Northwest Administrators - Bargaining Continues: Waiting on Management’s Economic Counter

We are working on getting a Letter of Understanding during COVID and are encouraged to finalize it after next week’s bargaining session. We continue to be far apart on wage increases and will hopefully narrow that gap soon. Stay tuned for more information after our next bargaining session on November 20.

If you have any questions, please contact your Union Representative Cathy Macphail @ 206-436-6584.

“The Bargaining Team has common purpose, common sense and pursuing common ground. We continue to progress and make adjustments to our game plan. This is a season like no other. We need to see some numbers on the board. Our overall success requires your support then victory that can be celebrated collectively. Our goal is for a contract that provides wage increases for everyone.”

— Lulu Morgan

BARGAINING TEAM: Chris Covey, Jennifer Harris, Iva Johnson, Katrina Kromm, Lulu Morgan, Grace Tsuchikawa

Grays Harbor - Tentative Agreement Reached

After lengthy negotiations with Management, we’ve reached a Tentative Agreement. Some of the highlights include:

• Ratification Bonus

• Wage Increases

• Increases to annual maximums for Dental and Vision Insurance

• Improvements to Paid Time Off

• Improvements to Grievance Procedure

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.

“Our hospital continues to have poor revenue and we still made improvements to our contract.  We look forward to seeing everyone at the Zoom meetings so we can explain the improvements of Tentative Agreement.”

— GRAYS HARBOR COMMMUNITY HOSPITAL BARGAINING TEAM: Janet Byrd, Medical Records; Daniel James, Surgery; John Warring, Lab; Michaela McDonald, Cardiopulmonary; Chris Neeley, Registration; Debra Sturm, Pharmacy; Bambi Shope, House Keeping

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If you have changed your address in the last 12 months please update your contact information!

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Join us for a Zoom Contract Overview Meeting and learn more about the Tentative Agreement.

November 19, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

December 3, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

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

PCC administration is obstructing our coop democracy

PCC administration is trying to block our union and community advocates from gathering signatures to nominate PCC workers to serve on the co-op’s Board of Trustees. We believe this violates the democratic process and the values of our co-op. Over the last several months PCC administration has:

• Obstructed workers’ access to comprehensive election information

• Refused to allow workers to collect signatures electronically, even as COVID surges in our community

• Banned signature-gatherers from being outside PCC stores

We deserve a fair process that values the voices of PCC workers. Two PCC workers, Donna Rasmussen and Laurae McIntyre, are currently running for Board seats and need thousands of signatures to earn their nominations. PCC is doing their best to obstruct the process of getting workers on the Board. We have filed a grievance against PCC for the actions they have taken to attempt limiting our ability to gather the signatures needed to get workers nominated. We know that PCC members are not going to stop fighting to get workers on the Board or be intimidated by PCC’s actions.

Running worker candidates is a right in our union contract, and winning seats on the Board of Trustees is an important part of strengthening Democracy in PCC.

Look for a petition to sign at your store today or contact your union rep to help gather signatures!

HOW YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN HELP

Call the PCC office at 206-547-1222 and tell them: 

“I’m a PCC shopper, and I’m asking the CEO to stop blocking workers from running for the Board of Trustees. Give Laurae and Donna a fair and safe process to get on the ballot by following your by-laws and letting workers collect signatures electronically.” 

You can also file a customer comment at: pccmarkets.com/contact-us

Dynacare Labcorp - Our Actions are Working!

Your Bargaining Team met with Management to continue negotiations on Tuesday, November 10. Thanks to you all stickering up and taking action, we got some meaningful movement from Management on our staffing, scheduling and Pandemic safety proposals. We must continue to keep up the pressure by taking action together and showing Management that we are united for a FAIR Contract!

“Management finally responded to our Pandemic Safety, Scheduling, and Staffing proposals! While we have not reached an agreement yet, we are getting closer. We need your input on where the membership wants us to go with these important issues at this juncture. YOU are the Union, and we are only strong if we stand together!”

— Steph Royce

OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Steph Royce, Eli Lanczos, Fredel Albritton, Nancy Pyanowski, Tambra Graham, Shelby Tyner and Sam McVay

Next bargaining dates are November 16 & 23. Questions? Call your Union Rep, Ates Serifsoy @ 206-436-6569

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How do we win? By taking action right now in these ways:

1. Have you had a chance to sign onto your petition? Add your voice to the list of demands online OR talk to your Bargaining Team for a physical copy!

2. Come to our next CAT meeting on November 18 @ 6:30 - 8 PM via ZOOM to share your ideas! Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

3. Talk to your Bargaining Team and/or Union Rep to find out more ways to be involved!

Tell PCC Administration: Stop Undermining Our Co-Op Democracy!

PCC administration is trying to block the union and community advocates from gathering signatures to nominate PCC workers to serve on the co-op’s Board of Trustees, which we believe violates the democratic process and the values of our co-op. Over the last several months PCC administration has:

• Obstructed workers’ access to comprehensive election information.
• Refused to allow workers to collect signatures electronically, even as COVID surges in our community.
• Banned signature-gatherers from being outside PCC.

PCC members deserve a fair process that values the voices of essential workers. Two longtime PCC workers, Donna Rasmussen and Laurae McIntyre, are currently running for Board seats and need thousands of signatures to earn their nominations. Please sign their petitions to get them on the ballot!

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Call the PCC office at 206-547-1222 and tell them:

“I’m a PCC shopper, and I’m asking the CEO to stop blocking workers from running for the Board of Trustees. Give Laurae and Donna a fair and safe process to get on the ballot and let workers collect signatures electronically.”

You can also file a customer comment online at: pccmarkets.com/contact-us

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Lourdes Counseling Center - Continuing to Bargain

We met with Management again on Friday, November 6 and were able to get a few agreements, but Management continues to refuse to negotiate Economics until the non-economics are finished.

Although we were able to make significant progress on Safety, wages remain a top priority.

Please reach out to your bargaining team to stay informed on continuing negotiations and how you can be part of building our negotiation strength. Contact your Union Representative Austen Louden at 509-340-7372 or alouden@ufcw21.org with any questions or concerns.

Our Bargaining Team: Jordan Cox, Pam Garland, Paul Knighten, Tim Orr

Summit Pacific Medical Center - Continuing to Bargain

Our Union Bargaining Team met with Management on November 6 to continue negotiating our first contract. Although we made some movement at the table we still have concerns around Safety, Staffing, Job Security, Wages and Benefits. We were able to secure some additional bargaining dates and will meet again on November 13. 

We also had our Contract Action Team meetings on November 4. We discussed how we can band together with other teams in bargaining so that we can win strong contracts across the area. We also started planning to take action for a fair contract at Summit in December.

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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UPCOMING DATES

November 17, 7:30 PM
Joint Contract Action Meeting with members from SPMC, Mason General, and Grays Harbor—RSVP below!
https://bit.ly/CATNov17

December 9
Caravan for fair contract at Summit Pacific—stay tuned for more details!

Capital Medical Center RN - We Have Reached a Deal!

On November 5, the RN Bargaining Team met with the Hospital. After almost a year of bargaining, we were able to obtain a contract settlement! At the start of bargaining, we believed our biggest fight was going to be over maintaining EIB, like it was down the road at Providence St. Peter’s. The Hospital indicated that they would be following Providence St. Peter’s settlement, so we made the strategic decision to slowdown bargaining until the St. Peter’s RNs settled on EIB. That decision paid off when Providence St. Peter’s announced they would be maintaining the EIB program in January.

At that point, we continued bargaining and were focused on wages, increasing education reimbursement money, and improving contract language like floating and call-back pay. We were making some progress when the COVID-19 pandemic started. At that time, we could no longer bargain in-person and had to evaluate how to move forward. At all other tables, the employers agreed to bargain virtually via Zoom, but Capital Medical Center refused to bargain virtually for months.

Finally, in October we were able to resume bargaining and made a lot of progress. We moved away from some contract language proposals and focused on wages and retroactive pay. We insisted on retroactive pay, but the Hospital told us they would rather do higher increases than retroactive pay. When looking at the percentage increases, we determined that higher pay increases would result in more compensation than retroactive pay. In addition, the pay increases we won are higher than Providence St. Peter’s increases.

Our next step is to walk through the tentative agreement with the unit on Thursday, November 12 at 5:30 PM via Zoom. Due to COVID-19, we will be voting via mail. Ballots and vote documents will be sent out via standard mail and the documents will be posted on ufcw21.org. If you or your coworkers, do not received mail from UFCW 21 please contact your Union Rep, Nicholas Hefling nhefling@ufcw21.org so we can update your address and ensure you receive a ballot.

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“Our hard work paid off and we received raises that are unheard of during these times.” 

— Bonnie Verellen, RN Women Services

“We deserve higher pay and we were able to win higher pay because we kept fighting.” 

— Sara McFarland, RN Ambulatory 

“We have never gotten 10% wage increases before on any contract.” 

— Scott Merrell, RN Emergency Department

Count Every Vote - And Make Sure Your Vote Counts

As a member-led union, one of our core values is that every voice and every vote counts. 

We believe everyone should be able to participate in decision-making about the things that affect us. We believe in that principle in our union, where workers vote to approve their contracts and elect the leadership of the union, and we believe in that principle in our local and national elections. Here in Washington State, our members have long been part of the movement to make sure as many Washingtonians as possible can vote in every election, with statewide vote-by-mail, pre-registration for our youth, and other policies that empower people to participate in the democratic process. 

Members of UFCW 21 have worked tirelessly during the 2020 election to interview local candidates for office and understand where they stand on the issues working people care about, to call and text each other to make voting plans, to coordinate with our international union to help UFCW members in other states and other working people exercise their right to participate in the election, and now to contact each other to make sure any issues causing our ballots to be held up are addressed so we can be counted. 

We encourage everyone in Washington to check on the status of your ballot at VoteWA.gov so you can be sure your vote has been counted and address any issues if it hasn’t. We will be organizing with the labor movement and trusted community partners to ensure that any attacks on the integrity of our national election are addressed. 

We are the largest private-sector union in Washington State, more than 46,000 members strong, and we are a diverse union. But regardless of where we live, who we vote for, what industry we work in, we stand for the bedrock belief that every vote must be counted, and every voice must be heard. 

St. Anne Hospital Pro-Tech - Contract Ratified!

We are excited to announce that members at St. Anne Hospital overwhelmingly voted to approve the new Pro-Tech contract! Our new contract includes historic wage increases, new steps added to the wage scale, increased standby and weekend premiums, stronger safety committee language and 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 Representative Ates Serifsoy at (206) 436-6569.

Conifer St. Elizabeth - Conifer St. Elizabeth Members Vote to Approve Contract!

On Thursday, October 29, members at Conifer St. Elizabeth voted on their First Contract after over 14 months of Negotiations.

Members at Conifer St. Elizabeth overwhelmingly voted YES to APPROVE the offer!

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!

The contract is in full force and effect as of October 30, 2020 until October 31, 2023. Questions? Call your Union Rep, Erin McCoy @ 206-436-6598

Avenue Dental Bargaining Update

PRMCE - The Hospital Recognizes Our Staffing Complaint Forms!

On October 28, 2020, we met with the Hospital. We have spent the last two bargaining sessions talking about staffing. In this past session, the Hospital told us they would recognize our CSI staffing complaint form—available on ufcw21.org/csi. Their position has changed since our last bargaining session. Also, we talked about PPE with the Chief Nursing Officer and she has promised to ensure that all nurses are able to receive more than one mask during their shift if the nurse requests one. 

As for our proposals, the Hospital has rejected a majority of our proposals except for recognizing gender identity in the non-discrimination article. We discussed the parameters of professional development under the education funding article. We want to ensure nurses are not being denied funding for relevant courses and we are trying to increase available funding. 

Bargaining is going slowly, but we hope they will start hearing our demands to change language, which currently does not benefit the Hospital or the nurses. One way to pressure the Hospital, is by taking part in our car sign action. If you have not received a car sign, please contact the bargaining team or Anthony Cantu, Union Rep @ 206-436-6566. 

In addition, we currently have a 30-day contract extension which expires on November 30, 2020. During a contract extension we are not able to call for a strike, picket, or work stoppage, but we can take other actions like a car sign action. We will continue extending the contract as long as we are making progress at the bargaining table. 

Our next contract action team meeting will be on November 10, 2020 @ 8 PM via Zoom. Our next bargaining sessions are on November 13 and 17.   

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

Dynacare Labcorp - Standing Together to Win!

Dear LabCorp Members,

We are committed to working together to settle a fair contract for all of our members. We have your backs at the bargaining table but to win, we need to show LabCorp you to have our backs in the field!

We are taking action to show Management we are United to win a fair contract and protect ourselves and our community during this global pandemic.

We have created a list of four central demands and are asking all LabCorp members to sign on! UFCW 21 has also provided medical grade masks and Face-Shields for our members.

Here is the link:

Also don’t forget to pick-up your union provided PPE from the Bargaining Team in James Tower and send us photos with it on!

We have been digging into our staffing and scheduling proposals the last few sessions and we know that fair competitive wages and affordable healthcare are a huge part of retaining and recruiting staff. Our goal is to present this petition to Management at the table in early November to show we are serious and standing united. Join us!

In Solidarity, Your Bargaining Team: Sam McVay, Steph Royce, Eli Lanczos, Tambra Graham, Fredel Albritton, Nancy Pyanowski and Shelby Tyner

Questions? Call your Union Rep, Ates Serifsoy @ 206-436-6569.

Northwest Administrators - Preparing for Upcoming Contract Negotiations

NWA stands for No Wiggle Again on a wage increase in Management’s counter proposal on October 27.

Now We Are entering Influenza season during a pandemic and our prescription for a COVID-19 Letter of Understanding (LOU) has yet to be filled or considered urgent. Protecting Pandemic Employment is our PPE and a remedy is long over due. The protections we have proposed are on the front line of our negotiations.

It’s time for all of us to come together and talk about next steps to winning a good contract. Join us at our Zoom Contract Action Team (CAT) meeting and learn what everyone can do to move Management at the bargaining table. 

BARGAINING TEAM: Chris Covey, Jennifer Harris, Iva Johnson, Katrina Kromm, Lulu Morgan, Grace Tsuchikawa

Swain's General Store - Proposal Meeting

Our one-year contract with Swain’s General Store is nearing expiration, which means it’s time to begin contract negotiations once again! You should have already received a bargaining survey, therefore, the next step is to hold a proposal meeting where we will discuss the results of the survey and begin crafting our proposals.

The proposal meeting will be held virtually through Zoom on Sunday, November 15 @ 6:30PM. You can join by either downloading the Zoom app or simply calling into the details listed.

We hope to see you there, but in the meantime, please make sure you complete your bargaining survey and return it as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please reach out to Union Representative Ryan Degouveia @ 360-662-1989.

Providence Centralia Hospital Tech - Bargaining Commences

On October 26, the Tech Bargaining Team met with Providence Centralia Hospital. Our first proposal to the Hospital involved articles around bargaining unit recognition, union access, union membership, successorship, grievance procedure, and duration of the agreement. These articles are standard in union contracts and strategically we always start with easier non-economic articles in order to reach agreements and then move on to more contentious articles like wages and EIB/PTO.

While at the table, we clarified that the Imaging Center is part of the Hospital and any Rad Techs employed in the Hospital who float to the Imaging Center are in the Union. Meaning that Rad Techs can continue to float to the Imaging Center.

The bargaining process is slow, and we saw that in our first session. We have a long list of issues and concerns we wish to discuss at the bargaining table, but we need to pressure the Hospital. 

One way to pressure the Hospital is through our car sign action! If you are interested in participating and distributing signs to your coworkers/ community, please reach out to your union representative, Erin McCoy @ 206-436-6598 (office line). 

We will also have a Contract Action Team meeting via Zoom on November 19 @ 5:30 PM where we will be talking about bargaining/workplace issues. 

Our next bargaining date is on November 18.

In Solidarity, Your Tech Bargaining Team: Jen Mullins, Rad Tech; Jamie Freeman, RT; Verity Olsen, Pharmacy Tech; Kathleen Spencer, RT; Jen Frunz, Mammo Tech 

Providence Centralia Hospital Support Services - Bargaining Commences

On Tuesday, October 27, the Support Services Bargaining Team—which represents housekeeping, phlebotomy, endoscopy techs, surgery, food services, CNAs, imaging assistants, emergency department techs, HUCs, emergency department techs—met and bargained with Providence Centralia Hospital. The team proposed articles around bargaining unit recognition, union access to the workplace, union membership, grievance procedure, notification of sale, and duration of the contract. These articles are standard in union contracts and strategically we always start with easier non-economic articles in order to reach agreements and then move on to more contentious articles like wages and EIB/PTO.

The Hospital was willing to discuss adding more classifications to the bargaining unit which were not part of the union authorization vote. We have heard from several employees that they wish to be part of the Union, so we are invested in adding those classifications to the unit. On the other hand, the Hospital wishes to circumvent employees’ union rights. They wish to limit the union representative’s access to the Hospital, prevent access to new hire orientation, and limit the number of union stewards.

It is clear the Hospital wishes to undercut our Union’s strength! We must show the Hospital that Support Services wants their Union present throughout the workplace in order to have a strong and empowered unit!

One way we can show that we are united and willing to fight for our union rights is by participating in the car sign action. If you are interested in participating and distributing signs to your coworkers/ community, please reach out to your union representative, Erin McCoy @ 206-436-6598 (office line).

We will also have a Contract Action Team meeting via Zoom on November 19 @ 5:30 PM where we will be talking about bargaining/workplace issues.

Our next bargaining date is on November 18.

In Solidarity, Your Support Service Bargaining Team: Necole Moore, EVS; Kaycee Grimm, Phlebotomist; Kim Jorgenson, ED HUC; Laura Norton, Endo Tech

State Hazard Alert for Preventing Spread of COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings

UFCW 21 members at CHI’s Harrison/St Michael Medical Center faced an outbreak at their hospital in August 2020, and after management did not address health care workers’ safety, members pushed back and stood up for a safer workplace for themselves and their patients. Their advocacy led the state’s Department of Labor & Industries and Department of Health to issue a special document called a Joint Hazard Alert, which addresses a special workplace issue brought to these departments’ attention.

The September 2020 Joint Hazard Alert specifies requirements of health care employers to keep workers and patients safe as we deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Employers must meet the requirements outlined in this alert, and can be held accountable to these standards by complaints filed with the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). If your employer is not meeting these standards in any area, you should contact your Union Rep immediately or submit a safety report at safetyreport@ufcw21.org to get help filing a report.

The Hazard Alert covers specific safety requirements such as:

• “Disposable respirators and procedural masks must be replaced daily at the beginning of each shift for every employee and immediately upon employee request when soiled or damaged during the shift. Multiple shift use of disposable respirators/masks is NOT allowed.”

• “Hospitals must develop and implement an effective system to track N95/PAPR/CAPR training and testing that ensures every employee is supplied with appropriate respiratory protection.”

• “Staff must be provided a safe place to don and doff PPE prior to entering spaces where facemasks must be removed for eating and drinking. Staff should don a new facemask prior to returning to the unit.”

• “Provide adequate space and procedures for staff to physically distance at a minimum of six feet in break rooms, nurse stations, cafeteria and other places where staff congregate”

• “Prohibit staff from working or being on the premises if exposed to COVID-19, and all staff who test positive must be excluded from work and isolated according to CDC guidelines”

There are many more specifics in the Hazard Alert. Be sure to read the entire document to understand your rights to a safe workplace during COVID-19.

Again, if your employer is not meeting these standards in any area, you should contact your Union Rep immediately or submit a safety report at safetyreport@ufcw21.org to get help filing a report.

Bartell Drugs - Wages and a Secure Future

The Union Bartell Bargaining Team met with Bartell’s management on Friday, October 23. Up top we brought up the sale of Bartell Drugs to Rite Aid:

• We are pleased to hear that if Rite Aid acquires Bartell, they have pledged to stay independent and to honor our Union contract.

• We asked about layoffs or store closures as a result of the sale of Bartell’s to Rite Aid and were told no closures were planned. 

• Your Bargaining Team proposed severance pay if there are store closures now, or in the future. 

Bartell’s responded to some of the Union’s proposals, and while there was movement on things like Bereavement and leave for stewards to work with the Union, we were disappointed that Bartell’s proposed:  

• A wage scale that gave little or no raises for most Bartell workers.

“What I saw was no raises this year, or next year, and then a nickel for a raise in 2022 for me and a lot of my coworkers. We need a wage scale that keeps us above minimum wage, especially if we have been loyal employees for years.” 

— Kia Haggerty (Bargaining Team)

• Eliminating all of our premium overtime, except for when we work more that 40 hours.

• Rejected our proposals to increase premium pay like Sunday and Late Night pay.

Bartell’s Needs to Know That We are Serious and That We Deserve More!

We have worked hard to make Bartell Drugs a success, and to serve our customers and our communities. That is why Rite Aid was interested in buying Bartell’s in the first place.

Soon we will have stickers to let Bartell’s know that we won’t settle for less than a fair contract with living wages! 

“I’m not accepting these proposals, and you shouldn’t either. That’s why I’ll be wearing a sticker! If we stand together then we can get a fair contract together.” 

— Christina Common 

NEXT CAT Meeting: We will have another Contract Action Team meeting on November 2 @ 7PM to update you. Make sure everyone has stickers in their stores and to plan our next action!