April 20: Telephone Town Hall Call about safety, resources, and next steps

Join us on Monday, April 20. This call is an opportunity to hear directly from fellow UFCW 21 members, union leadership, and other experts about the COVID-19 crisis, as well as ask any questions you have.

We will call between 6:30-6:40pm, all you have to do is answer the call and you will be on the Telephone Town Hall. Press '0' at any time to ask a question. If you miss the outgoing call, you can join by dialing (888) 652-0386.

Health Care Members: We are holding a call at 7:30pm to discuss safety, resources, and next steps. We will also have guest speakers and members on the line to answer questions. Press '0' at any time to ask a question. If you miss the outgoing call, you can join by dialing (888) 652-5404.

Zenith - We’ve Waited Long Enough, #TheTimeIsNow

We have been pushing hard on Zenith to come back to the bargaining table since our last session in February. We were able to secure bargaining dates and we want to talk to you about how we can work together to ensure that Zenith meets our demands! 

We Demand:

• Training – We demand in depth and adequate training to advance and maintain our skills so we can perform our jobs confidently!

• Compensation – We demand fair, competitive compensation for the work that we do!

• Respect and Dignity – We demand a work environment where all workers are treated fairly with respect and dignity!

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Have you signed the Petition for our fight for a fair contract? 

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SAVE THE DATE
Contract Action Team Meeting on 5/11 @ 5PM

Next Bargaining Dates:
4/23, 5/5-5/7, 5/11-5/14

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Stay up to date with the most recent contract negotiations information. Update your contact info here.

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep:
Ates Serifsoy @ (206) 436-6569

Remembering Sonny

Querubin “Sonny” Quitlong 
August 14, 1949 – April 6, 2020 

We are sorry to announce the passing of UFCW 21 member Querubin “Sonny” Quitlong, who worked as a checker at Safeway on Rainier Avenue in Seattle and passed away recently from complications of COVID-19. Sonny had years of service at Safeway; he was hired in 1989, and was currently working at Safeway part-time while also working at the US Postal Service. He was beloved by his community—everyone knew Sonny. Customers went out of their way to get in his line, or just to come say hi if he wasn’t the one ringing them up. And customers weren’t the only people Sonny cared for. Former coworkers remember him for his generosity and friendliness. “One thing that stands out for me is if he was on break and I was in the breakroom, he’d offer me some of his lunch,” says Monica Bryant, who went on to become a union rep at UFCW 21. “He was genuine like that. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one he looked out for.” Sonny looked out for all of us, and everyone knew how much he adored his wife, Zenaida, who survives him. He served our community in many ways, and our union mourns along with his family, friends, and coworkers. 

You can find his full obituary here. 

Grocery store workers, pharmacy workers, health care workers, and many others are on the front line in this crisis. We are part of the food chain, central to everyone’s safety and health, and dedicated to our community’s well-being. But we need to be safe at work, and we will continue to push for the safety of our customers, patients, and coworkers. We do not want to lose anyone else. 

Querubin “Sonny” Quitlong
August 14, 1949 – April 6, 2020

WA PPE Supplies & State-Approved Conservation Strategies

The State of Washington is now posting the state supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), including donations, National Strategic Stockpile distributions, and state orders for more equipment. Check the levels of all equipment here.

The State Department of Health has also issued guidelines for conservation of PPE, with a framework for PPE usage during standard recommended usage, when we need to conserve PPE, and when the shortage is extreme. Check those guidelines, and if you are being asked to use, not use, or ration your PPE in a way that is not safe, contact us immediately by calling your Shop Steward, Union Rep, or emailing safetyreport@ufcw21.org.

Washington State Department of Health Personal Protective Equipment conservation strategies for health care workers

View fullsize

Source: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/PPEConservationStrategies.pdf

All healthcare facilities need to implement the following PPE conservation strategies to the greatest extent possible at this time:

Engineering Controls (put barrier between hazard and the healthcare provider)

• Isolate patients in an airborne infection isolation room or private room with door closed.

• Use physical barriers such as plastic windows at reception, curtains between patients, etc.

• Properly maintain ventilation systems to provide air movement from clean to contaminated flow.

Administrative Controls (work practices that reduce or prevent hazardous exposures)

• Cancel all non-urgent surgeries, procedures and appointments for which PPE is used.

• Exclude all staff not directly involved in patient care from the patient’s room (e.g., dietary, housekeeping employees).

• Reduce face-to-face HCP encounters with patients (e.g., bundling activities, video monitoring).

• Allow one asymptomatic essential caregiver to assist with the care of a patient with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, but exclude all other visitors.

• Cohort patients: Group together patients who are confirmed to have COVID-19.

• Cohort HCP: Assign designated teams of HCP to provide care for all patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

• Screen patients for acute respiratory illness either by phone or telehealth prior to nonurgent care or elective visits to reduce patients visits.

• Use telemedicine to screen and manage patients to reduce patient visits.

• Schedule respiratory clinics to minimize PPE use.

• Continue to use simple face masks for source control in waiting rooms.

Personal Protective Equipment

• Follow PPE Conservation Strategies (yellow) on page 2 of this document if resources allow. Facilities using extreme strategies will be prioritized for PPE allocation.

• Reserve N95 respirators for confirmed/suspected COVID patients in ICUs and those requiring aerosol generating procedures per DOH Infection Control Guidance.

• Use alternatives to N95 respirators where feasible (e.g., other disposable filtering face piece respirators, elastomeric respirators with appropriate filters or cartridges, PAPR).

• Limit respirators during training: Determine which HCPs need to be in a respiratory protection program; limited re-use of respirators by individual HCP for training & fit testing.

• Shift eye protection from disposable to re-usable devices (i.e., goggles, reusable faceshields)

• Shift gown use towards cloth isolation gowns; consider use of coveralls.

Resources: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/index.htm

https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/PPEConservationStrategies.pdf

Hotel Rooms for Health Care workers working with COVID-19

UFCW 21 has worked with King County and other health care unions to make free hotel rooms available for health care workers who need to protect themselves or their household members from exposure to COVID-19, need to self-quarantine away from home, or who meet other conditions (see below). The county has a block of rooms available at a hotel in Bellevue, and the City of Seattle has secured hotel rooms in Seattle. 

These rooms are available beginning Friday, April 10. Rooms are for the health care worker only; no additional guests may occupy these rooms. 

To request a room, please fill out a form for the location appropriate for you. If you don’t know the answers to a question or aren’t sure if you’re eligible, fill it out to the best of your ability and someone from UFCW 21 will contact you to help figure out your situation and book your room. 

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Seattle 

The Seattle hotel rooms are for health care workers in the following circumstances: 

• Healthy workers who cannot stay at home to avoid further exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 positive household member or to avoid long commutes between lengthy shifts. 

• Healthy workers with vulnerable household member, to mitigate the risks of unwittingly exposing them to COVID-19 in the absence of accessible testing.  

• Exposed health care workers who need quarantine accommodations because they have been exposed to COVID-19 and cannot self-quarantine at home.  

• COVID-19 positive nurses and health care workers who are asymptomatic or with minor symptoms that do not require hospitalization but cannot quarantine at home.  

Bellevue 

The Bellevue hotel rooms are for health care workers who are healthy and who have not tested positive for COVID-19. 

Health care workers who are COVID-19-positive or symptomatic pending test results can access King County isolation and quarantine rooms at a different facility or ask to be booked at the Seattle hotel . 

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Three Rivers Hospital - Three Rivers Management Proposes Recruitment and Retention Wage Increases for Hospital RN’S

At a time where our healthcare system is being stretched during the COVID-19 outbreak, Management has dug deep and offered significant wage increases. 

Please be on the look out for a vote ballot in the mail soon. If you have any questions and need to update your address please email your Union Representative Maureen Hatton at mhatton@ufcw21.org

Conifer St. Elizabeth - United for a Fair Contract

Conifer St. Elizabeth members met with Management on April 1 and April 2 to continue negotiations via Video Conference to resolve on-going issues and send out our economic proposals.

“We have made forward progress on some issues but we are still very far apart on the issues that matter most to us. We are committed to standing strong during this home stretch but we need you all to stand with us now more than ever and show Conifer St. Elizabeth that we are serious and united in this fight for a fair contract!”

Margaret “Peggy” Laush, Bargaining Team Member

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

Unions demand hazard pay for health care workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tuesday,, April 7, 2020

CONTACT:

Amy Clark,
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
amyc@seiu1199nw.org
425-306-2061

Ruth Schubert, Washington State Nurses Association
rschubert@wsna.org 
206-713-7884

Sarah Cherin, UFCW 21
scherin@ufcw21.org
206-436-6580 

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Unions demand hazard pay for health care workers

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 21 and WSNA call for pay increases for all frontline health care workers

Seattle, Wash.— Since even before the first COVID-19 death in late February, frontline health care workers have been working under extraordinarily difficult conditions, without the protective equipment they need to ensure their safety and the safety of their patients. In the face of a national shortage in respirators, masks and other protective equipment, nurses and other health care workers are reusing or going without equipment that is considered standard under normal circumstances. They are putting their lives on the line to save the lives of others.

In view of these extraordinary circumstances, the Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 issued the following joint statement demanding hazard pay for health care workers as they face this pandemic: 

“Every day, we go to work to care for patients and keep our hospitals and health care facilities open, despite the fact that we still have not received enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep ourselves safe.”

“Nurses, techs, respiratory therapists, and service and maintenance workers in health facilities are putting our own lives on the line to respond to this crisis. Simply coming to work puts us at heightened risk. At the same time, we are dealing with new economic challenges and hardships brought on by the crisis.”

“UFCW 21, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and WSNA call on hospitals and health systems across Washington to recognize the heroic efforts of workers on the frontlines of this pandemic by providing hazard pay increases to all health care workers for the duration of the crisis.”

“We cannot put on a price on unsafe working conditions, and hazard pay does not make up for the lack of proper equipment and support. But it does reflect the lived reality that these workers are putting their health and their lives on the line to ensure that our entire state has a fighting chance to beat this pandemic.”

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About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a union of nurses and healthcare workers with over 30,000 caregivers throughout hospitals, clinics, mental health, skilled home health and hospice programs in Washington state and Montana. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW’s mission is to advocate for quality care and good jobs for all. 

About WSNA 

WSNA is the leading voice and advocate for nurses in Washington state, providing representation, education and resources that allow nurses to reach their full professional potential and focus on caring for patients. WSNA represents more than 19,000 registered nurses for collective bargaining who provide care in hospitals, clinics, schools and community and public health settings across the state. 

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 45,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, and other industries in Washington state. 

Kroger Agrees to Limit Customers After Members Demand Action

Members have been calling for a limit to the number of customers in stores at one time so we can do our jobs safely and protect our customers and community. Crowding and congestion in stores and lines puts everyone at higher risk for contracting COVID-19. After almost 5,000 people signed our Grocery Store Workers Demand Action petition calling for safety measures including limiting customers, Kroger has started to move. 

This week Fred Meyer and QFC stores will: 

• Limit the number of customers to 50% of building code capacity 

• Test one-way aisles in some stores 

• Supply masks and gloves in all locations by the end of the week 

• Close early on Sunday, April 12 

These customer limits do not go as far as Safeway/Albertsons, which is limiting customers to approximately 30% of store capacity. But it’s important that Kroger is listening and starting to make real changes. 

When we stand together, we get things done. Let’s work together to hold management accountable to these promises. If your store is not implementing these procedures by the end of the week, call your Shop Steward or Union Rep, or email us at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.  

If at any point your store is not following social distancing guidelines, you can report them (anonymously or with your name) to the state with this reporting tool. 

There is more work to be done. If you would like to take further action at your store for better safety practices, contact your Union Rep at 1-800-732-1188. 

Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries on Protecting Grocery Store Workers

Our state’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has produced a document with their recommendations for grocery stores to ensure that stores comply with the state’s social distancing requirements. Find a printable PDF of this document on the L&I website here. 

If you think your store is not following social distancing protocols, there are lots of ways to report that, including via safety and health complaints or through the state’s COVID-19 social distancing report form, or by emailing UFCW 21 at safetyreport@ufcw21.org. 

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Protecting Grocery Store Workers 

The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) requires employers to implement the Governor’s proclamation. Employers must ensure social distancing for employees and customers; frequent and adequate handwashing; and that sick employees stay home. Employers must also provide basic workplace hazard education about coronavirus and how to prevent transmission in languages best understood by employees. 

Workplace Discrimination 

It is against the law for any employer to take any adverse action such as firing or threats against a worker for exercising safety and health rights such as raising safety and health concerns to their employer, participating in union activities concerning safety and health, filing a safety and health complaint or participating in a Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) investigation. Workers have 30 days to file their complaint with L&I DOSH and/or with Federal OSHA. 

Ideas for an Effective Social Distancing Plan: 

• Limit the number of customers entering the store to facilitate social distancing at store entrances, throughout store and at check-out lines.  

• Require all workers to stay at least six feet away from customers and coworkers.  

• Temporarily mark six-foot increments (using adhesive colored tape, chalk, etc.) on the ground or floor to ensure social distancing.  

• Post large print attention-grabbing signs readable from a far distance (or use portable, electronic reader boards) that inform customers of social distancing practices.  

• Designate workers to monitor and facilitate distancing at check-out lines.  

• Discontinue self-serve foods, free sample stands and product demonstrations. 

Ideas for an Effective Handwashing Plan: 

• Install hand-sanitizing dispensers at store entrances and at key locations inside for customers.  

• Ensure all workers know why and how to effectively wash hands for at least twenty seconds.  

• Require workers to wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least twenty seconds, such as when they arrive at work, leave their workstations for breaks, eat, use tobacco, and after handling money.  

• Ensure gloves are used for cart retrievers, handling money, common use of the same cash register or keypad by different cashiers, food safety and cleaning.  

• Set up a schedule to keep these supplies well stocked and trash emptied. 

Ensure Sick Workers Are Not at Work:  

• Monitor employees for signs of illness and require sick workers to stay home.  

• Ensure employees know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 caused by coronavirus exposure. 

Ideas for Providing Basic Workplace Hazard Education About Preventing Coronavirus Transmission: 

• Instruct all workers on social distancing, handwashing, and other store-wide safety procedures related to coronavirus.  

• Teach workers the importance of hand washing before eating, drinking, or using tobacco.  

• Advise on respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes and not touching eyes, noses, and mouths with unwashed hands or gloves.  

• Prohibit sharing utensils, phones, work tools, and other workplace items that are not sanitized.  

• Communicate important safety messages/ updates daily with methods such as posters, reader boards, etc. 

Checkout Stands and Counters Considerations  

• Consider closing self-check stands if not all surfaces can be sanitized between customers and if it is not possible to ensure at least six feet between users.  

• Consider installing “sneeze shields” at check stands, and ask customers to stand behind them, or relocate pay station key pads further away from worker.  

• When supplies are available, provide disposable wipes/hand sanitizer at check-out stands for employees and customers (e.g. at key pads, registers, bagging area).  

• Prohibit reusable shopping bags and provide single use bags for groceries. 

Stocking and Surface Cleaning 

• Schedule as much stocking and deep cleaning as possible during closing hours. If a 24-hour store, stock during the slowest period of the night.  

• Appoint a designated sanitation worker(s) at all times to continuously clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces on a significantly increased schedule. Use the environmental cleaning guidelines set by the CDC.  

• When disinfecting for coronavirus, the EPA recommends using the longest recommended contact time and/or most concentrated solution per the label.  

• Be sure to follow the label directions for FOOD CONTACT SURFACES when using the chemical near or on utensils and food contact surfaces.  

• Use protective gloves and eye/face protection (e.g. face shields and/or goggles) when mixing, spraying, and wiping with liquid cleaning products, like diluted bleach. 

Other Protective Measures 

• Provide ways for workers to express any concerns and ideas to improve safety.  

• Alert store managers or shift supervisors of strategies on handling customers or workers who are not following social distancing practices or demonstrate signs of illness during the visit. For example, it might be helpful to move a coughing customer out of line to a separate checkout station distant from others.  

• Update store Accident Prevention Program (APP) to include awareness and prevention measures for diseases and viruses.  

Resources 

L&I’s COVID-19 webpage 

County Public Health Grocery store guidance with downloadable posters here  

WA Food Industry Association: www.wa-food-ind.org/Covid-19 

Get help  

For a free safety and health consultation go to http://www.Lni.wa.gov/SafetyConsultants or call 1-800-423-7233 or visit a local L&I office. 

Members Demand Action, Safeway and Albertsons Listen and Begin Limiting Customers This Week

Members have been calling for a limit to the number of customers in stores to allow us to do our jobs safely and protect our customers and community. When there is crowding and congestion in stores and lines, everyone is put at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Almost 5,000 people have signed our Grocery Store Workers Demand Action petition that calls for limiting customers along with other safety measures, and Safeway and Albertsons have listened.

Starting this week and completing rollout by the end of the week, Safeway and Albertsons stores are implementing new safety protocols in Washington State, including:

• Limiting the number of customers in the store at one time to roughly 30% of the store’s capacity

• Implementing one-way aisles

• Providing masks to workers

Work with your coworkers and your Shop Steward to hold your store accountable to these promises. If your store is not implementing these procedures by the end of the week, call your Union Rep or email us at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.

If at any point your store is not following social distancing guidelines, you can report them (anonymously or with your name) to the state with this reporting tool.

If you would like to take further action in your department or your store for better safety practices, contact your Union Rep at 1-800-732-1188.

April 6: Telephone Town Hall Call about safety, resources, and next steps

Join us on Monday, April 6 as we discuss safety, resources and ask questions.

We will call between 6:30-6:40pm, all you have to do is answer the call and you will be on the Telephone Town Hall. Press '0' at any time to ask a question. If you miss the outgoing call, you can join by dialing (855) 832-7463.

Health Care Members: We are holding a call at 7:30pm to discuss safety, resources, and next steps. We will also have guest speakers and members on the line to answer questions. Press '0' at any time to ask a question. If you miss the outgoing call, you can join by dialing (855) 832-7463.

St. Joseph Tech Update - Bargaining Continues

Our Bargaining Team has had several bargaining sessions with Management. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the most recent was held via telecommunications.

We are working on core issues around staffing and wages. We need the employer to come to the table with a fair offer that meets the needs of our membership.

COVID-19 INFORMATION
Keep your family, workplace, and community safe. Find coronavirus updates and resources on our website.

PETITION ACTION

Check the UFCW21 website for future bargaining updates and please sign the petition demanding safe and fair working conditions!

Harrison Medical Protech - Bargaining Begins

Our Bargaining Team met with Management on March 26. We gave our first proposal, which includes stronger safety committee, promotion and new employee orientation language. Our next bargaining date is April 15. 

“Even though we met apart, we came together for a productive first day of bargaining!” 

- Harrison Protech Bargaining Team

BARGAINING TEAM: Judi Shoesmith; Kain Mcleod; Connie Baker; Rob Shauger; Don Szabo; Ona Burkett; Sonja Hammes

COVID-19 INFORMATION
Keep your family, workplace, and community safe. Find coronavirus updates and resources on our website.

UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION
Members of UFCW 21 can have their bargaining updates and other helpful information emailed to them. Help save paper and postage by keeping your address, personal phone, and email current!

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, nurses and healthcare workers call on Trump administration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 3, 2020 

CONTACT: 
Nina Jenkins, SEIU 775 nina.jenkins@seiu775.org 206.618.6718
Amy Clark, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW amyc@seiu1199nw.org 425.306.2061
Tom Geiger, UFCW 21 tgeiger@ufcw21.org 206-604-3421
Ruth Schubert, WSNA rschubert@wsna.org 206.713.7884

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, nurses and healthcare workers call on Trump administration to drive coordinated, transparent response to protect healthcare workers, patients and communities

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and frontline healthcare workers from SEIU 775, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 21 and WSNA today called on the Trump administration to show the leadership the country needed since before this crisis began, and ensure all healthcare workers have the personal protective equipment they need to safely care for their patients and elderly clients.  

Union members are demanding the Trump administration immediately invest in the health and safety of every worker, including taking the following actions to increase the supply of PPE: 

Immediate distribution of the masks and equipment held in the Strategic National Stockpile.

Identifying reserves of masks/equipment in other industries, such as construction, and redistributing them to healthcare providers.

Using all powers of the federal government to speed immediate production of new equipment and ensure it is routed to states for distribution across acute care, home care and long term care settings.

Ensuring that all frontline healthcare workers across all settings and emergency response workers can be tested easily to slow the spread of the virus.

Desirae Hernandez, Home Care Provider, Tri-Cities, SEIU 775
“Healthcare workers are on the frontlines of this crisis and we need personal protective equipment to care for our clients’ safely,” said Desirae Hernandez, a home care aide in the Tri-Cities. “I can’t do my job while staying stay 6 feet. This is intimate, personal work with a high-risk and vulnerable population. No one knows if they have this virus for weeks before symptoms. I need PPE now so I can prevent my clients from getting and spreading this virus.”

Katy Brehe, Hospital Registered Nurse, Seattle, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
“What we need is action,” said Katy Brehe, an RN in the critical care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. “Adequate supplies, not someone’s old t-shirt that was sewed into a mask. Expanded testing, so all healthcare workers will know whether or not we have been exposed and could infect others. And administrative flexibility for healthcare workers in high-risk categories such as immunocompromised, so our coworkers can stay on the job and not get needlessly sick. This is a call for help. We’re all in this together, and we need action today to keep us safe."

Katherine Piana, Emergency Room Registered Nurse, Everett, UFCW 21
“Our hospital had one of the earliest confirmed COVID cases in the country,” said Katherine Piana, an ER nurse at Providence Everett and member of UFCW 21.  “Now, six weeks later we are still suffering with a serious lack of supplies to do our work safely.”

Adam Halvorsen, hospital registered nurse, Richland, WSNA
“Nurses and health care workers are stepping up to meet the needs of patients in the face of this pandemic. But we are going to get sick. We are going to die. That is a hard truth to swallow, and it isn’t right,” said Adam Halvorsen, a registered nurse at Kadlec Regional Medical Center and a member of the WSNA Board of Directors. “We are calling on the federal government and private businesses to do everything possible to step up and make more protective equipment available.”

U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Washington state
“I’m so incredibly grateful for the frontline health care workers in Washington state and across the country, who are going above and beyond to keep us all healthy. I’ve repeatedly pushed this Administration to give Washington state the supplies we need to address this pandemic and ensure that our workers on the frontlines can stay safe. We have a long, hard road ahead of us and I’ll keep doing everything I can to make sure those on the frontlines of this response get the protection and support they so deeply deserve,” said Senator Murray.

As COVID-19 spreads, members of Washington state healthcare worker unions are calling on Congress to join Sen. Murray in working to ensure all working people have healthcare coverage and paid sick time, and that elected officials and corporations put financial relief for working people first.

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About SEIU 775
SEIU 775 represents more than 45,000 long-term care workers providing quality home care, nursing home care, and residential services in Washington and Montana. SEIU 775’s mission is to unite the strength of all working people and their families, to improve their lives and lead the way to a more just and humane world.

About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a union of nurses and healthcare workers with over 30,000 caregivers throughout hospitals, clinics, mental health, skilled home health and hospice programs in Washington state and Montana. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW’s mission is to advocate for quality care and good jobs for all. 

About WSNA 
WSNA is the leading voice and advocate for nurses in Washington state, providing representation, education and resources that allow nurses to reach their full professional potential and focus on caring for patients. WSNA represents more than 19,000 registered nurses for collective bargaining who provide care in hospitals, clinics, schools and community and public health settings across the state. 

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 45,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, and other industries in Washington state. 18,000 of these members work in healthcare.

KAISER UPDATE - April 3, 2020

Retro and Retiree Medical:

Newly voted wage increases for Pro-Tech and Optical units went into effect on 3/29/20 and will be on your 4/17/20 paycheck. Retro payment back to the first pay period following October 1, 2019, will be on your 6/26/20 paycheck. New Improvements to Retiree Medical are now in effect for any members who plan on retiring this year. 

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National Agreement:

The National Agreement for the Alliance of Health Care Unions is now accessible as a PDF on our website. It’s easy to access on computer or your phone! The National Agreement covers the Labor Management partnership, education benefits, retiree medical, and more. We will be receiving physical copies over the next few weeks and will work with workplace leaders to determine the best way to distribute them across worksites.

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COVID-19:

We are working with the local unions to improve PPE usage and remote work opportunities for union members at KP WA. The CDC provides recommendations for appropriate PPE and employers have the responsibility to source and stock personal protective equipment.

On March 20, 2020, KP sent out PPE/Mask Guidelines to all KP staff Make sure you are familiar with the guidelines. As more is learned about COVID-19 these guidelines may change.

In the past few weeks KP WA has created work at home options for high risk employees and now for other workers who have jobs conducive to remote work. Challenges to do with bandwidth and equipment have been addressed, which has made these opportunities available for many of our members.

Based on your concerns, temperature checks are being implemented at all worksites to screen for possible COVID-19. More information coming your way soon.

There are many COVID related safety challenges every day in every workplace. Although these are frustrating, we can work to resolve them. If there is a safety concern in your department or clinic, talk to your supervisor. If it is not resolved, contact your union steward or rep.

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Bargaining and Strong Voice at the National Level:

The Alliance of Health Care Unions is leading conversations nationally and we are engaging with local KP Washington Leadership on securing agreements regarding working in the new environment of Covid-19. We are standing together with union members across the country and pushing for standards including: 

• No layoffs, no cancellations

• Paid admin leave for employees quarantined

• Paid admin leave for employees sent home as a result of temperature checks/screenings, or grant employees additional special sick days

• Workers comp for employees’ sick with COVID, or grant employees additional special sick days 

• Hazard pay for all job classifications

• Flexibility with Attendance

• Accommodations for employees at higher risk

• Social distancing, proper PPE, and making sure workers voices are heard in safety decisions 

Management has proposed a short-term childcare grant of $250 per week for critical employees who are required to work at a KP facility. The program expires May 31, 2020. 

We will continue to keep you updated as agreements are reached for our region. You can stay up to date on UFCW 21 safety and Coronavirus updates.

Questions or to find out how you can become more involved as a workplace leader, please contact Union Representative Cathy MacPhail, 206-436-6584.
Spokane Pharmacists and Pharmacy Techs, please contact Union Representative Maureen Hatton, 509-340-7370.

New Kroger "ExpressPay"

As part of our most recent agreement with Kroger (the parent company of QFC & Fred Meyer) during this COVID-19 crisis, they made a service called “ExpressPay” available to members.

ExpressPay gives you access to your earned wages in advance of payday. This means Kroger is updating the money you have earned at the end of each day based on the hours you have worked, and your pay for those hours will available to you in an ExpressPay account. You can transfer money you have earned in your ExpressPay account to your bank account at any time. Whatever is left over will appear on your normal paycheck on your normal payday.

To use ExpressPay, you need to sign up at https://lite.dailypay.com/employees/signup/kroger with your name, phone, email, and employee ID (which can be found on your pay stub). You may also need the last 4 digits of your Direct Deposit bank account on file.

If you currently get paper checks: You can still sign up for ExpressPay, but you must add a bank account to your ExpressPay account.

Kroger has offered an employee support email and phone number for any support you need to use this service:

• employee.support@dailypay.com

• 1-866-432-0472

NOTE: This is a new service and we anticipate you may have questions or issues. Please keep your Union Rep in the loop as Kroger tries this out so we can share how it’s working for everyone and communicate with Kroger right away if there are problems.

Be Counted! / ¡Tu tambien cuentas! - Census Day 2020

You count in your community and in your union.

Now make sure you are counted in the US 2020 Census!

Tu cuentas… en tu comunidad… en tu unión

Ahora asegúrate de contarte para el Censo 2020

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Vital resources are allocated based on how many people live in our communities, from how many seats we have in Congress to where federal dollars are allocated across the United States. Every person living in the US is counted, including you and your family members!

Los recursos más importantes son asegurados basado en cuanta gente vive en nuestras comunidades. Cuanta representación en el congreso depende del censo. Todos los que vivimos en los estados unidos contamos… tú y tu familia.

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Fill out the US 2020 Census online here English, Español, and Chinese

Llene el censo en línea aquí

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Excellent resources from UFCW 21 community partners to learn more

Encuentre otros recursos de nuestros aliados en la comunidad

Queer the Census (English and Español)

Para la comunidad LGBTQ (Español e Ingles)

Asian American / Pacific Islander specific resources in multiple languages from APALA

Recursos para la comunidad asiática americana y de las islas pacificas en varios idiomas de parte de APALA

Free webinar from CAIR this weekend for the 2020 census and people of faith

CAIR dará un seminario este fin de semana en línea sobre el censo para las comunidades de fe

Washington Census Alliance

We Count Washington

An open letter to Governor Inslee, Secretary Wiesman, Vice Admiral Bono from Washington's front line Unions

April 1, 2020
RE: COVID-19 Transparency of Response Efforts and Working Conditions

Governor Inslee, Secretary Wiesman, Vice Admiral Bono,

We are writing to thank you for your leadership during this unprecedented crisis and to ask for your help to address a number of ongoing concerns. As unions representing workers who are on the frontlines fighting this pandemic, we are hearing from our members daily about their genuine commitment to serving our communities combined with their very real fears of getting sick, potentially infecting others, and of the critical need for their protection. As you well know, without our health care workers and emergency responders, we will fail to adequately respond in the days ahead.

We ask for your immediate help in the following areas:

1. Personal Protective Equipment and Supplies

Over the last several weeks, we have communicated our request for more transparency in the supply chain of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and supplies. We have heard that the state has received some significant shipments of PPE from the Strategic National Stockpile and other sources. Yet, those supplies have not made it into the hands of frontline health care workers and emergency responders.

As the unions representing workers who so desperately need PPE for their own safety, we ask that you provide a weekly report of amount of PPE at the EOC, where it is going, and to whom it is being distributed (down to the facility level). We also ask that you request from the hospitals and health providers under the DOH fourpart triage list a weekly report of PPE on hand.

Those of us representing health care workers are hearing stories from our members of supplies of N-95 masks and other PPE being locked in cabinets rather than provided to those on the frontlines. In the law enforcement community, department leadership is taking PPE supplies from jail facilities to offer some limited resources to officers; other departments are directing supply officers to use “traditional purchasing chains” for needed PPE. Neither of these directives are sustainable or solution oriented. It is critical that we understand the supply chain and where PPE can be utilized by health care workers and first responders now, rather than being saved for later.

2. COVID-19 Testing

Many counties are prioritizing testing of health care workers and first responders; this is both appreciated and appropriate. However, we are not receiving updates from counties or the state on the number of tests provided to health care workers and first responders nor the results of those tests. We ask that you provide more transparency in testing, including a weekly report of a) how long it is taking to receive results, b) how many health care workers/first responders are being tested, and c) the results of those tests (i.e., number of positives and negatives). We also ask that the Governor’s Office inform EMS that first responders must be prioritized for testing, especially those with symptoms or workplace exposure. Test processing for first responders and health care workers should be expedited.

3. Use of Appropriate Leave

As our members are exposed to COVID-19 on the job, there is no system-level response. A standard statewide protocol for exposure response, testing, and quarantine is urgently needed. This should include the use of appropriate leave – frontline responders should not be required to use accrued paid time off, vacation, or sick leave benefits while on quarantine. We ask that a statewide standard for leave be adopted that includes use of paid administrative leave or workers’ compensation with paid administrative leave making up the difference – in each case, when quarantined, isolated, or treated, employees should be kept whole in terms of salary and benefits.

We also ask that the Governor clarify his earlier order regarding L&I claims filed by health care workers and first responders – our members need clarification that the decision to self-quarantine due to workplace exposure without the specific direction of a health care provider or employer administration is allowable. We strongly believe that presumption of workplace illness should be made for health care workers and first responders.

4. Protection of Vulnerable Workers

National COVID-19 guidelines tell us that those in vulnerable categories – those over 60 years of age, pregnant women, and people with underlying health conditions – need to be protected. In a recent press conference, Governor Inslee stated in the strongest terms that workers in these vulnerable categories or those who live with vulnerable people should be allowed to either work from home or take extended leave, continue to be paid, and have their job available to them when this crisis ends. While acknowledging that this policy did not yet carry the force of law, Governor Inslee clearly and unequivocally gave this direction to businesses.

Despite this, many of our members have been told they must remain on the job – including in emergency rooms and Intensive Care Units where the highest volume of COVID-19 patients are treated. Likewise, first responders within fire and law enforcement who fall into the category of vulnerable workers must also be given accommodation during this emergency. We ask that you make clear to our employers that vulnerable workers must be protected through reasonable and safe accommodation or by staying home.

We greatly appreciate our partnership with you during this crisis, and we look forward to working with you to ensure the above concerns are addressed post haste.

Sincerely,