminating “Appreciation Pay”

We ratified historic wage increases on July 1 with retro pay back to January 1 for grocery members and meat wrappers. We also won retro pay back to May 3 for meat cutters and seafood workers.

For over a month, PCC has been delaying our raises and blaming it on difficulties in programming their system with the new scales. Meanwhile, the company ended “Appreciation Pay” for members on July 4. While we want them to get the calculations correct, this is money that workers have earned and are counting on. 

We will be filing a grievance over PCC’s failure to implement the terms of our new agreement.

---

We will be sending out bargaining surveys in the next few weeks. Make sure your information is up to date

Conifer St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth - To all Conifer Members

TO ALL CONIFER MEMBERS:

It was brought to our attention that on July 31, 2020, you received an email communication from Maureen Powers, alleging that union members have been calling out from work as a coordinated action against the Company.

The Union wants to make it clear that we have NOT called for, encouraged, nor condone any kind of call/sick out action against Conifer. Any work stoppage/strike will be voted on by the membership. Please ensure that you are using your PTO/Sick Leave only for legally protected reasons and in accordance with the law and attendance policies. We expect both sides to continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a deal.

Again, the best way to win a fair contract is to stand together by:

1. Attending CAT meetings

2. Signing the petition

3. Talking to your bargaining team members about other ways you can participate

Thank you in advance for your cooperation,
Amirah Ziada Mirziteh
Negotiator

Hudson & Dufry - COVID-19 and Resources Update

Hello All, 

This is Monica, your Union Rep with UFCW 21. We hope everyone is staying safe and is taking care of your families during this time. We wanted to update you on some important information regarding layoff, returning to work, and your benefits:

1. Your Healthcare premiums will continue to be paid for another month. Hudson has agreed to continue to pay healthcare premiums for all laid off UFCW21 members until June 30, 2020. Any questions about your Healthcare benefits, please call the Sound Health and Wellness Trust at 206-282-4500. 

2. Members will slowly start returning to work. Hudson is beginning to call members by seniority to offer the opportunity to return to work. This will be a gradual process of bringing workers back to work based on the number of stores Hudson opens, the hours of operation, and the number of travelers at the Airport. 

3. Return calls or texts to Hudson right away. When you receive a call from Hudson about opportunity to return to work, please respond within 48 hours by phone, text, or email.

4. Your right to say “yes” or “pass” on returning to work now. You have the right to “pass” on returning to work up to 2 times. If you are unable to return to work, you will be called again when there is a second opportunity. If you are offered a second opportunity and “pass again”, then you will move to the bottom of the recall list. You may be offered one more opportunity to return to work if there is work available. Any questions about your rights if you are “at-risk” due to age or health conditions, including pregnancy, please give me a call so that we can talk about protected leave of absence. 

5. You have retirement benefits! Your Retirement Benefits are through Western Employee Benefits Plan. Hudson contributes $0.20/hr for every hour you work and you may also make contributions. Many Hudson members are not receiving information about your retirement because your contact information is not up to date. Please call  EB Management, the Administration Office, at 1-800-524-4852 to give them your correct contact information. You may also request money from your retirement account if you are experiencing a Covid-19 related hardship. 

6. Become a Leader in your Union! As everyone begins to return to work, it’s more important than ever that there are stewards and leaders in every concourse of the airport. We can keep each other safe and knowledgeable about our rights on the job. If you would like to get involved in helping your coworkers and building a strong voice for Hudson and Dufry workers at the airport, please let me know and we can schedule a training. 

Thank you and we look forward to seeing everyone again in the near future!

In solidarity, 

Monica Smith, Union Representative

206-436-6524

---

Hudson and Dufry - Accessing Your Union Retirement Benefits

Western Employees Benefit Plan

Hudson Group/Hudson Duty Free currently contribute $0.20/hour into this retirement plan for you.  

COVID-19 HARDSHIP DISTRIBUTION:  You can request your account balance from this Plan if you are experiencing a COVID-19 related hardship.  You do not need to terminate employment with Hudson Group/Hudson Duty Free

• Acceptable documentation include:

  • Doctor’s note stating participant, spouse or dependent has been diagnosed with COVID-19

  • Notice or letter from employer of layoff, furlough or reduced hours for participant 

  • Copy of unemployment application

DISTRIBUTION:  You can request your account balance from this Plan if:

• You are 60 years old or older.  You do not need to terminate employment with Hudson Group/Hudson Duty Free

• You are 55 years or older AND terminate covered employment.

• You are totally and permanently disabled as determined by the Trustees and the disability has existed for 3 months. 

• You terminate employment complete a 6-month waiting period following the termination. 

HARDSHIP:  If you are still employed and do not qualify to take a distribution from the Plan, you may be eligible for a Hardship Withdrawal if:

• You need the distribution to prevent your eviction or to prevent foreclosure on your mortgage. The eviction or foreclosure must be related to your principal residence. 

• You need the distribution to pay unpaid medical expenses for yourself, your spouse or any dependent. 

• You need the distribution to pay for the purchase of your principal residence. You must use the hardship distribution for the purchase of your principal residence. You may not receive a hardship distribution solely to make mortgage payments. 

• You need the distribution to pay tuition and related educational fees (including room and board) for the post-secondary education of yourself, your spouse, your children, or other dependent. You may take a hardship distribution to cover up to 12 months of tuition and related fees. 

• You need the distribution to pay funeral or burial expenses for your deceased parent, spouse, child or dependent. 

(6) You need the distribution to pay expenses to repair damage to your principal residence (provided the expenses would qualify for a casualty loss deduction on your tax return, without regard to 10% adjusted gross income limit).

(7) Expenses related to casualty loss in a FEMA designated disaster area provided it is the Participant’s principle residence at the time of disaster.

If you would like a distribution or a hardship, please call EB Management, the Administration Office, at 1-800-524-4852 or 206-282-3205 for the forms.

If you have other questions, please contact your Union Rep Monica Smith, 206-436-6524. 

Contract Negotiations in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic

During a declared state of emergency we will continue to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with Conifer. We are working to secure bargaining dates with the Employer and will continue to push hard for a new contract that includes the things most important to you.

COVID-19 INFORMATION

Keep your family, workplace, and community safe. Find coronavirus updates and resources on our website.

PETITION ACTION

Check the UFCW 21 website for future bargaining updates and please sign the petition demanding safe and fair working conditions!

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Representative Erin McCoy @ (206) 436-6598

Working on Wage Increases: Contract Proposal Meeting Scheduled

Providence United Update - Unity Commitment Announced for Patient Care and Safety by Three Unions at Providence - December 10, 2019

Unity Commitment Announced for Patient Care and Safety by Three Unions at Providence

After many months of taking action together, and also coordinating our unions and taking strike authorization votes, our unions’ leadership feels that now is the time to take the next steps in our campaign. We recently made an unity commitment to heighten our level of coordination and express our pledge to each other as we move ahead on our campaign for fair contracts. In a historic moment , UFCW 21, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and WSNA leadership have pledged to coordinate efforts that will move us all forward as healthcare workers and achieve the critical advances needed at Providence to provide better patient care and safety. 

The essence of our unity commitment is: If you take on one of us, you take on all of us.   

We are all negotiating with a massive employer that made $24 billion in revenue and has $11 billion in reserves. Providence is a single employer whose actions of putting profits before patients threatens the care and safety of our patients, our communities and our members. We recognize that we can push back against Providence most effectively when we work together as a team.
 
Thousands upon thousands of our members, in counties spanning the state, work for this employer that is a registered non-profit making billions in profit. Providence has refused to address concerns over patient care and safety. They have continued to make proposals that would take away tens of millions of dollars of member benefits that have been earned over decades. They have failed to offer compensation that would help recruit and retain high-quality staff in all our facilities.

Our members made their opinions clear in an unprecedented show of unity when they voted to authorize strikes for patient care and safety throughout the state of Washington. Now, we as the leaders of our three unions have taken the unprecedented step of entering into this unity commitment to guide and focus our coordinated efforts, so that we may more effectively negotiate with Providence and ultimately reach new contracts that protect workers and patients alike.

Providence United Update - December 6, 2019

Providence United Update 

Over 15,000 nurses and health care workers at Providence hospitals and clinics across Washington have voted to authorize a strike to protect patient care and safety. These workers are members of our three different unions: UFCW 21, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and WSNA. Our workplaces cover the state, Spokane to Seattle, from Centralia to Snohomish County, and we are all standing united as we negotiate new contracts that will allow for us to care for our patients, our families and ourselves. The strike votes that took place in late October were the very first time union health care workers from all our workplaces have voted to strike at the same time.
 
It has taken many, many months to get to this point in negotiations. While so-called nonprofit Providence cleared $24 billion in revenue and over $7 billion in profit in Washington, and has paid top executives millions, their lackluster proposals for our new contracts fail to adequately address safety, staffing and other workplace concerns raised by employees. At the same time, they continue to push to take away our hard-earned benefits, benefits that some workers have been earning for decades.
 
Problems in the Seattle area showcase how widespread the problems are: “I didn’t become a nurse to provide minimal care,” says Carol Lightle, a charge nurse in a Medical Oncology unit at Swedish Issaquah and member of SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW. “Every healthcare worker could tell you that, and all of us face the same issues. The short staffing is the same in Environmental Services, our coworkers who disinfect patient’s rooms; it’s the same in Materials Services where our coworkers resupply our units; it’s the same in nutrition services. We work together as a team to deliver patient care. And when a part of our team is short-staffed our patients feel it.”
 
Drive four hours east and you find the same problems. “As an Emergency Room Assistant at Sacred Heart, I see patients and their families in times of greatest need,” says Jose Hernandez of UFCW 21. “They are counting on Providence to provide the highest quality care, but too often Providence is putting profits first. I am ready to strike for my patients and ensure their health is always our top priority.”

Taking Action Together

We took our concerns to donors of a Providence supported charity on December 4. We raised our concerns about the way Providence is treating us. Members of UFCW 21, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and WSNA all presented our wishes for the new year. “Sacred Heart has always been Spokane’s hospital. Our hospital. But we have been fighting for more than a year for safe staffing levels and benefits we have already earned,” says KT Raley-Jones, a cardiac intensive care nurse at Sacred Heart and nurse with WSNA. “While we have been at the table working to protect our patients and our community, Providence pocketed nearly $1 billion in profits in the first half of this year alone.”

Providence Bargaining Update

View fullsize

Patients Before Profits

Workers United and Prepared to Strike for Patient Care and Safety - Community Standing With Us 

Providence Health Care workers from every part of the state, representing three different unions, UFCW 21, WSNA, and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, are united and have authorized a strike to stand up for our patients and for our communities.

View fullsize

While members of our union are standing up and voicing our concerns, Providence’s corporate management is trying to silence our voices and sent a letter that threatens to unilaterally change health care coverage. This is one of the reasons why when we call our strike it is planned to be an Unfair Labor Practices strike.

Members in the News

Check out a recent column in The Olympian from UFCW 21 member Jacob Kostecka, RN at St. Peter Hospital where he said: “When care providers at Providence Hospitals across the state vote to strike, there must be serious problems. That simple fact is undeniable — regardless of how Providence tries to spin it…”

Some other news stories from across the state about last month’s strike authorization votes.

Sacred Heart nurses, workers voting to strike over 'unfair labor practices' - Spokane TV

Sacred Heart nurses, health care workers head to polls for strike votes - Spokane Newspaper

Providence Centralia Nurses Move Closer to Strike - Centralia Newspaper

Providence workers authorize a strike over wages, sick leave - Everett Newspaper

View fullsize

Elected officials, faith and social justice organizations, firefighters, educators and many others joined us for Listening Lunches in our cafeterias to hear directly what is happening in our workplaces. We then attended City Council Meetings and put elected members on notice that a strike would be a healthcare crisis for our communities.

Taking Action Together

• Coming together at Contract Action meetings to prepare for a strike – beginning process to set up strike headquarters in every area, and ensure a full group of picket captains signed up. Click here to sign up for picket captain training.

• Multiple TownHall Calls are being set up to ensure all questions are answered. Our first townhall will occur on Tuesday, November 26 at 3:30 p.m. – answer your phone when it rings and you can participate and ask questions live during our call as we discuss our campaign plan. Additional calls will be on December 5 and 13.

• Share the map graphic (from our Facebook page or use it as your FB page cover photo) with all your friends and family to spread the word about our growing movement to build power for patient care and safety.

CHI Regional Hospital - Hospital Closure Update

Jefferson County - Union Demands County Cease and Desist Wage Study Process

A Stronger Union - Member-Led, Member Supported

WHEN 4 BECOMES 200 - Lourdes Nurses Win Historic Decision; Collective Rights Upheld

It’s about respect and the willingness on the hospital administration’s part to provide their frontline staff with a good healthy working environment. We often work 12+ hours on a shift with a late lunch and rest breaks are few and frankly hard to come by. But rest and breaks are critical for us to be able to be at our best for our patients. This Supreme Court decision is a very important win as it gives us the opportunity to stand together for our rights.
— Kathleen Christianson, RN BS

Overtired. Overworked. And no time to take a rest during a long shift. Sound familiar? There ought to be a law against making people work without a break. In fact, there is. The problem is that employers who violate the law think they can just get away with it. The consequence - our patients get lower quality care, we get more and more tired and stressed, and our employers put more and more money into their pocket because we are working for free. Does that sound fair to you? Here’s a quick story about what Nurses at one hospital in Washington State are doing to stand up and say no more….

A few years back, a witness testified during a case that the local Tri-Cities, WA Hospital (called Lourdes) did not track or record missed breaks.  The Union conducted an investigation and concluded that the Hospital was in violation of laws that require meals and breaks as well as record keeping.  At the time, many nurses reported to the Union that they were required to stay at the hospital oftentimes watching monitors while on lunch or break.  Further, when nurses were left on assignment without the ability to get away from duties to eat or relax, there was no system to report the missed break period. The nurses filed an individual and class action lawsuit claiming they regularly missed breaks without compensation due to Lourdes failure to ensure they could take breaks and record them. 

The trial court ruled against the nurses, but the nurse didn’t give up. With further assistance by their union UFCW 21 and Washington Employment Lawyers Association the nurses renewed the effort for a class action case and called on the Washington Supreme Court to review the case.  In April of 2018, the Washington State Supreme Court heard the case on whether nurses could file a class action lawsuit against Lourdes Medical Center and overturned the decision of the lower court and unanimously ruled in the favor of the Nurses to allow the nurses to pursue a class-action case in a Franklin County Court. It ruled that the trial court had “abused its discretion” by finding that individual issues outweighed the collective issue of missed breaks and meal periods. 

This will now allow for the nurses to go forward with the strongest case possible, as a class action, instead of being forced as each individual to sue. 

Excerpts from Opinion: 
Chavez v. Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, No. 94592-6

• “We find that the individual issues in this case do not override the central, predominant issue of whether Lourdes failed to ensure its nurses could take breaks and record missed breaks.”

• “Concentrating these claims into one forum and certifying this class is likely the only way that the nurses’ rights will be vindicated because individual nurses may be reluctant to sue their employers.”

• “Individual nurses likely do not have the bargaining power to achieve systemic victories—but here, merely filing this class action appears to have caused Lourdes to uniformly change its break tracking procedures and implement a new accounting system.”

• “Each of the CR 23(b)(3) factors weighs in favor of finding that a class action is superior to alternative methods of adjudication such as joinder or small claims court. We remand to the trial court with instructions to certify the class.”

What’s next?

There will now be a period where nurses receive notice of the class, followed by an additional discovery period, and then a trial in Superior Court in Pasco.

Knowing Our Rights

It’s important that we know our rights. Our UFCW 21 union contract allows us to have a half hour unpaid meal break and two 15 minute paid breaks during an 8 hour shift. Nurses required to remain on shift during their meal period, shall be compensated at the appropriate rate of pay. Under the Washington State Law, we are entitled to an additional 10 minute break during a 12 hour shift. Read our contract online @ www.ufcw21.org. 

To find out how to get more involved in building our Union at Lourdes, contact Union Representative Carol Cropper at 509-340-7372.
 

Townhall Call - NEW Paid Sick Days and Minimum Wage - January 9, 2018

Listen to the Live Townhall call answering questions about the new Paid Sick Days law and Higher Minimum Wage!

Know Your Rights: WA State's new Paid Sick & Safe time off and a rise in the Minimum Wage

Paid Sick & Safe Days

Beginning January 1, 2018 you have the right to paid time off, free from discipline, if you or a member of your family is sick or if you are the victim of domestic violence. 

• You can take paid leave if you are ill for a doctor’s appointment OR to care for a sick child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law, or grandparent. You can also take paid leave to cope with the consequences of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking. 
• You will earn a minimum of 1 hour of paid sick time for every 40 hours worked, or more if your contract gives more sick time. 
• You cannot be penalized in any way by your employer for missing work for any reason covered by the law. This includes absence control polices such as occurrence systems that count an absence toward discipline.
• You have access to your paid leave any day that you miss work for a covered reason, even on the first day. 
• You are eligible to use paid sick leave after 90 days of employment, or sooner if your contract allows it. 
• Each year you can carry over up to 40 hours of paid sick leave to your bank the following year.
• The current time in your contractual sick leave bank (including PTO time) can be used to satisfy the requirements of the law, but that time must meet all the other requirements of the law.
• You must notify your employer prior to missing a shift as soon as is reasonable under the circumstances. 

If you have any questions about your Paid Sick and Safe Leave rights, speak to a steward or call your Union Representative at 1-800-732-1188.

Minimum Wage

UFCW members stood up to win better wages in our contracts and on the ballot.

As of January 1, 2018:

The new statewide minimum wage will be $11.50
The new Seattle minimum wage for large employers will be $15

Your contract may have wage escalators that mean you automatically get a raise when the minimum wage goes up. 

Check your contract or talk to your shop steward for details or call your Union Representative at 1-800-732-1188.
 

Trios - Bargaining Team Reinforces Our Concerns to Management About Their Plan & Actions