UFCW 21 Endorses Early for O'Brien and Sawant in Seattle Council Races
/UFCW 21, the state's largest private sector union, announced this morning that it has endorsed both Mike O'Brien (District 6) and Kshama Sawant (District 3) for the 2015 Seattle City Council races. These are early endorsements. More decisions are yet to be made about other candidates for Council seats.
"Mike O’Brien and Kshama Sawant have given our members many reasons to vote for them and have earned the support of UFCW 21. Both have been leaders on the Council for working families. They fought for a strong minimum wage law and they understand good jobs have to be part of smart development for all," said Todd Crosby, Secretary-Treasurer for UFCW 21.
O’Brien was a champion for the Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Days law and both he and Sawant have supported the strong enforcement of the law.
These two elected officials consistently consider the interests of workers and good jobs over the interests of big developers and big corporations. O'Brien and Sawant are proven leaders on the council and have led on issues important to us. We look forward to them returning to the Council.
UFCW 21 has over 10,000 members who live or work in Seattle. These members are part of our large union of 45,000 members across the state. UFCW 21 members work in grocery stores, retail, health care and other industries. Our union considers endorsements for candidates who are champions for working people.
Kshama Sawant (District 3)
Mike O'Brien (District 6)
Providence Everett Nurses Ratify New Contract by 97%
/New Contract Addresses Safety, Staffing, Health Care and Other Issues
Everett, WA – All day today Nurses at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett came together to vote on a proposed Tentative Agreement for a new contract. The votes were just counted. The Nurse voted by 97% to approve the proposed contract.
“We came into these negotiations hoping to improve our workplace for ourselves and our patients. I’m thrilled that so many Nurses, with support from our community, stood together and we were able to succeed in this goal. Now we need to stay active to make this contract deliver what it should for ourselves and our patients.”
“We made significant progress in all of our critical areas of concern: Staffing and Safety, Competitive Wages, Health Care and Respect”
Some details on top priorities achieved in the new contract include:
Staffing & Safety and a Voice in the Workplace
Fix broken process (CSI) that Nurses use to report staffing concerns and protect Nurses from harassment when they use this process. Within one month of ratification, Nurse Staffing Committee will convene special taskforce to address CSI process
A nurse staffing steering committee will be established and maintained in accordance with state law. The Nurse Staffing Steering Committee will oversee unit-based nurse staffing committees, and will adopt a charter for the unit-based nurse staffing committees
Staffing — within two weeks of ratification an action plan with benchmarks and targets to address chronic/recurring staffing issues will be created. If the parties are unable to come to an agreement on an action plan, they may request expedited mediation with Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). After the evaluation meeting, either party may request a return to an FMCS mediator for expedited assistance
Allows for issues to be taken to VP of Support Services in writing if not solved in 30 days
Leave for Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking
No Increased Costs for Health Care Plan
- Employer will continue to provide the health plans in 2016 and 2017 with no reduction in the amount of the health incentive funding for any of these plans, no reduction in the Employer’s percentage of premium coverage, and no material changes to the in-network deductibles or in-network out of pocket maximums
- Employer will have to notify the Union of any proposed changes to the plan during the contract term and negotiate any changes
Respect for Nurses’ Union and our Role in the Workplace
- Improves strength of Union in the workplace with more shop stewards, access to Union information at work and allows stewards for Safety and Staffing and new employee orientations
- Membership Clause updated to discourage Management from encouraging membership withdrawal at end of the contract
- Improvements to address issues for Nurses such as putting more limitations on the number of times one can be low censused or floated during a shift
Compensation to Help Recruit and Retain Quality Nursing Staff
- More funds for educational expenses
- And across the board increase in waged by 3+ % for the three years of the contract
- Bonus: Part Time Nurse Bonus: Part time nurses who meet the specific criteria will be eligible for a $500 bonus on the first pay period of January 2017
UFCW 21 Summer Picnics
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You’re Invited: With plenty of food, games, and prizes, these events are fun for the whole family!
Spokane:
Sunday, June 28
12:00pm – 4:00pm
Franklin Park
5301-5399 N Division St.
RSVP 1-800-732-6167 or
1-800-732-1188 Ext. 6167
Seattle:
Sunday, July 19
11:00am – 4:00pm
Lower Woodland Park
1000 N 50th St., Shelters 1 & 2
RSVP 206-458-6161 or
1-800-732-1188 Ext. 6161
Bremerton:
Friday, July 24
1:00pm – 5:00pm
Lion’s Park
251 Lebo Blvd., Shelter 1
RSVP 206-458-6162 or
1-800-732-1188 Ext. 6162
We plan on having a bus from Bellingham and Mt. Vernon coming to the Seattle picnic. If you are interested in taking the bus please call
360-419-4663.
Fast Track Legislation Opposition Letter
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Dear Representative/Senator,
We understand the misnamed Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (Fast Track 2015) bill has been introduced in Congress. It will apply to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and potentially, other trade agreements.
As participants in civil society – labor unions, environmental groups, community organizations, small businesses – we oppose NAFTA-style trade agreements that have cost the US, and Washington state jobs, increased income inequality, and contributed to stagnating wages. We urge you to take a position opposing Fast Track 2015.
MultiCare members Informational Picket
/Joined by community allies, UFCW 21 MultiCare members held an informational picket outside of Tacoma General Hospital to demand a fair contract.
Tacoma City Councilmember Anders Ibsen joins hardworking UFCW 21 MultiCare members in their informational picket outside of Tacoma General Hospital as they demand a fair contract on April 16, 2015.
MultiCare UFCW 21 health care members demand a fair contract as they walk the picket line at Tacoma General Hospital during their informational picket on April 16, 2015.
Community ally RJ Johnson of the Kent Black Action Comission joins UFCW 21 MultiCare Members during their April 16, 2015 informational picket.
MultiCare members take part in an informational picket outside of of tacoma general hospital on thursday april 16, 2015.
$15 is just the beginning rally at Macys
/Macys workers were joined by hundreds of community supporters during today's $15 is Just The Beginning Rally across the street from the downtown Seattle Macys.
