Mason General RN - Management Continues to Dig in Heels on Overtime
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We’ve been experiencing issues with overtime for work over 40 hours for years now. Even after a successful grievance (1), MGH still doesn’t believe we are owed time and a half for hours over 40 if we’ve incurred any other premium time during the week.
Pyramiding violations have continued, so we will be filing additional grievances. Contact your Bargaining Team members or Union Rep Nicholas to let us know if you’ve been denied OT for over 40 hours in the last year.
Grays Harbor - Management Wants to Take Away Our Hard Earned Sick Leave During a Global Pandemic!
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Join Your Bargaining Team for a Zoom Meeting to discuss what we all can do to win a good contract with no takeaways.
“We need all members to show Management that taking away sick leave is wrong during this time of crisis”
Grays Harbor Hospital Bargaining Team
Tuesday, September 22
3:30PM – 4:30PM • 6:30PM –7:30PM
https://zoom.us/join
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.
Aramark - We Have a Deal! / ¡Témenos un acuerdo!
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After almost a year of bargaining, your bargaining committee and Aramark have reached a tentative agreement! We fought for a better contract and were able to win higher wage increases, lead pay, pension contributions and improvements to contract language like vacation scheduling, funeral leave, and mandatory overtime.
We will be holding an in-person vote on Monday September 21 from 8am to 11am at the Kent and Everett plants and 1pm at the Tacoma plant.
We will have the full contract and highlights of the changes in multiple languages that day. UFCW 21 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract.
Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Representative for any questions.
¡Después de casi un año de negociaciones, el comité de negociaciones y Aramark llegaron a un acuerdo! Peleamos por un mejor contrato y obtuvimos mejores aumentos, pago para los “leads” y contribuciones a la pensión. Además, cambiamos lenguaje del contrato: vacaciones, ausencia para funerales y “overtime.”
La votación por el acuerdo será lunes 21 de septiembre a las 8am a 11am en Kent y Everett y 1pm en Tacoma.
Vamos a tener el contrato completo y un repaso de los cambios en varios lenguajes ese día. Miembros de UFCW 21 que están al día con sus cuotas pueden atender la votación, hacer preguntas y votar por el contrato.
Comunicase con el comité de negociaciones o su representante de la Unión si tiene preguntas.
September 14 Telephone Town Hall Call with Governor Inslee
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Join us for a live telephone town hall call with members from every industry this Monday, September 14, at 6:30 pm. Union leadership will be joined by bargainers and union Reps to help answer questions from Members around workplace safety. Governor Jay Inslee will also join us at the beginning of the call to discuss issues that affect working people, safety concerns, and the State’s response to the COVID pandemic.
Expect a call between 6:30-6:40 to automatically join this call. If your phone number is not up to date with the union or you do not receive the call you can join by dialing 888-652-0381 and using the meeting ID: 5265
Wildfire Information for Workers
/People across the West Coast are being forced to flee their homes due to encroaching wildfires. We have begun receiving requests from UFCW locals and other unions for any help and support we can offer, and we know UFCW 21 members may need support like this as well. Evacuating safely is a life or death issue. While respecting the risks of traveling and congregating during the COVID pandemic, we would like to offer whatever support or emergency shelter we can to our union family and any emergency evacuees. Mutual aid is a part of standing together in solidarity.
If you would be willing to host a person or family evacuating a wildfire area, whether in your home or outdoor area (parking space for an RV, space in your yard for a pet or farm animal), please fill out the form below to offer up your space.
If you are expecting to be evacuated and looking for a place to stay, whether you need a couch to sleep on, a place to park an RV, or you are evacuating pets and/or farm animals, fill out the short form below and we will be in touch with you if we can match you with someone offering shelter.
OTHER SMOKE AND FIRE INFORMATION
If your workplace is closed due to smoke or wildfire:
Please contact your Union Rep or the Rep of the Day line so they know about the situation and can help problem-solve.
If appropriate, your employer should allow you to pick up hours at another work location that is safe. If management refuses to make this option available to you, contact your Union Rep for assistance with negotiating a good arrangement.
SMOKE:
WILDFIRE:
From the DNR:
“Local emergency management offices, such as sheriff departments or local fire districts, order and communicate evacuations when needed and other emergency activities outside of the work to combat wildfire. If you find yourself in a wildfire emergency, always follow the directions of public safety personnel. In an evacuation, use the "P's of Preparedness" to focus your efforts.”
How to Prepare for a Wildfire from Ready.gov, including the “5 Ps” to consider when preparing to evacuate:
PEOPLE: People and, if safely possible, pets and other animals/ livestock
PERSONAL NEEDS: Personal needs—such as clothes, food, water, first aid kit, cash, phones, and chargers— and items for people with disabilities and others with access and/or functional needs, such as older adults, children, and those with Limited English Proficiency
PRICELESS ITEMS: Priceless items, including pictures, irreplaceable mementos, and other valuables
PRESCRIPTIONS: Prescriptions, with dosages; medicines; medical equipment; batteries or power cords; eyeglasses; and hearing aids
PAPERS: Papers, including important documents (hard copies and/or electronic copies saved on external hard drives or portable thumb drives)
Filson - Tentative Agreement Reached
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Your Filson union Bargaining Team is pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract with CC Filson that is unanimously recommended.
In the near future, UFCW 21 will be contacting you and your coworkers about how video/phone conference meetings and voting by mail will be conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Details of tentative agreement will be made available soon. The first step to make sure that you get a copy of what was bargained and instructions on voting by mail is to make sure UFCW 21 has your correct mailing address.
Conifer St. Elizabeth - We Are Taking Action!
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Your Bargaining Team met with Conifer Management on Wednesday to continue progress on a First Contract and secure the wages and working conditions we all deserve.
“We reached agreements on some minor issues, but we saw NO movement from Management on wages, Per diem pay, and PTO scheduling. Get your picket arm ready and put your walking shoes on! We must all stand together, tall and strong!”
– Peggy Laush,
St. Elizabeth BT Member
Pulling off a successful, powerful picket requires some training. Join us for a picket training Next Week!
RSVP for the Picket Action with your Bargaining Team or Union Rep.
PICKET TRAINING
Wednesday, September 16
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
https://zoom.us/join
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.
Next Bargaining Date:
September 16
Before the picket training, updates will be provided on the call
Harrison/St Michael Agrees to Meet with UFCW 21 Leadership
/UFCW 21 sent a letter to management detailing our demands during this outbreak, and have received a response from management that they would like to meet with UFCW 21 leadership as soon as this week. We will update everyone with whatever we learn.
We also wanted to report back some of the results of safety surveys many Harrison/St. Michael workers took last week. The surveys showed:
78% of survey takers have had an issue with damaged, untested, or inadequate supply of PPE
60% believe they had an exposure to a COVID-positive patient or coworker since Aug 4
50% of quarantined respondents were put on paid admin leave while quarantined
18% were quarantined while waiting for test results
43% learned of the outbreak from a coworker
30% learned of the outbreak from news media
21% learned of it from hospital management
In many departments, large amounts of new PPE showed up almost overnight last week, and while we are frustrated that it took this much hard work from union hospital staff to get protective equipment on the floor, we’re glad it has now been made available. If you continue to have issues with unsafe PPE, you can always send us a safety report at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.
Hudson Dufry - Layoff Resources Meeting
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You are invited to a Union Meeting on September 14 to receive important information on Unemployment, Healthcare, Benefits, Jobs, and More.
We will be joined by King County Rapid Response, the Washington State Labor Council, and Community Organizations.
Language interpretation available—please RSVP with your language needs by calling Union Representative Monica Smith, 206-436-6524
Monday, September 14
3:00 – 5:00 pm
Join by computer or phone — download the Zoom App to make it easy!
Computer:
Phone:
253-215-8782
Zoom Meeting ID: 852 1592 2174
Frequently Asked Questions:
What will happen to my healthcare benefits?
If you were laid off in July, you will have healthcare through September. If you were laid off in August, you will have healthcare through October. Join us at the meeting on Sept 14 to learn about future options. Questions? Please contact Sound Health and Wellness Trust, 206-282-4500.
Will I be called back to work at Hudson New or Dufry?
Our Union contract has “recall rights” meaning that as work becomes available, you will be offered employment again by seniority. It’s important to keep Hudson informed of any changes to your phone number and email.
What about my Retirement Benefits? Is there emergency hardship assistance?
All Hudson and Dufry workers have Retirement Benefits through Western Employees Benefits Plan. You qualify for a Covid-19 related hardship due to Layoff and may immediately request funds if you are in need. You will be asked to provide a copy of a layoff letter stating the reason for the layoff is due to the pandemic. Questions? Contact EB Management,1-800-524-4852.
Conifer St. Joseph - Vote Details Announced!
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After months of hard work in negotiations, your Bargaining Team has reached a deal with Conifer and are recommending a “YES” Vote.
We have secured a contract that includes:
Guaranteed wage increases
Job protection from unjust terminations
A formal process to address workplace issues
Double time for work on a Holiday
And So Much More!
UFCW 21 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Representative for any questions.
Vote Details
Date: Thursday, September 10
11AM - 1PM
3PM - 5PM
6PM - 8PM
Location: Shiloh Baptist Church, 1809 S. L St., Tacoma, WA 98405 (Located behind St. Joe’s)
St. Anne Hospital Pro-Tech - CHI Franciscan Isn't Doing Enough
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Your Bargaining Team met with Management again on September 1. While we were able to make additional progress on wages, the Employer has displayed little interest in our other proposals that address issues such as pandemic safety, certification pay, and more.
The outbreak at St. Michael (Harrison) Medical Center in Bremerton was an outrageous affirmation of our warnings that CHI Franciscan isn’t doing enough to protect workers and community. We understand that the same issues that led to the outbreak in Bremerton are not unique and, if nothing is done to fix the problems here, another outbreak could easily happen at St. Anne Hospital. We have demanded enhanced safety language in our contract that would ensure workers voices are heard throughout this crisis, unfortunately, Management has rejected the proposed safety changes. We are severely disappointed, but not surprised, that CHI Franciscan cares more about economics than the health and safety of their community.
Furthermore, we have made a certification pay proposal that would create a clearly defined list of certifications that would qualify for the premium. We’ve heard from members that it has been difficult to qualify for certification pay because our contract gives Management too much authority to decide who deserves the premium. This proposal, which the Employer has rejected, would take that power away from Management and finally establish clarity and equality around certification pay.
Your Bargaining Team will resume negotiations with the Employer on September 16 & 25.
“Safety before profits! CHI needs to do more to protect their employees and the community.”
OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Michelle Grennan, Kimberly Matson, and Miroslava Dashkel.
Conifer St. Elizabeth - Picket Action Training!
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The time has come to take strong visible action to show Conifer we are united and standing strong for a Fair Contract that meets our needs.
We are still fighting for:
PTO accrual and scheduling
Holiday Pay
Fair wages
To make sure our picket is successful we have a training scheduled and we need all union members at Conifer St. Elizabeth to attend this meeting.
PICKET TRAINING
Wednesday, September 16
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
https://zoom.us/join
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.
Northwest Administrators - Bargaining Continues
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The Bargaining Team met with NWA Management again on Tuesday, September 1, and we are continuing to work on a comprehensive proposal based on your feedback received thus far. We are pressing Management to consider and discuss the COVID-19 pandemic Letter of Understanding to keep our members safe and secure during this critical time.
We will be meeting with Management every other Tuesday, look out for bargaining updates shortly after each session!
Next Bargaining Date: Sept 15
Mason General RN - Management Proposes Significant Takeaways
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Management has proposed some alarming takeaways from our current contract:
Eliminating cash out of Earned Time
Eliminating Retiree Medical Coverage
Eliminating Emergency Shifts
Decreasing incentives to pick up additional shifts
Our Bargaining Team proposed an agreement for COVID policies – including hazard pay.
To win these important protections we need to hear from you! Take the COVID safety survey!
Franz Bakery - 100% YES Vote!
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Our agreement with Franz Bakeries was ratified unanimously on September 1, 2020. This is a 4-year contract that runs through October 21, 2023.
After lengthy negotiations we were able to win meaningful wage increases and a long-term solution for our pension while maintaining our benefits with FULL retro and NO takeaways!
Updates on August COVID-19 Outbreak for CHI Harrison / St Michael Members
/UFCW 21 has been tracking the COVID-19 outbreak at CHI Harrison/St Michael very closely. The hospital says they learned of the first case and notified Kitsap County Health Department on August 4. The outbreak was not made public until August 21.
This week we had an emergency online meeting with hospital workers to discuss the outbreak, our demands from CHI, and our next steps. We talked in the meeting about a way for workers to report our experiences before and during this outbreak, and there was a lot of interest in a meeting with state officials to report issues directly to relevant agencies.
LISTENING SESSION WITH STATE HEALTH & LABOR OFFICIALS & GOVERNORS OFFICE
MONDAY AUGUST 31
7:30 PM
ONLINE MEETING
We immediately scheduled a listening session meeting with top officials at all relevant state agencies. This is an online meeting over Zoom and all Harrison/St Michael workers are invited. We will be joined by officials from:
WA State Dept. of Health
Kitsap County Public Health
Labor & Industries
Office of the Governor
You will have a chance in this meeting to ask questions, report safety concerns, and let them know what is really happening on the ground. These agencies want to hear from you about your experiences and what you need. Please register as soon as possible, and share this important opportunity with your coworkers.
We also created a COVID outbreak safety survey and reporting tool. Members said they would appreciate a place to share experience with testing, exposure, notification, safety protocols, PPE, and other issues surrounding this outbreak. That survey is here:
We encourage all Harrison/St Michael workers to spend 5 - 10 minutes this week to go through these questions and help us track as much information as possible about this outbreak and your safety. There is an option to upload pictures or documents in that survey as well, and a place you can request support if you are in quarantine and would like to be connected to any union or community support. Other members and our community across Kitsap is reaching out to ask how they can help support you at this time.
NOTES FROM OUR EMERGENCY MEETING
Our current demands for CHI:
Rapid testing for all workers
Complying with our existing agreement for 8-hour notification of any exposure
Paid administrative leave during the full length of any quarantine and while waiting for test results
Adequate PPE for all workers
Maintaining safe staffing levels even during this outbreak
Hazard pay
Existing right to paid leave: The first piece of our existing agreement with CHI says:
“A nurse or healthcare worker who the Employer does not permit to work due to exposure to Covid-19 disease while at work shall be placed in paid leave status during any required quarantine period. Paid leave status may be a combination of L&I Workers Compensation and employer paid administrative leave. The combination of which will ensure the employee will experience no loss of pay or accrued time off until such time as the Employer permits the employee to return to work. An employer representative will be available to assist employee with coordination of federal, state and employer benefits as may be applicable.”
The state has ruled that there is an automatic presumption that if a health care worker acquires COVID, it was acquired at work and you are eligible for workers comp. If you have any questions or issues with paid leave during this time, please contact your Union Rep as soon as possible.
Community support: Fellow UFCW 21 members and the larger Kitsap community are springing into action and asking what they can do to help, especially for workers who are in quarantine. We will be organizing whatever support workers need, be it meals, wellness checks, financial support, or anything else, and encourage all Harrison/St Michael workers to contact your Union Rep for whatever you or coworkers need so we can connect you with your community support.
Union actions: We are planning for public actions that are safe but can put pressure on Harrison/St Michael management to meet our demands, keep workers and patients safe, and prevent the next outbreak crisis. We will be updating everyone as these plans solidify, but if you are interested in participating or have ideas for safe actions that make a point, please connect with your Shop Steward or Union Rep.
Ongoing safety issues: We received many helpful and specific reports of safety issues and workplace concerns during the emergency meeting. We will be addressing these individually and collectively in the coming days. Examples of issues discussed include: the safety of floating right now; worries about the upcoming flu season; inadequate PPE supplies, training, and fit-testing; short staffing in many departments including EVS; nurses being asked to clean COVID rooms; special issues facing procedural care staff, cath lab, and high-risk workers; problems with testing and notification; concern around new CDC guidelines; and much more.
As always, we encourage you to report safety concerns to your Union Rep, or to use our COVID safety report email:
PRESS COVERAGE OF HARRISON/ST MICHAEL WORKERS SPEAKING OUT
On Tuesday August 25, we held a press conference responding to CHI’s public statements that they are handling this outbreak as well as possible, that they notified everyone involved in a timely way, and that their PPE supplies now and throughout the COVID pandemic have been totally adequate.
You can watch the full press conference at this link
And find some of the press coverage below:
KING 5: Hospital staff at St. Michael in Bremerton release list of demands after COVID-19 outbreak
KUOW radio: Workers at Bremerton hospital say they are not being protected
Seattle Times: Bremerton hospital’s union asking for more to be done to control COVID-19 outbreak
KOMO News: Bremerton hospital workers speak out after COVID-19 outbreak
Spokesman-Review: COVID outbreak at Bremerton hospital worries workers
National Week of Action for Hazard Pay for Essential Workers
/When the COVID-19 outbreak hit, our members across industries felt it immediately—especially in frontline industries like health care and grocery stores.
We continue to believe that all essential workers deserve hazard pay during this pandemic.
UFCW has been advocating for employer-paid hazard pay as well as federal support for essential workers throughout this pandemic. Hazard pay is intended to compensate people for hazardous work duties, and all essential workers have had elevated risk added to their work lives during this crisis. We also believe many workers have new job duties related to sanitizing, infection control, protective equipment, chemical use, and handling ever-evolving public health recommendations and government mandates that change nearly everything we do. These new duties and the reminder of the centrality of our work deserves recognition that goes well beyond thank-you commercials.
After workers spoke up about what we were facing on the job and started organizing for hazard pay, many grocery employers started paying it in various forms, most commonly $2/hour in extra wages. “We recognize that this crisis is far from over,” Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen wrote to workers in mid-April. “After reflecting on feedback from you, we want to further acknowledge you for your hard work to date as well as the work yet to come.” But by mid-May, Kroger had cut hazard pay, and in mid-June Safeway/Albertsons followed suit. Other smaller local chains have ended hazard pay or never started it in the first place. And health care workers facing daily exposure to COVID patients have been demanding hazard pay from early on in this once-in-a-century pandemic, with very little action from health care employers.
We know this crisis is still far from over. This summer we’ve started giving employers more of the kind of “feedback” that really moves corporate offices—union grievances, public pressure, and essential workers and our community coming together to say enough is enough.
NATIONAL WEEK OF ACTION FOR HAZARD PAY
UFCW essential workers across the country are taking action next week to stand up for hazard pay. You can participate in this week of action!
Below, click the button to record a video message explaining why hazard pay is important to you, and what it’s like working through a pandemic. Whether it’s cracked skin and repetitive stress injuries from constant sanitizing and disinfecting, working in health care without adequate PPE, or representing an industry that hasn’t been in the news as much but is still essential—laundries, food processing, cannabis, retail, etc! Why do we need hazard pay? Let’s tell the public:
If you’d like to participate further in the national week of action for hazard pay, contact your Union Rep.
HAZARD PAY GRIEVANCES FILED
In July, UFCW 21 filed grievances over Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertsons, Safeway, Haggen, and PCC’s cutting of our hazard pay. Here’s an excerpt of what we said in our grievance:
As you know, the Employer paid Hazard or Appreciation pay to bargaining unit employees for at least two reasons. First, it recognized Local 21 members have been working in the stores under constant threat of exposure to the deadly COVID-19 virus. Second, the Employer relies on Local 21 members to perform additional and/or different job functions to allow customers to continue shopping uninterrupted during pandemic conditions.
Both conditions mentioned above continue to persist today. Nevertheless, the Employer unilaterally decided to eliminate or modify the Hazard/Appreciation pay. In doing so, Local 21 believes the Employer has violated numerous terms of the parties' labor agreements, including, but not limited to the Recognition, Wage classification provisions and Appendices, and Just Cause.
In the coming weeks there will be plenty of opportunities to support this grievance and take action to show employers that we are all paying close attention to their next steps and we are not taking no for an answer.
Providence - Providence, We Will See You at the Bargaining Table!
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Early June 2020, Providence Everett approached us and asked if the RN unit would be interested in extending the contract through June 2021. Currently the Providence Everett RN contract expires October 31, 2020. Providence offered a 4% increase (split in two payments), implementing paid parking on 2021 for all bargaining units, and starting talks to eliminate/replace EIB. We took this offer to the members and on August 20th, the RNs overwhelmingly voted down Providence’s contract offer!
All bargaining units at Everett, oppose paid parking and eliminating EIB. As the largest unit at Everett with about 1,500 members, the RNs have demonstrated to Providence that an increase for one unit will not be divide the units and change their minds on paid parking and EIB.
Voting down the contract was the first step in our contract campaign! Next we will be sending out bargaining surveys via email/mail, requesting financial information from Providence, and requesting for bargaining dates.
Also, the Everett RNs will be joining three newly organized Providence units at the bargaining table: St. Peter Technical unit, Centralia Technical unit and Support Services unit. Together we will have about 2,500 Providence union members at the bargaining table.
Last year, the other Providence units were able to keep EIB and win a good contract because they were united! All four units will be fighting together and showing Providence that a fight with one unit is a fight with all! It is especially important that St. Peter and Centralia win a good first contract in order to keep across the board contract standards and show other non-organized Providence units that when we organize, we win!
