UFCW 21 Statement on Amazon’s Newest Cashierless Grocery Store

February 25, 2020
Press Contact: Joe Mizrahi, jmizrahi@ufcw21.org

UFCW 21 Statement on Amazon’s Newest Cashierless Grocery Store

Our customers aren’t clamoring for more checkout robots and fewer human staff around to assist them. In fact, local union grocery PCC removed self-checkout kiosks last year because customers value their relationships with their checkers. We know this industry, like many, is changing as technology changes, but we believe workers should have a say in that change and that new tech should be focused on customer experience, not just corporate profits.

It’s too bad that Amazon continues investing vast sums in technology that is just a solution in search of a problem nobody is facing. Instead of creating overly automated stores, which are unlikely to be economically viable for simple grocery items, Amazon could choose to invest in their workers with fair wages and benefits so workers can support their families and live in our community.

Grocery store workers in our region have fought hard to set high standards in our industry, including the right to bargain over our wages and working conditions. Union grocery store workers here have affordable family health care, a secure pension in retirement, and a voice on the job. We invest in our communities and we’re committed to our customers. And we know our community values good jobs all the way through the food chain. Amazon, on the other hand, is most notorious in the industry for unilaterally slashing health benefits for thousands of Whole Foods workers last year and having their workplaces constantly compared to dystopian science fiction.

UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 46,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, cannabis, and other industries in Washington State. When workers are ready to form a union, give UFCW 21 a call.

Central Washington Hospital - Tech Residual Unit Reaches Tentative Agreement with Management

Join us in Voting “YES” to be a part of our Union Contract! Everyone is encouraged to attend and see where they will be placed on the wage schedule.

Vote Time
Wednesday March 4
10:00AM - 12:00PM
Conference Room D

Cascade Valley Hospital - Proposal Vote Scheduled

We will be going back to the bargaining table in early March! All members are encouraged to come and have your voice heard on your top priorities at the bargaining table.

Vote Times
Cascade Valley Hospital
330 S Stillaguamish Ave, Arlington, WA 98223

2/25
3pm to 8pm
Baker Room

2/26
6am to 11am
Whitehorse Training Room

Sanders and Medicare for All Could Improve Workers’ Power

Sanders and Medicare for All Could Improve Workers’ Power

Faye Guenther and Sue Wilmot

It is not surprising that a majority of democratic primary voters have identified Health Care as their top issue in the upcoming election. One of the most significant drivers of working people’s economic trouble is health care costs and related stress. This is central to why UFCW 21, the state’s largest private sector union, has endorsed both Medicare for All as well as Senator Bernie Sanders for President.

There are four key reasons why a large union, with many members who have negotiated strong health care plans for themselves, supports Medicare for All.

One: Employers try to get rid of our union-negotiated health plans or increase the costs nearly every time we go into contract negotiations. A few years back, 30,000 Puget Sound-area union grocery store workers nearly went on strike to prevent their employers from cutting health plans for workers and their families. While this was an immense show of worker power and community support, grocery store workers were fighting to keep what we had, not make the proactive improvements we needed. This dynamic is all too common, where health care coverage is a major obstacle during bargaining. Medicare for All would remove that challenge, and we as workers could focus our negotiations on other essential topics, like wages and working conditions.

Two: Linking a worker’s health care to their job, as is often the case for union workers with health care, makes us too dependent on our employer and limits our freedom to move from one job to another. Even now, when there is very low unemployment, worries about losing health care coverage can cause us to stay at one job instead of moving to another that would be better for our career, pay higher wages, or work better with our family’s schedule. Medicare for All would solve that problem.

Three: If all workers had access to quality, affordable health care coverage, independent of their employment, it would remove one of the reasons why workers without a union are fearful about trying to organize one in their workplaces. Why? They wouldn’t have to stress about the very real risk of not being able to afford coverage if their employer retaliated against them for their unionizing efforts. A bully employer might try to intimidate you out of building a union at work, but those threats would no longer concern your family’s access to health care coverage. Medicare for All would provide insurance for everyone as a universal right, as is the case in almost every other nation on earth.

Four: By passing Medicare for All, we would see a national shift in the inflation of health care costs. We at UFCW 21 have shown that a smartly run health plan can avoid the runaway cost increases that have become all too common for many working people. The health plan we have negotiated for tens of thousands of our members has avoided large increases in premiums, out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, prescriptions and other health care costs by negotiating with providers on a massive scale and incentivizing workers to be more invested in their own health. For the economy as a whole, when our nation stops spending hundreds of billions of dollars a year to pay for increasing health care costs that make insurers, health care conglomerates, and drug companies rich, we as a nation will be able to spend those resources on health for the many instead of wealth for the few.

We applaud Senator Sanders and our representative Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal for their long-time support of Medicare for All and feel their records show a commitment to doing this policy right for working people in our country.

###

ABOUT UFCW 21

UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 46,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, cannabis, and other industries in Washington State.

Faye Guenther is President of UFCW 21. Sue Wilmot is a long-time UFCW 21 member and workplace leader at Safeway.

Macy’s - Downtown Closure Bargaining Update 2/14/20

Today we met with the employer with our bargaining director in attendance. Macy’s has not moved from their original proposal and has given us their last, best, and final proposal that is less than the Northgate and Everett agreements:

• Cap on severance at 26 weeks—Northgate/Everett severance was capped at 52 weeks

• Macy’s is only willing to cover the employer portion of COBRA for 3 months—Macy’s paid 100% of COBRA for 3 months at Northgate/Everett

We’re meeting with our legal team to explore all options to secure a fair severance for the Downtown Macy’s workers.

If you have questions, please contact your union representative, Regan McBride, at 206-436-6579

In Solidarity, your Member Bargaining Team, Susan Hedman, Patrick Keating

PCC Bargaining Update: Meet our Bargaining Team

On Monday, February 3 our PCC Bargaining Team met together for the first time. From the hundreds of bargaining surveys we received from members to set our bargaining priorities, by a wide margin, members are most concerned with better wages, secure retirement, dependable health care, increasing safety and training in our stores, and raising transparency and worker voices in the governance of PCC as a co-op. As a team we are committed to negotiating a contract we all can be proud of. Our next negotiation sessions will take place in early March. Stay involved, be sure we have your most updated information to stay connected and informed throughout the bargaining process.

UFCW 21 Winter 2020 Newsletter: The Power of Unity

UFCW 21 Winter 2020 Newsletter Articles:

The Power of Unity

Our unity is what got us here, we can’t forget that our united strength against the third largest healthcare corporation in the nation is how we will win!

Across the state, health care workers had been in hard negotiations with Providence Health for over a year at some hospitals and were making little headway. At every turn Providence was using intimidation, surveillance, unlawful polling, and threatening lockouts against health care workers. Progress at the bargaining table was also frustrating: Providence proposals failed to adequately address safety, staffing and other workplace concerns raised by employees. At the same time, they continued to insist on a massive takeaway of hard-earned benefits that some workers have been earning for decades. Jose Hernandez, a member of UFCW 21, summed up many workers’ frustration: “As an Emergency Room Assistant at Sacred Heart, I see patients and their families in times of greatest need. 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.”

15,000 health care workers from UFCW 21, WSNA, and SEIU Healthcare 1199, the state’s largest unions at Providence knew that by standing together and acting in coordination we could stand up to Providence. The three unions, for the first time ever, signed a historic unity commitment, a pledge to stand as one in coordination and solidarity. Workers of all three unions voted in overwhelming numbers to authorize a strike and started joint actions across the state with the support of our community partners, neighbors, patients, and elected leaders. Our coalition fight for a fair contract at Providence was even picked up by national presidential candidates and news outlets across the state and country.

Our unity paid off; hours before our planned 10-day notice to strike, Providence agreed to take their drastic cuts off the table—creating a pathway to win strong contracts at all of our Providence locations. We will continue to stand with our partners until we all win strong contracts at Providence and we remain committed to building strong coalitions with SEIU and WSNA—and throughout the labor movement—to fight for stronger jobs and communities. We showed that through unity, and a commitment to our patients and each other that we could win a fair contract that is better for patient care and safety, better for staffing and better for the future of our hospitals.

UFCW 21 scholarships still available!

scholarships available

Full-time Student Scholarships: $2,000
Health Care Profession Scholarships: $3,000
Four-Year Scholarship of $4,000/year for 4 years
First in Family Scholarships: $2,000
Marilyn Savage, RN Memorial Scholarship: $3,000

Application Deadline: March 6, 2020

The community remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The community remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 20, 2020, as families and friends unite and rally in Seattle’s Central District. Dr. King’s courage to stand up against oppression and resist hate through nonviolent direct action was his legacy that will continue to live on for generations to come. If you would like a commemorative button in honor of Dr. King, please contact your Union Rep.

When we fight, we win in Olympia

The 2020 legislative session is upon us and once again UFCW 21 will be in Olympia fighting to advance workers’ rights. Past legislative sessions have seen us win victories like ensuring uninterrupted meal and rest breaks for frontline health care workers, and vacating cannabis misdemeanors. In 2017, we fought for and won the most progressive Paid Family and Medical Leave law in the country. As of January 1, the program is now live! Information about eligibility for coverage and how to apply can be found at www.paidleave.wa.gov or reach out to your rep with any questions. This is one of the strongest statewide Paid Leave programs in the country and you now have access to it!

Legislative wins like this only happen when we have pro-worker majorities in Olympia and when legislators hear the real stories of workers. UFCW 21 has a full slate of policies on the agenda for 2020 that will make Washington a better place for workers, our families, and our communities. Read on to find out more!

• The Working Families Tax Credit would help fix Washington’s broken and upside down tax system by providing tax relief to low and moderate wage workers.

• UFCW 21 proudly represents cannabis workers at Have A Heart, and our cannabis legislation provides an opportunity for our union to grow while also ensuring that cannabis jobs in Washington state are good jobs.

• Our slate of health care legislation includes bills to help reduce work-related injuries for health care workers, protect the personal information of our public sector health care workers, and have better financial transparency in large health care institutions. These bills are designed to improve working conditions for health care workers, as well as improving the quality of care patients receive.

• We will continue our fight from previous legislative sessions to pass bills that promote housing affordability, which has been identified as the top non-bargaining issue for our members.

• Updating the workers’ compensation process is another top priority – the system is currently stacked against workers with unnecessary and overly invasive Independent Medical Exams for injured workers and Third-Party Administrators who are often utilized to suppress workers’ claims. We need to strengthen protections for workers as they navigate the system so workers can safely return to work – and pay their bills on time when they are out due to injury.

Winning on issues like this is hard, it takes electing pro-worker candidates as well as workers getting involved in the legislative process. If you are interested in coming to Olympia during the 2020 legislative session, reach out to Karsten Wise, political organizer at 206-436-6556 or email: actionteams@ufcw21.org

Capital Medical Center RN - Bargaining Continues

Our UFCW 21 RN Bargaining Team met with Management in December 2019 and declined management’s one year offer of a 1.25% wage increase. Management was buying time until Providence hospitals settled their contract; historically Management has accepted an agreement like Providence hospitals’ contract. Since then, Providence hospitals have come to an agreement and have kept their EIB program and received 3% across-the-board wage increases for each year of the contract.

We resumed bargaining on January 28 and 29. Management proposed decreasing the EIB benefit and offered 1.75% wage increase for the first year; with the remaining two years of the contract not going above 2.25%. We are continuing to fight to maintain our EIB and higher wages, shift differential pay, floating pay, paid education days, and a higher rate of “continuing education” reimbursement.

“Management’s proposal of 1.75% increase for the first year is not sufficient. We know that non represented employees recently received a 3% wage increase.”
Carol Cairone, RN

“We are fighting to obtain competitive market wages in order to hire and retain quality nurses, which will allow us to have safe staffing levels and provide quality care to our community. This is our highest priority! Our patients come first.”
Bernie Ammons, RN

“We have reached agreement on some contractual provisions and continue to fight to retain our hard-earned benefits.”
Bonnie Verellen, RN

“We work hard for Capital Medical Center and our community. We will continue to hold the line at the table and negotiate for a fair and equitable contract.”
Sara McFarland, RN

New Seasons Workers Welcome

UFCW 21 is welcoming some of our newest members—grocery workers displaced by the December closure of New Seasons Market’s Ballard store.

New Seasons announced in December that it would close the Ballard store and leave the Seattle market, where it had previously committed to open two to three stores per year. The good news is many New Seasons workers are moving over to union stores, including Metropolitan Market and PCC. In fact, the company’s Mercer Island store will transition to Metropolitan Market in the spring. Later this year, PCC will open at the Central District location that New Seasons leased and furnished but never opened.

New Seasons is a Portland-based natural foods grocery chain with a record of anti-union activity. Naturally, UFCW 21 members were concerned when the company announced an ambitious Puget Sound expansion in 2015.

Our concerns intensified when New Seasons competed aggressively with Metropolitan Market for the Mercer Island location, a former Albertsons store. At the time, unionized Metropolitan Market and anti-union New Seasons were both owned by the same private equity firm—Endeavour Capital. So New Seasons’ competition with Met Market looked to us like an attempt by Endeavour Capital to weaken the union and undercut our contracts.

Over the past four years, UFCW 21 and our community partners repeatedly advised New Seasons that it would be welcomed in Seattle if it committed to respect workers’ rights, meet area standards, and address concerns about its role in gentrification and displacement in the Central District. The company dismissed our advice and even hired an aggressive union buster to counter worker organizing in Portland.

UFCW 21 is committed to doing everything we can to support a successful transition for all New Seasons workers. And we are also encouraging PCC to work with Central District community leaders to ensure the 23rd and Union store reflects and respects the historic African American population of the Central District.

Are you a New Seasons worker with questions about moving over to a union store, or need help with job transition? Please call Marc Auerbach at (206) 436-6519.

UFCW 21 Endorses Medicare For All

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2020
Contact: Joe Mizrahi, jmizrahi@ufcw21.org

UFCW 21 Endorses Medicare For All

WASHINGTON— United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 21 (UFCW 21), the largest private-sector union in the state and the largest UFCW local in the country, is announcing the endorsement of a comprehensive Medicare for All health care plan. Medicare for All legislation has been introduced in the House (H.R. 1384) by U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and in the Senate (S. 1129) by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). 

UFCW 21 has long been at the forefront of advancing the rights and dignity of working people, and our democratically elected member executive board voted Tuesday night to make this endorsement.

“All our members and their families deserve access to high-quality comprehensive health care they can actually afford to use, said Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 21. “While we have fought hard to protect and improve our union health care plans over the years, Medicare for All would cover everyone in our communities, help address the current racial inequities in access to health care, and give our members the flexibility to bargain for other improvements to their benefits and working conditions. We are so proud that our very own Congresswoman Jayapal is leading the way on this important issue for our members.”

 “As someone who works in an ER, I see the effects of our broken health care system every day, as patients skip getting the care they need because they can’t afford it, leading to worse health outcomes and higher costs for everyone. And as a union member, Medicare for All relieves us of the burden of long, drawn-out fights to maintain our health care plans, freeing working people from the crushing consequences of getting sick and opening doors for wage increases and other benefits,” said Jose Hernandez, UFCW 21 executive board member and emergency department assistant at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. “Even health care workers don’t always have good health care plans.”

This election cycle, issues and candidates on the ballot will determine the long-term health and future of the labor movement. UFCW 21 is committed to supporting candidates and policies that further strengthen workers’ voices, both at the federal level and here at home.

###

ABOUT UFCW 21

UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 46,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, cannabis, and other industries in Washington State.

UFCW 21 Endorses Bernie Sanders and Medicare For All

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 29, 2020
Contact: Joe Mizrahi, jmizrahi@ufcw21.org , 619-955-2970

UFCW 21 Endorses Bernie Sanders and Medicare For All

WASHINGTON— United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 21 (UFCW 21), the largest private-sector union in the state and the largest UFCW local in the country, is announcing endorsements of Bernie Sanders for President and Medicare for All. UFCW 21 has long been at the forefront of advancing the rights and dignity of working people, and our democratically elected member executive board voted Tuesday night (1/28) to make these endorsements because our members understand what is at stake for workers in the upcoming election.

“Bernie Sanders has by far the most pro-worker labor agenda of any candidate, and we have already seen him use his platform during this campaign to support organizing in the industries we represent,” said Faye Guenther, president of UFCW 21. “As a union, our fundamental goal is to expand worker democracy and power. We are so excited to see a candidate committed to expanding the electorate and inspiring even more people to engage with the democratic process, both in their workplaces and in this election.”

“Bernie understands that even health care workers don’t always have good health care plans,” said Jose Hernandez, UFCW 21 executive board member and emergency department assistant at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. “As someone who works in an ER, I see the effects of our broken health care system every day, as patients skip getting the care they need because they can’t afford it, leading to worse health outcomes and higher costs for everyone. And as a union member, Medicare for All relieves us of the burden of long, drawn-out fights to maintain our health care plans, freeing working people from the crushing consequences of getting sick and opening doors for wage increases and other benefits.”

“We know what it’s like to go up against big corporations and win—and we know Bernie doesn’t back down from a fight,” said Kyong Barry, UFCW 21 executive board member and front-end supervisor at Albertsons in Auburn. “Union workers are facing an uphill battle at the federal level as corporations are attempting to systematically dismantle the protections the union movement has fought for. We’re supporting a candidate who understands the structural change needed to rebuild the union movement.”

This election cycle, issues and candidates on the ballot will determine the long-term health and future of the labor movement. We also see Senator Warren as another strong candidate. In the Washington Primary, you can only vote for one person and we feel that Sanders has a strong track record and set of policy proposals to support union and not-yet-union workers.

###

ABOUT UFCW 21

UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 46,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, cannabis, and other industries in Washington State.

Winter 2020 General Membership Meeting

This General Membership Meeting session, we are expanding our Townhall Calls. If there is a Townhall Call in your location, the day and time will be noted in this notice. Townhall Calls are an effort to make meetings more accessible to members and save member resources.

Aberdeen
Monday, February 10
6:00pm
Grays Harbor Hospital
West Campus
915 Anderson Drive
Conference Room E - 1st Floor

Auburn (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Bellevue (New)
Thursday, February 13
9:00am & 7:00pm
Red Lion Hotel
11211 Main St
Ravenna Room

Bellingham
Wednesday, February 12 7:00pm
Quality Inn Grand Suites
100 E Kellogg Rd
Olympus Room

Bremerton (New)
Monday, February 10
11:00am
Harrison Medical Center
2520 Cherry Ave
Aspen Room

Brewster (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Centralia (New)
Wednesday, February 12
10:00am
Providence Centralia Hospital
914 S Scheuber Rd
Cafeteria

Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Colville/Chewelah (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Coupeville (New)
Wednesday, February 12
3:15pm
WhidbeyHealth Medical Center
101 N Main St
Conference Room AB

Enumclaw (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Everett (New)
Tuesday, February 11
9:00am & 7:00pm
Snohomish County PUD
2320 California St Room
TC2-A

Federal Way (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Forks
Monday, February 10
2:00pm
Forks Community Hospital
530 Bogachiel Way
Main Conference Room

Republic (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Sea-Tac (New)
Thursday, February 13
7:00pm
Angle Lake Family Resource Center 4040 S 188th St, STE 100
Meeting Room

Seattle
Tuesday, February 11
9:30am & 7:00pm
Phinney Neighborhood Center
6532 Phinney Ave N
Room 6 - Blue Bldg.

Thursday, February 13
9:00am & 7:00 pm
UFCW 21 Office
5030 1st Ave S
Joe Crump Hall

Sequim
Wednesday, February 12
7:00pm Quality Inn
134 River Rd
Breakfast Room

Shelton
Tuesday, February 11
12:00pm
Mason General Hospital
901 Mountain View Dr
Washington Room

Silverdale
Wednesday, February 12
9:00am & 5:30 pm
UFCW 21 Office
3888 NW Randall Way #105 Conference Room

South Bend (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Spokane
Thursday, February 13
8:00am, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
UFCW 21 Office
2805 N Market St
Conference Room

Tacoma (New)
Tuesday, February 11
2:15pm & 5:00pm
Tacoma General Hospital
315 MLK Jr Way
Commencement Wing, 5th Floor MMC

Tonasket (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Walla Walla
Monday, February 10
1:00pm
Providence St. Mary’s Medical Center 401 W Poplar St
Vincentian Room

Wenatchee (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Kennewick (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Kent
Monday, February 10
9:00am & 5:30pm
Kent Commons
525 4th Ave N
Mill Creek Room

Lynnwood
Monday, February 10
7:00pm
Snohomish County PUD
21014 63rd Ave W
Conference Room

Monroe
Thursday, February 13
3:30pm
EvergreenHealth Monroe
14701 179th Ave SE
The Cafe Corner

Moses Lake (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Mount Vernon
Thursday, February 13
7:00pm
UFCW 21 Office
1510 N 18th St
Conference Room

Oak Harbor (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Olympia (New)
Monday, February 10
12:00pm
Kaiser Permanente
700 Lily Rd NE
OLY A

Tuesday, February 11
3:30pm
Capital Medical Center
3900 Capital Mall Dr SW
Cafeteria

Wednesday, February 12
New Time and Location
1:30pm
Providence St. Peter Hospital
413 Lily Rd NE
Room 201

Omak (New)
Wednesday, February 12
*Townhall Call 5:30pm

Port Angeles (New)
Wednesday, February 12
4:30pm
Olympic Medical Center
939 Caroline St
Fairshter Hall

Port Townsend
Tuesday, February 11
12:00pm & 5:15pm
Pt. Townsend Senior Center
620 Tyler St
Board Room

TOWN HALL CALL meeting

This General Membership Meeting session, we are expanding our Town hall Calls. If there is a Town hall Call in your location, the day and time will be noted on this notice. Town hall Calls are an effort to make meetings more accessible to members and save member resources.

All you need to do is pick up your phone when we call, and you will be connected to the live Town hall Call meeting. You will have the opportunity to ask questions on this call.

To make sure we have your correct phone number go to: UFCW21.org/update-your-information by February 5.

If you would like your location to have a Town hall Call in the future, please go to: UFCW21.org/gmmcall.

We look forward to talking to you!

Working on Wage Increases: Contract Proposal Meeting Scheduled

WSNA, UFCW 21 Support Providence Swedish Workers

STATEMENT OF SUPPORT – Jan. 17, 2019

WSNA, UFCW 21 Support Providence Swedish workers

As members of the Providence Union Coalition, which has fought for months to secure fair contracts for our members, the Washington State Nurses Association and UFCW 21 fully support Providence Swedish workers represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW as they serve 10-day notice to the hospital of their intention to strike for patient care and safety at multiple campuses.

WSNA and UFCW 21 have reached Tentative Agreements and have already or will soon vote on these for new contracts at Providence-run hospitals across the state. Now, it’s time for Providence to cease its Unfair Labor Practices against Swedish workers and seriously address SEIU 1199NW proposals that lay out a roadmap for success in safe staffing, workplace safety, recruitment and retention, racial equity and inclusion for all, and provide for the needs of environmental service workers, social workers, counselors and caregivers who provide standby and call. It is time for Providence to bargain in good faith and reach a fair contract settlement with the 8,000 nurses and other health care workers who provide excellent care to patients across the Swedish system.

WSNA and UFCW 21 remain committed to the coalition that helped us reach agreements that advance improvements for patient care and safety and supports SEIU 1199NW in their continued fight. When you take on one of us, you take on all of us. When union workers, patients and community come together we can take on large employers like Providence and make sure they treat workers fairly. This helps improve the well-being of our communities and the safety and care we provide in our hospitals.

tentative agreement reached with the Sequim school district: Contract Vote Scheduled

The bargaining committee is fully recommending this tentative agreement, which includes improvements to the contract and no take-aways! Thursday, January 30 2pm to 4pm Sequim School District Office in the Board Room 503 N Sequim Ave, Sequim, WA 98382

UFCW 21 Providence Workers’ Votes Announced

For Immediate Release:
January 15, 2020
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421 

UFCW 21 Providence Workers’ Votes Announced

 “We showed that through unity, and a commitment to our patients and each other that we could win a fair contract that is better for patient care and safety, better for staffing and better for the future of our hospitals.”

*The changes are reflective of wins across our union’s Providence bargaining units. Specifics may vary by location.                                                                      

The Tentative Agreement reached held the line on every one of the employer’s takeaways including: 

• NO cuts to our paid time off/sick leave that would have taken millions of dollars from years of our earned benefits

• ONLY accepting the new leave system after significant improvements and where it benefits us—at Holy Family and St. Mary’s

• NO changes to our health care

We fought for and won: 

• Improved safety standards for workers so we can be safe at work

• Improved staffing levels so we can take care of our patients with enough co-workers on shift

• Significant wage increases for every scale so we can better recruit and retain high quality staff at all our hospitals 

• Ratification bonus payments  

• Many market adjustments and increases to premiums to make sure we are fairly compensated and our workplaces remain competitive

• Better language in our contract to increase our power as unionized workers so we can stand up to Providence in the future and push back against their attempts to intimidate

• Lines up contract expirations in a way that will allow us to take action together in greater numbers in the next round of negotiations

Now the time has come for members at each location to vote. At their vote meeting, members will review the full details of the proposed new contract, get questions answered and vote.

Pro-Tech in Everett

DATE: 01/21/20

TIMES: 6:00am – 9:00am, 11:00am – 2:00pm, 5:00pm – 9:00pm

LOCATION: Colby Campus  Olympic, Conference Room, 1700 13th St, Everett, WA 98201

DATE: 01/21/20

TIMES: 6:00am – 9:00am, 11:00am – 2:00pm

LOCATION: Everett Labor Temple Room 106, 2810 Lombard Ave Everett, WA 98201

Centralia RN

DATE: 01/22/20

TIMES: 6:00am – 9:00am, 11:00am – 2:00pm, 5:00pm – 9:00pm

LOCATION: Koreski Conference Room 914, S Scheuber Rd, Centralia, WA 98531

St. Peter’s RN

DATE: 01/23/20

TIMES: 6:00am – 9:00am, 11:00am – 2:00pm, 5:00pm – 9:00pm

LOCATION: Nisqually Conference Room, 413 Lilly Rd NE, Olympia, WA 98506

St. Mary’s RN

DATE: 01/23/20

TIME: 5:30pm – 8:30pm

LOCATION: Mother Joseph Room A & B, 401 W Poplar St, Walla Walla, WA 99362

DATE: 01/24/20

TIME: 11:00am – 2:00pm, 4:00pm-6:00pm

LOCATION: Mother Joseph Room A & B, 401 W Poplar St, Walla Walla, WA 99362

BACKGROUND:

We started out as nine different negotiations across our one union. For months we got essentially nowhere and we were suffering from an increasing number of Unfair Labor Practices. Then we started to turn that around. We coordinated actions across our union, took strike authorization votes and developed a Unity commitment with SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW and WSNA. We worked together and ramped up the pressure on Providence to change. They still didn’t move. And then just hours before we collectively would have issued our 10-day notices to strike, we had a breakthrough. Together. This was followed by around the clock negotiations and ongoing unity that resulted in historic Tentative Agreements being reached across all of our bargaining units. We did it together. We remain committed to supporting SEIU healthcare 1199 NW until they reach a Tentative Agreement. And we are committed to keeping up with this collective spirit to enforce our contracts and negotiate together again in years ahead.