Aramark - Making Progress! / ¡Estamos avanzando!

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El 17, 18 y 23 de agosto negociamos con Aramark. Tenemos unos acuerdos, pero no tenemos acuerdos sobre aumentos, contribuciones a la pensión, días de luto, pago para los “leads” y lenguaje sobre días de enfermedad. Aramark continúa proponiendo aumentos bajos y subir la aseguranza medica. 

Hemos rechazado sus propuestas, pero tenemos que demostrarles que estamos unidos y ¡dispuestos de pelear! Estamos casi a un año desde que el contrato se venció, pero estamos cerca de un acuerdo. ¡Tenemos que presionarlos! Aramark se ha dado cuenta de las camisas amarillas cada viernes y Aramark siente la presión. 

El sábado 29 de agosto vamos a tener una junta por teléfono para hablar sobre nuestros próximos pasos. 

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On August 17, 18, and 23 we bargained with Aramark. We have some tentative agreements, but we have not reached an agreement on wage increases, lead pay, pension contributions, bereavement leave, and sick time language. Aramark continues to propose low hourly wage increases and increases to health insurance premiums. 

We have rejected their proposals, but we must show Aramark that we are united and willing to fight for higher wages! We are almost one year out from the expiration of the last contract and are close to an agreement, but we must pressure Aramark more! Every Friday we have been wearing union shirts and Aramark has taken notice.  

On Saturday August 29, we will be holding a telephone meeting to discuss how we will escalate our workplace actions. 

Dynacare Labcorp - Hard at Work But Far From Over

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Over the last week we have had three negotiation sessions with Management to secure a fair successor contact for all our members at LabCorp. Your Bargaining Team has been hard at work and we have passed all our proposals to LabCorp for consideration and have reached an agreement on a few items. 

The work is far from over and we hope to get comprehensive responses from the Employer when we meet next month.

“The last three bargaining sessions have gone at a glacial pace. The Employer is dragging their feet for no good reason and the medical benefits are the biggest missing piece.”

Eli Lanzcos,
Bargaining Team Member

We will need your ongoing input and involvement if we are going to secure the contract we deserve! Join our drop-in CAT meeting:

Wednesday, August 26 
6PM - 7PM

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

The Doctors Clinic - Bargaining Continues

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“We were surprised by the progress, however, the Employer still showed little concern for our safety.”

OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Danilo Dantes, Monique Pyles, Katy Turek

Your Bargaining Team met again with Management on August 14 and significant progress was made towards an agreement. After days of little movement from the Employer, we were surprised by a sudden change in tone as they moved on many important issues. 

At this session we were able to win a new certified perioperative nurse premium, increased weekend premium, per diem wage differential increase, increased PTO accruals, and new floating holidays that YOU have the power to schedule. There was also hopeful movement on the Employer’s proposed wage increases that, while still not nearly enough, is a step in the right direction. 

While these economics victories are great, they don’t compensate for the Doctor’s Clinic’s failed safety response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week the Union sent out a “Pandemic Safety Survey” to members at TDC and we received many responses that detailed unsafe working conditions. The stories were horrific and ranged from a shear lack of personal protective equipment to people regularly entering the clinic without being screened for COVID-19. 

When we shared your stories (anonymously) Management responded by saying they “appreciate the information… but we think we’ve done a good job responding to the crisis.”

We think it’s time for Management to step up to the plate, take ownership for their failures, and work with their employees to create a safe working environment. Having Management resolve these safety issues would be more important than any amount of hazard pay as our health & safety cannot be bought! 

The Bargaining Team will meet with Management again this Friday August 21 in hopes that we continue the momentum and come to an agreement soon.

Summit Pacific Medical Center - Proposed Improvement in COVID Protections and Practices

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Our Bargaining Team proposed improvements to our COVID agreement with Summit around:

  • Paid administrative leave while waiting for COVID test results

  • Improvements for notification of exposure to COVID

  • Premium pay for Respiratory Care Unit

Management has been consistently denying our proposals around safety, so we expect them to put up a fight about our health and safety concerns now too.

We need to hear from you about any pandemic safety issues you’ve experienced at Summit! 

Take the Survey!

Please join us at our next contract action meeting on Wednesday, August 19 at 7PM.

Wednesday, August 19
7PM via Zoom

RSVP for call-in details!

Four-Part Education Series: Help Build the Movement for a Better Future

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Want to be better informed on how we got into this current crisis, the ongoing attack on working people, and what we as a union can do about it? Sign up today.

UFCW 21 is holding a free series of four 90-minute classes online to educate members on the history and future of our active, worker-led union movement. The series will include the following four classes:

  • 8/18: Stealing the 2020 National Elections: Coronavirus Style

  • 9/1: How Did This Happen? This Pandemic Did Not Need to Be This Bad

  • 9/15: Divide and Conquer: Promoting Hatred and Bigotry to Divide Working People

  • 9/29: The War on Workers: Coronavirus Style

All classes are from 6:30 – 8:30PM.

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Each class is free to members, will be taught over Zoom and include significant opportunities for Question and Answer with the instructors. You will also have an opportunity to learn about ways that you can help make a difference this fall. Members attending all four in the series there will be a awarded a certificate of completion and it will be mailed to you.

The courses will be taught by Mark McDermott, who has led seminars with tens of thousands of union members across the nation and received wide praise from diverse audiences. He will be joined by co-hosts from our UFCW 21 staff: Faviola Lopez and Ariana Davis, Union Representatives, and Pia Rivera and Indira Trejo, Union Organizers. You don’t have to have a Zoom account to participate, just register.

Sign up today to reserve your place

“The ultimate test of a person, a union, a movement and a people is not whether we get knocked down. It is what do we do when we get up. Are we smarter, stronger, more determined and more united?  This is always our choice.”

-Mark M. McDermott

Telephone Town Hall Calls Monday August 17

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UFCW 21 Telephone Town Hall: Monday, August 17 at 6:30 PM 

We’ll call you between 6:30 and 6:40 PM on Monday, but if you miss the call or don’t receive one, call in directly at 888-652-0386 and enter meeting ID 5066. 

It’s time for another union town hall call! We’re still fighting for safety on the job, hazard pay for all essential workers, and better enforcement of new laws and policies during this public health crisis. Let’s get together to discuss what we can do now and what we’re planning for the future. This week we’ll also be talking about our health insurance and ways to save money for anyone on the Sound Health and Wellness Trust insurance. 

Health Care Members UFCW 21 Telephone Town Hall: Monday, August 17 at 7:30 PM 

We’ll call you between 7:30 and 7:40 PM on Monday, but if you miss the call or don’t receive one, call in directly at 844-227-7561 and enter meeting ID 5067. 

It’s time for another union town hall call! We’re still fighting for safety on the job, hazard pay for all essential workers, and better enforcement of new laws and policies during this public health crisis. Let’s get together to discuss what we can do now and what we’re planning for the future. This week we’ll be focusing on the different ways to address the issues we’re facing through bargaining, grievances, and reporting violations of the law. 

OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS: 

State Protections for High-Risk Workers Have Been Extended  

If you are over 65 or have health conditions that put you at risk for COVID-19 complications, our state’s protections for you have been extended again. Find more information and an FAQ here >> 

Help Build the Movement for a Better Future 

Want to be better informed on how we got into this current crisis, the ongoing attack on working people, and what we as a union can do about it? Sign up for a free series of online classes to educate members on the history and future of our active, worker-led union movement. Click for more info and to register >> 

Report Workplace Violations of COVID-19 “Safe Start” Rules 

Is your workplace not following state regulations meant to keep you and your community safe? Don’t just ignore it—talk to your Shop Steward or Union Rep, and report any and all violations so the state can hold our employers accountable. The state has already stepped in at multiple workplaces to force management to follow the rules and maintain better safety, due to UFCW 21 members reporting violations. Click here for the state’s reporting form >> 

Mental Health Resources for Members 

This continues to be a difficult time for many people, but there are lots of resources available to help deal with stress and cope with the many challenges we’re facing. Please remember: you are a member of a union, and we have each other’s back. Click here for more information on crisis phone and chat lines, tele-mental health options, and the state’s COVID-19 stress phone line, and more >> 

PCC - PCC Delaying Raises While Eliminating “Appreciation Pay”

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

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

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

Northwest Administrators - Bargaining Begins

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The Bargaining Team met with Management on Tuesday, August 11 this week to have our first negotiation session. We proposed a COVID-19/pandemic Letter of Understanding to keep our members safe during this time.

Our team is continuing to develop proposals in the upcoming weeks, if you have not completed a bargaining survey, follow this link:

Take the Survey!

Next Bargaining Date: Sept 1, 2020

Be on the lookout for more dates after each bargaining session!

Conifer St. Joseph - Continuing the Fight

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We have been bargaining for over a year. We have been working very hard to build a contract from the ground up and have secured many of the benefits, rights, and protections that we all deserve.  

We have secured:

  • Grievance process to protect you from unjust terminations

  • We secured Conifer’s commitment to maintain your retirement and healthcare benefits 

Our team continues to fight for fair wage increases, Holiday Pay that compensates us for our time spent away from our family, and proposals that recognize our longevity. 

“We’re working hard and headed towards the finish line!”

Tracy Wolfe-Calhoun, Bargaining Team Member

ST. JOSEPH BARGAINING TEAM: Terri Ross, Tracy Wolf-Calhoun, Josie Talavera-Berg

Contact your Bargaining Team to pick up your car signs today!

St. Anne Hospital Pro-Tech - Bargaining Continues

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“We are very disappointed with the lack of movement from the Employer.”

OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Michelle Grennan, Kimberly Matson, and Miroslava Dashkel.

Your Bargaining Team met with Management again on August 5 and 10. Unfortunately, very little progress was made towards an agreement.  

Management has begun to drag their feet as they refuse to make any meaningful movement on outstanding issues. They have outright rejected many of our proposals such as reimbursements for maintaining licensure, a clearly defined process for receiving certification pay, and a new COVID-19 hazard premium. 

Furthermore, they haven’t moved much on their original economic package that, while generous to some, includes wage DECREASES for others. When confronted about the wage reductions for some members Management claims it was never their intention, however, they continue to include it in their economic proposals!

We will have no choice but to take action if the Employer continues this behavior when we return to negotiations on September 1.

St. Michael Medical Center - Bargaining Continues

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“We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

OUR PRO-TECH BARGAINING TEAM: Judy Shoesmith, Kain Mcleod, Connie Baker, Rob Shauger, Don Szabo, Ona Burkett, Sonja Hammes

Your Bargaining Team met with Management again on August 12 and, thanks to further community support during last week’s action, we were able to once again make significant progress towards an agreement.

The most notable movement was Management’s willingness to withdraw their new healthcare proposal, which would allow new hires onto the terrible CHI Franciscan plan. While the employer hasn’t officially withdrawn the proposal, they have agreed to withdraw it when we finalize updated language regarding the Sound Health & Wellness Trust. We’re pleased with this development as the Employer’s plan to force new hires onto the CHI Franciscan plan was a serious threat to our affordable healthcare, as it would give the Management leverage to take away our healthcare when we renegotiate in 2023.

Additionally, we have made progress on a new member lead pandemic safety committee, we continue to fight against an attack to the per diem premium and are much closer to an agreement on wage increases. We are still working against some equity issues with the Employer latest wage proposal but are hopeful those issue can be resolved soon. 

Your Bargaining Team is looking forward to resuming negotiations on August 19 and 28.

 

Providence St. Peter Hospital - Providence isn't Listening to Our Demands

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On August 11, we bargained with Providence and discussed non-economic articles like union representative access, workplace committees, and discipline. Although we now have a couple of tentative agreements, Providence continues to propose weak contract language and a reduction to current benefits/policies. Providence is going to continue proposing takeaways until we stand up and fight. 

Providence isn’t listening to our proposals about: 

  • Just Cause

  • Union Access

  • Due Process

  • Recognition as Professionals with Professional Expectations

“They say they hear us, but they are clearly not listening.”

Rae Lynn Korpi, RT Bargaining Team member 

OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Josh (CT), Shapel (X-ray), Colleen (Cath Lab), Rae Lynn (RT)

Join our online townhall meeting! 
Wednesday, August 19
6:00 PM

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

Summit Pacific Medical Center - Incremental Progress - Management's Roadblocks Remain

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Management is ready to contractually recognize our union, and we’re making some progress in other areas like having access to union information in our workplaces.

Management is holding fast to proposals telling us how to run our union. They’re pretending to remain neutral but discouraging employees from joining the union. They’d also like to limit how we can fight back when they violate our contract.

We need to hear from you about any pandemic safety issues you’ve experienced at Summit! 

Take the Survey!

“We need everyone’s support in this fight. Please join us at our next CAT meeting to learn how.”

— Our Bargaining Team: Angi Swinhart—RN (Below Left), Clinic; Kristen Frazer—Registration Specialist (Below Right); Barbara Ford—ED HUC (Below Center); Jeff Redmond—ED Tech; Alicia Wood—RN, ED

Please join us at our next contract action meeting on Wednesday, August 19 at 7PM.

Wednesday, August 19
7PM via Zoom

RSVP for call-in details!

Providence St. Peter Hospital - Providence REJECTED All Our Proposals!!

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On August 6, we met with the Employer and they made it clear that they do not respect our Technical unit like the rest of the unionized units at Providence St. Peter. They refuse to provide annual leave and sick leave banks within our nine departments including: Ultrasound, Echo, MRI, Cath Lab, IR, CT, X-ray, RT, Pharmacy.

They continue to disrespect us with their bare-bone proposals. In addition, the Employer refuses to memorialize several policies such as leaves of absence, PTO, and EIB. They do not believe that we pose a real threat to their operations and continue to undermine and question our requests.

Enough is enough! If we want a FAIR contract with market adjustments and strong workplace protections every union member in every dept. must unite and fight back together! We cannot continue to be strong armed into a less than fair deal! If we agree to that now, it will be difficult to win a stronger contract in the future. 

In order to be more united and organized, we will be holding a townhall Zoom meeting on Wednesday, August 19 at 6:00PM. 

“If you weren’t upset before, you should be fired up now!” OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Josh (CT), Shapel (X-ray), Colleen (Cath Lab), Rae Lynn (RT)

Join our online townhall meeting!

Wednesday, August 19 6:00 PM
https://zoom.us/join

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

Conifer St. Joseph update Some progress but still a big fight ahead

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TO ALL Conifer Patient Access Reps., Patient Advocates, and Union Members: We made some progress this week in negotiations, but we still have a big fight ahead of us. We continue to stand strong for the issues that matter most to ALL of us!

  • Fair Wages

  • Maintain PTO accrual

  • Holiday pay and premiums

“It crucial now more than ever that we get every union member’s input on these important issues. This is your chance to have your voice heard before we start making some very difficult decisions.” – Josie Talavera- Berg

Join our CAT meeting and get updated information on contract negotiations and next steps needed to finally win a fair contract for all of us! In Solidarity, Your Bargaining Team: Josie Talavera-Berg, Terri Ross, Tracey Wolfe- Calhoun

CAT Meeting: August 11, 2020 at 5:30PM

Mason General RN - Bargaining Begins

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We met with Management on Monday, August 3 to begin bargaining. We made proposals for union leave, new hire orientations, and improvements to bereavement leave. We are awaiting the Employer’s response. Management also made some proposals around scheduling that we are carefully considering.

WE STILL NEED YOUR INPUT!

Before we make new proposals or respond to Management, we need to hear from you. Fill out your bargaining survey on our website.

Dynacare Labcorp - Bargaining Update + Contract Action Meeting Today!

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Your Bargaining Team met with Management on Tuesday to continue negotiations. We passed our initial wage proposals and had productive conversations regarding the issues that matter most to you. 

“We had a productive day of negotiations. We look forward to seeing how Management will respond to our recent proposals. Most importantly, I look forward to discussing the details with you at our online Contract meeting this Thursday! Hope to see you there!”

OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Shelby Tyner, Eli Lanzcos, Fredel Albritton, Steph Royce, Sherry (Sam) McVay, Tambra Graham, Nancy Paynowski

Hear from your Bargaining Team about negotiations! Join our online Contract Meeting! 
Thursday, August 6 - TODAY
6:30 PM

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

Next Bargaining Dates: August 11 & 14

Olympic Medical Center Support Services - Contract Vote Scheduled

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Our Bargaining Team for Support Services has reached an agreement with OMC. We began bargaining in late June 2020 due to the pandemic. Our main concerns during bargaining were wages and ensuring that we fixed the wage compression given the increased State hourly minimum rate. Initially OMC proposed lower increases than we expected given the loss in revenue due to the pandemic. But at the end, we were able to fight and win higher increases than in past contracts!  

The next step is to vote to approve the contract. We will be sending out a second notice with a vote date/time or we will be running a mail-in ballot contract vote. Please update your email/address on our website in order to receive your vote documents. 

We will be holding a contract vote meeting to explain the tentative agreement via Zoom on August 18, from 8AM - 9PM and 5PM - 6PM.

If you have any question, please contact your Union Rep, Aimee Oien @ 360-662-1981.

Virtual Vote Meeting
Tuesday, August 18 • 8AM - 9PM • 5PM - 6PM
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details.

Details will be mailed / emailed out with vote instructions.

To make sure you receive your vote documents please update your address!