Providence United Update - December 6, 2019

/
logo.jpg

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

2019 1206 - Providence.jpg

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.”

fb-providence-191121-strikes-authorized-map-pins-v02 NO LOGO.jpg

Grocery Store Bargaining Update

/

Let’s Get to Work

Grocery store contract votes that have already taken place have ratified, but our work is just beginning. The remaining counties will be voting in early December. See below.

In the coming months, we will implement and enforce the new language in this contract, lay the foundation to protect and improve on these wins in our next contract and continue to work together every day to build power in our stores. Next steps include:

  • Fully develop our safety program, including OSHA training for our members and increasing involvement in our safety committees

  • Update our Grocery Store Workers Bill of Rights for 2020

  • Pass a statewide scheduling bill, which is required to protect our new scheduling language

  • Continue to expand and develop our workforce development center, WeTrain

  • Prepare for new technology in our workplaces and escalate our ongoing work to improve the way technology affects our working conditions

  • Get trained on our new contract so we can fully enforce it

Want to get involved and get training? Sign up for safety training, Steward training, member action teams, and more at bit.ly/stepup21

REMAINING GROCERY STORE VOTES:

The final period of grocery votes is December 8 – 12. Vote times and locations below. Drop by any time during the voting time, review the Tentative Agreement, get your questions answered, and then vote. These votes are open to all active-member UFCW 21 grocery store workers in Clallam, Jefferson, Island, Skagit, and Whatcom counties at the big chains and independent stores. Active members are eligible to vote at whichever location is most convenient, during any time when polling is open. RSVP for your vote at ufcw21.org/rsvp

Sunday, December 8, 2019—Mount Vernon — 8am-12pm & 4-8pm
UFCW 21 Mount Vernon Office, Conference Room 1510 N 18th Street, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Sunday, December 8, 2019—Oak Harbor — 8am-12pm & 4-8pm
Best Western Plus Oak Harbor, Oak Harbor Room 33175 SR 20, Oak Harbor, WA 98277

Monday, December 9, 2019—Bellingham — 8am-12pm & 4-8pm
Quality Inn Grand Suites Bellingham, Atlantis Room 100 E Kellogg Road, Bellingham, WA 98226

Wednesday, December 11, 2019—Port Angeles — 8am-12pm & 4-8pm
Olympic Lodge, Meeting Room 140 Del Guzzi Drive, Port Angeles, WA 98362

Thursday, December 12, 2019—Port Townsend— 8am-12pm & 4-8pm
Harborside Inn, Conference Room 330 Benedict Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When is my raise going to show up on my paycheck?

We are working with each of the employers’ payroll departments to make sure the raises go into effect as soon as possible—but also that it’s done correctly. Remember that if your contract is expired and you have not yet received your raise, you will still be getting back pay for journey raises, going back to the expiration date of your contract.

When will those back pay/retro checks show up?

For contracts that have already expired and will be receiving back pay, we’re working with employers to get those checks out as quickly as possible.

When do the Select-a-Schedule scheduling improvements go into effect?

This new scheduling will be implemented 120 days from ratification or contract expiration, whichever is later. As a reminder, to keep this scheduling win we will have to pass a statewide scheduling law, get ready to help in the effort to pass that law and protect our scheduling win.

When can I get a copy of our new contract?

We are still working with the employers to update all of our contracts then we can move to print and publish full copies of our new contract and will distribute them online and on paper as soon as we can.

Have more questions? Use the UFCW 21 App or contact your Shop Steward or Union Rep.

Providence Bargaining Update

/

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.

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

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