Summit Pacific Medical Center - Summit’s Management Delivers Economic Proposals

We heard Management’s response to our economic proposals today. We clearly identified in our proposals what needs to change about our PTO system, shift differentials, and wage scales. Management is only interested in maintaining status quo and creating division in our union workforce.

On top of that, they did not respond to our majority petition we delivered last bargaining session around COVID safety.

Our next bargaining date is November 6!

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

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JOIN US AT A VIRTUAL CONTRACT ACTION MEETING! 

We’ll talk more in depth about what Management proposed at the table, set our priorities, and plan our next action!

Wednesday, November 4
3:30 or 6:30

RSVP through this link!

Skagit & Cascade Valley Healthcare changes approved

Telephone Town Hall Calls Monday, October 26

UFCW 21 Members Telephone Town Hall:
Monday, October 26 at 5:30 PM 

We’ll call you between 5:30 and 5:40 PM on Monday, but if you miss the call or don’t receive one, call in directly at  877-365-5237 and entering meeting ID: 5413

You’ll join other UFCW 21 members in retail, independent grocery, meat processing, cannabis, laundries, and other industries. We’ll be discussing COVID safety, what our union is doing to deal with the impacts to our workplaces, and any questions members have. All you have to do is pick up the phone when it rings between 5:30-5:40pm on Monday, or if you don’t receive a call, just use the call-in number and Meeting ID above. 

Allied Grocery Store Workers Telephone Town Hall:
Monday, October 26 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  888-652-0383 and entering meeting ID: 5365

You’ll join other UFCW 21 members working in grocery stores to discuss our contract and the campaign for an even stronger contract in 2022. We know our employers and the public are more aware than ever of the importance of our work, and we need to start building toward a powerful contract campaign. We’ll also be answering member questions on COVID safety and other subjects. All you have to do is pick up the phone when it rings between 6:30-6:40pm on Monday, or if you don’t receive a call, just use the call-in number and Meeting ID above.  Make sure you make your priorities heard, fill out the 2022 Bargaining Priorities Survey HERE.

Health Care Members UFCW 21 Telephone Town Hall:
Monday, October 26 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. 

You’ll join other UFCW 21 members working in health care and dental workplaces to discuss our safety at work during a potential fall surge and flu season. Members have begun fighting back against management missteps during COVID outbreaks in hospitals, and we’re learning how to push for changes in a way that impacts everyone in health care. To join the call, all you have to do is pick up the phone when it rings between 7:30-7:40pm on Monday, or if you don’t receive a call, just use the call-in number and Meeting ID above. 

Want a UFCW 21 “I Voted!” sticker? Tell your Rep and we’ll send you one!

2020 NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTION TUESDAY, NOV. 3  

If your Washington State voter registration is up to date, you should have received your ballot in the mail by now. If you haven’t registered, the deadline to register online is Monday, October 26, and you can register in person at your county elections office all the way up until Election Day, November 3.  

Ballots are due in ballot dropboxes or voting centers by 8pm on Election Day, or mailed (free, no stamp required) and postmarked on or before Election Day. This year it’s a good idea to vote as early as you can to avoid mail delays and prevent crowds and lines at ballot boxes on Election Day. 

As union members, we know how important it is to make our voices heard and vote. This year in Washington State, there are many UFCW and other union members (and former members) running for office. We have a real chance to elect nurses, teachers, firefighters, and other working people into leadership. 

• Find our UFCW 21 member endorsements and see how many of our candidates are union members at UFCW21.org/endorsements. 

• Find links to register to vote, check the status of your ballot, figure out where to drop off your ballot, and get questions about voting answered at UFCW21.org/elections. 

PRMCE RN - Staffing is a Major Concern!

On October 21, the RN bargaining team met with Providence for the second time this bargaining cycle. We discussed several articles like union membership, nurse staffing committee, seniority, union access, and staffing. The Hospital rejected most of our proposals and wishes to keep current contract language.

We mentioned to Providence that staffing is a huge concern for the RN unit. In the past few weeks, we have received and forwarded several CSIs (staffing complaint forms) to Providence. Providence is currently refusing to recognize the Union’s staffing complaint form, which was created in coalition with other healthcare unions (WSNA and SEIU 1199NW). Although this is their position, the State recognizes our form and we can file complaints with the State, so we encourage you to continue submitting the CSI forms on ufcw21.org/csi.

We will continue to discuss staffing issues and fight for appropriate staffing for the safety of the RN unit and the patients.

In addition, we will have a car sign action in solidarity with Providence Centralia and St. Peter’s. If you want to distribute signs to your co-workers/community please contact your Union Rep, Anthony Cantu 206-436-6566. 

Our next bargaining session will be on October 28 and November 13 and 17. We will be holding a contract action team meeting on November 10 @ 8 PM via Zoom.

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OUR RN BARGAINING TEAM: Juan Stout, ER; Kimball Conlon, ER; Betsy Bourg, Glasgow; Cindi Dyson, Float Pool; Bill Hisaw, OR; Jenney Gannon, L&D; Madison Hamilton

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Join our online CAT meeting! 

Tuesday, November 10
8:00 PM

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

PCC - Meet the PCC Board of Trustees Worker Candidates!

10/23/2020

Our union contract and the PCC bylaws allow for up to two workers to serve on the PCC Board of Trustees. However, there has not been a worker on the PCC Board for some time. 

Through our bargaining surveys, conversations with members, and CAT meetings, it’s clear that many workers are concerned about a disconnect between the central office and the stores and a lack of worker representation on the board. Two worker candidates have stepped up to run for the Board of Trustees, and we will be supporting their signature gathering efforts to get on the ballot. Our goal is for each candidate to collect 2,000 signatures of active PCC co-op members to be nominated, so look for a petition in your store! 

SIGN UP TO COLLECT SIGNATURES!

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“I’m Laurae McIntyre and I’m running for a position on the PCC Board of Trustees.”

“I was a PCC member and shopper for years before I started working here and I know how important it is that we stay connected to our community as we continue to grow. Our continued success rests in the ability of our customers/members and team members working together as a community.  As a union shop steward who works one-on-one with customers every day, I am making myself available as a candidate for this position so that all our voices are represented in the boardroom.”

“Hi! My name is Donna Rasmussen and I’m running for a position on the PCC Board of Trustees.”

“I’m running because I believe the Board, and the cooperative, could benefit from the perspective of someone who connects with our co-op members, staff and customers every day. My entire household works for PCC, including my two teenagers who helped keep our store safe and sanitized as the COVID pandemic spread. I love my job, my coworkers, my customers and the values of PCC. I want to be a voice for [regaining and] maintaining the mission and values of PCC even as we continue to grow. I’m committed to making this a great place to work and to shop.” 

Dynacare Labcorp - LabCorp: Protect Your Frontline, Not Your Bottom line!

We met with Management to continue negotiations this week. We had another in depth conversation about the staffing crises and Pandemic safety protocols. We hope to see some counter proposals from Management on these issues at our next bargaining date.

“Staffing is short and so is our patience! Management came to the table woefully unprepared, once again. We spent 3.5 hours discussing staffing, scheduling, and COVID PPE. We even had to explain to them the difference between medical grade vs non-medical grade face masks. That is unacceptable!” 

— Sam (Sherry) McVay

This week, members are taking action by stickering up to show support for the bargaining process. Get your sticker from a bargaining team member to show you stand with us for a FAIR contract.

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

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We need to continue to stand strong and escalate our actions to show Management we are serious. Join us at one of our drop-in CAT meetings on Wednesday, October 28 with NEW extended and additional times!

Wednesday, October 28 

12 PM - 1:30 PM
6:30 PM - 8 PM

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

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November Bargaining Dates: 11/10, 11/16 & 11/23

Conifer St. Elizabeth - TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED!

Since July 2019, we have been fighting for a first contract at Conifer and we had many challenges and hurdles along the way. Today, we reached a deal, and we are happy to RECOMMEND 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!

Vote Details

Thursday, October 29, 2020
GuestHouse Inn Enumclaw
1000 Griffin Ave. 
Enumclaw WA, 98022
2 PM - 4 PM  & 6 PM - 7:30 PM

ST. ELIZABETH BARGAINING TEAM: Peggy Laush

Capital Medical Center RN - RN Bargaining Team Resumes Bargaining with CMC

The RN bargaining team has been in contract negotiations since November 2019. Historically the Capital Medical Center (CMC) RNs have received the same or similar agreement as the Providence St. Peter’s RNs, who are also part of UFCW 21. This past year CMC proposed to retire the EIB program, but withdrew that proposal after seeing that the Providence RNs authorized a strike. Management wanted to avoid a strike authorization from occurring at CMC.

In 2020, we continued bargaining and focused on wages. A lot of progress was made at the bargaining table, until March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic started. UFCW 21 and CMC held off on bargaining during this time in order to figure out how to bargain virtually and there was uncertainty of how the pandemic would affect CMC. Since then UFCW 21 has bargained virtually and demanded that CMC meet with us virtually. Due to CMCs delays and unresponsiveness, we were not able to meet until October 19.

On October 19, we resumed bargaining via Zoom and made a lot of progress. We currently have five articles we are discussing: union membership, wages, nurse staffing committee, continuing education funds, and duration of the agreement. Our next session will be on November 5 and we hope to obtain a good contract.

In addition, we have informed the community/elected officials about CMC’s delays during bargaining. They have signed onto a letter, supporting the RN unit.

We will be holding a meeting via Zoom on Thursday, October 22, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM to discuss bargaining and short staffing at CMC. Please contact your union rep, Nicholas Hefling if you have any questions or concerns: nhefling@ufcw21.org, Cell @ 360-951-5801, or Office line @ 206-436-6564.

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“We made great strides and are getting close to an agreement.”

— Bonnie Verellen, RN

“We have stood firm on our priorities regarding wages, retro pay, and EIB. But in order to settle we have moved away from less important issues, which we will fight for in our next bargaining cycle.”

— Carol Cairone, RN

“We want to maintain competitive wages without takeaways from the contract.”

— Dennis Verellen, RN

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Join our Meeting!

Thursday, October 22
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

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

Payless Foods - Payless Bargaining Committee Lays Out Initial Proposals

Wages are Key

One of the top goals for this bargain is to make progress on wages.

“We proposed wages that recognize Payless has been behind other grocery employers, and the higher cost of living on South Whidbey Island.  That is important as prices keep rising.”    

—Diane LaFond, Bargaining Team Member

The Union also proposed increasing Sunday and holiday premiums and adding work on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve after 6 PM as premium pay shifts.  

Other Improvements

• Making work on Christmas Eve voluntary (if there aren’t enough volunteers then the shifts would be assigned the least senior workers).

• Not requiring funeral attendance to receive paid bereavement leave; for those whose families are too far away or are not having a formal funeral.

• Better scheduling practices.

• Making it easier for disabled workers, who work a limited schedule, to get vacation time and the life insurance benefit through our Healthcare Trust.

BUTTON UP! 

Show your support for the committee and our proposals by wearing a “We are the Union” button. Unions are workers standing together for a better way life and a better life on the job. When we show that, we win!

Mason General (RN) - We Need Your Input

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We need your input!

There are some big decisions to make about what’s still on the table for bargaining. What is clear is that we need to take action.

Some of the sticking points:

• Management is trying to eliminate cash out of PTO

• Management wants to Low Census nurses in overtime first – even if it’s your regular shift

• Management doesn’t want to pay premiums with OT

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Join us at a Contract Action Meeting to develop our plan of attack!
Thursday, 10/22 @ 5 PM
Tuesday, 10/27 @ 5 PM

RSVP HERE for zoom link/call in information

Make sure you’re getting important union updates: Update your address, email, or phone number

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep @ 800-732-1188

St. Michael Medical Center (Pro-Tech) - CONTACT RATIFIED

We are excited to announce that members at St. Michael Medical Center overwhelmingly voted today to approve the new Pro-Tech contract! Our new contract includes historic wage increases, significant money into our 401k retirement plans, no healthcare takeaways, and so much more. Members should expect to notice the wage increase and ratification bonus within the next two pay periods.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Union Rep Aimee Oien @ (360) 662-1981

Conifer St. Elizabeth - ULP STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE ANNOUNCEMENT!

We believe that Conifer St. Elizabeth has engaged in Unfair Labor Practices. We have filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board and we will declare this strike an Unfair Labor Practice Strike. Conifer has terminated one of our fellow union members and leaders—for what we believe was discrimination for union activity—and Management continued to intimidate members during recent concerted activity in support of the member that was terminated and our negotiations.

Vote Details
Friday, October 30, 2020
Time and Location: TBA

ST. ELIZABETH BARGAINING TEAM: Peggy Laush

Providence St. Peter Hospital - We Are Moving Onto Economic Issues!

On October 12 the Bargaining Team and Providence met and bargained. We were able to reach agreements on just cause, Management’s rights, grievance procedure, no strike/no lockout, successorship, and safety language. These are core articles in all union contracts and now we will be moving onto leaves of absence and economic articles like the definition of a full-time and part-time worker, EIB/PTO, and premium pay.

We anticipate Providence will push back on our economic proposals, so we must organize! We will have a car sign action on October 28 to show Providence we are united and ready to fight to keep EIB and obtain competitive wage increases. Providence Everett and Centralia and community groups will take part in our car sign action. If you are interested in distributing car signs, please contact your Union Rep—Erin McCoy @ (206)436-6598—or reach out to the Bargaining Team. 

We will be having a Contract Action Team meeting on Monday, October 19 at 6:30 PM via Zoom, please join us to learn more about your union rights and contract bargaining.

“Since the PTO/EIB hours has become a threatened benefit, it has been made clear that WE needed to unionize and fight together for solidarity for one another within this tech group.”

— Rae Lynn Korpi, Bargaining Team member

OUR TECH BARGAINING TEAM:
Josh Wood (CT), Shapel Morgan (X-ray), Colleen Castenada (Cath Lab), Rae Lynn Korpi (RT) 

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Join our Contract Action Team Meeting!

Monday, October 19
6:30 PM

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

Northwest Administrators - Management Proposes Lowball Offer; Bargaining Team Shocked by Management’s Proposal

NWA stands for No Wage Adjustment for two years, proposed by Management on October 13, 2020.

During a pandemic, we all continue to work as hard on the front line as we do from our homes.

Our work and our voice is valuable and essential to administer many vital benefits to our clients.

We recognize these truths to be self-evident and we await Management’s counter proposal.

The Bargaining Team will continue to fight for Union increases to wages/pension, COVID-19/Pandemic LOU protections , and proposing stronger contract language regarding protections for layoff, seniority rights and more. We are in this together, and together we can negotiate a better contract. We need your help so get involved! We are Calling All Troops to be a part of our Contract Action Team (CAT team).  

Please reach out to one of our Bargaining Team members or Adrian Noel, Union Representative on how to become more involved.

Next Bargaining Date: Oct 27

Dynacare Labcorp - Management is Not Hearing Us!

A few agreements were reached today but more work needs to be done. Today we had a long, focused discussion with Management about the on-going concerns we have heard from you all around staffing problems and schedule changes. We have also extended the contract through January 15, 2021.

“Management is not convinced that staffing is a major problem at LabCorp. We spent a lot of time giving them examples of how widespread and systemic staffing and scheduling issues are through-out several departments, and they are not just isolated instances.”

Fredel Albritton, Bargaining Team Member

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Come hear from the bargaining team about next steps!

Wednesday, October 14 7PM - 8PM

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

RSVP to your Union contract bargaining discussion

PCC Contract Action Meetings Scheduled

Join your co-workers to prepare for bargaining at our upcoming Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings. At these meetings we will discuss our bargaining priorities and develop our plan to run workers for seats on the PCC Board of Trustees.

Meetings will be held via zoom:

Monday, 10/19 @ 9am
Monday, 10/19 @ 7pm
Wednesday, 10/21 @ 9am
Wednesday, 10/21 @ 7pm

Click here to RSVP for Zoom login/call in information

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Rep @ 800-732-1188

Summit Pacific Medical Center - Majority COVID Petition Delivered!

Today in bargaining we delivered our COVID petition for stronger safety precautions and hazard pay. A solid majority of our bargaining unit signed!

We also were able to reach agreements on some important contract provisions including:

• Union recognition

• Union access – our rep’s ability to visit to address worksite issues

• Rules and rights for disciplinary & investigatory meetings

• Duration of contract – 3 years

RSVP to join us at our next Contract Action (CAT) Meeting on October 16 at 3:30PM or 6:30PM for a more in-depth update.

St. Michael Medical Center: Service & Dietary

Dietary Unit Host MOU Ratified

Today members at St. Michael Medical Center ratified the proposed addition of a 12-hour schedule agreement for the new Dietary Unit Host position. This new memorandum of understanding (MOU) will only affect members classified as Dietary Unit Hosts and DOES NOT enable the medical center to utilize the 12-hour schedule with any other positions. Thank you to everyone who participated in the vote and made your voice heard!
 
If you have any questions please reach out to your Union Representative Ryan Degouveia at (360) 662-1989

PRMCE - RNs Begin Bargaining with Providence Everett

Back in August 2020, the RN unit overwhelmingly voted to reject the Hospital’s offer to: 1) extend the contract through 2021, 2) 4% across the board wage increase, 3) require nurses to pay for parking starting 2021. 

On October 6, the RN bargaining committee and the Hospital began contract negotiations. The RN contract expires on October 31, 2020 and currently we do not have a contract extension, meaning we can take workplace actions like picketing.

On our first session, we made a proposal around union membership, union representative workplace access, and successorship language. The RN bargaining team put together a contract proposal which reflects the unit’s bargaining survey feedback and workplace concerns. Our goal this bargaining cycle is to hold Management accountable and obtain a contract with competitive wage increases, EIB, closed shop union membership, and better staffing language.

We are joining our fellow workers at Providence St Peter’s (Techs) and Providence Centralia (Tech and Support Services) at the bargaining table. These units are bargaining their first Union contract. We will be fighting together for good contracts and a fight with one unit is a fight with all!

Our next bargaining dates are October 21, October 28, November 13, and 17. We will be holding a car sign action at the end of October. Please contact your bargaining team or Anthony Cantu, Union Rep, to get your car sign. 

If you want to be involved in the bargaining process or want more bargaining details, please join our Contract Action Team meeting on October 20 @ 8PM via Zoom.

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Join our online CAT meeting! 

Tuesday, October 20

8:00 PM

https://zoom.us/join  

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

St. Anne Hospital Pro-Tech - Tentative Agreement Reached

We are pleased to announce that your Bargaining Team finally reached an agreement with St. Anne Hospital. The tentative agreement includes:  

• Historic wage increases and ratification bonus for ALL members,

• Increased standby and weekend premiums,

• Two additional steps added to the wage scale,

• Stronger Safety Committee language, 

• Improved language regarding schedule posting, recognition of past-experience, report pay, certification pay and more!

Now it’s time to vote to approve your new contract! Due to the current health crisis we will be conducting the ratification vote through mail-in ballots. We will be sending out a vote packet with your ballot and details about the proposed changes to the mailing address we have on file. Please reach out to your Union Representative if you do not receive your vote packet by October 21. 

We will be holding contract vote meetings to explain the tentative agreement via Zoom on Monday, October 26 from 8AM – 9AM, 12PM – 1PM, and 5PM – 6PM. Instructions to join will be included in your vote packet.