NW Administrators - Bargaining Update

Our Bargaining Team met with Management again on Wednesday, June 2 for not only our first day of mediation, but also the first time we’ve met since December 2020.

While we did see some movement on both sides of the table, Management only showed a willingness to make hairline movement on the issues that matter most. They did back off their proposal to reduce our retirement benefits, but their proposed wage increases and refusal to accept retro pay are completely unacceptable.

It’s time for Management to put away their coin purse and get out their wallet, rise out of the bargain basement and present something acceptable. We are not finding bargains at the grocery store or gas station, Management proposed wage increases are not even close to keeping up with the skyrocketing cost of living. We also need Management to offer a fair pension increase, investing in our future so that we can retire in dignity.

On the heels of a once in a lifetime pandemic, will Northwest Administrators step up and take care of their employees?

We are meeting with Management again on Tuesday, June 29 and are hoping that mediation will help build momentum towards a deal.

“We work hard everyday to seek improvements in our wages, retirement benefits, and working conditions to reflect our value to the company”

— NW Administrators Bargaining Team

What is mediation? When the Union and Employer have reached a point when little progress is being made, the parties have the option to bring in a neutral third-party mediator to help move things along. The federal government provides a free meditation service (FMCS) that works exclusively on Union-Employer disputes and has assigned a mediator to help us reach a deal with Management. The role of the mediator is to help the parties better understand the other’s point of view and to push both sides towards an agreement.

Summit Pacific Ratifies First Contract

On Thursday, we ratified our first contract with UFCW 21! It was great to see our coworkers turn out to support this first contract that guarantees wage increases and other economic improvements. More importantly, we now have the protection of a union contract and can hold management accountable.

The Bargaining Team and your Union Rep have paper copies of the contract and wage scales if you were unable to make it to the vote.

Fill out your Membership Application

Join our Union by filling out your membership application! join.ufcw.org/join/21

Thanks you for all your support through this process!

Your Bargaining Team: Angi Swinhart, Barbara Ford, Jessee Bednarik, Michael Granstrom

Albertsons Safeway Department Manager Vote

tentative agreement reached contract votes scheduled

UFCW 21, 367 and Teamsters 38 have reached a tentative settlement pending the ratification of the membership, arising from a grievance filed on behalf of all effected members for unilateral changes and implementation of the existing company’s matrix formula for department managers beyond positions bargained over in the contract.

Wage increases, as part of the settlement, went into effect

May 1, 2021, pending ratification of the membership.

RSVP to a vote meeting

Vote meetings will be held on June 22 at 11am-12PM & 6pm-7PM where we will be reviewing the tentative agreement and answering any questions.

Secure online voting will begin on June 22 at 12AM and end at 11:59PM. You will receive a ballot through your email where you can review the highlight sheet and vote on to accept the settlement. All active effected members in good standing in the following positions, Safeway/Albertsons Produce Managers, Safeway/Albertsons Starbucks Managers, Safeway/Albertsons Floral Managers, Safeway/Albertsons Deli Assistant Manager, Albertsons Butcher Block Supervisor, Safeway Seafood Department Managers and Safeway GMHBC Department Managers are eligible to vote but must have an active email on file with the union in order to vote by secure email.

Make sure your information is up to date! Go to: www.ufcw21.org/update-your-information

If you have questions, please contact Sean Embly 206-436-6545

Mason General Tech - Good Progress on Day 1

Our bargaining team met with management on Friday with the goal of settling a fair contract by the 6/30 expiration. To that end, both sides presented all proposals for language and economics. We were able to reach Tentative Agreements on:

• New Hire Orientation: New employees will now get an introduction to our union

• New Union Leave article

• Updating Earned Time article to show annual accrual and pay period accrual

• Access to Earned Time after 30 days of employment

• Other cleanup and clarification language

We’re awaiting a response from Management on economics and vacation scheduling changes that would allow us to have more flexibility in requesting vacation time.

“We made our priorities to management clear, and we’re hopeful that we can reach a fair resolution by expiration that includes respectful wage increases.”
— Our Mason General Bargaining Team: Brenda Routson, Jennifer Madara, Pam Murphy, Jessica Turner

Providence Everett RNs and Providence St. Peter’s Techs Vote to Authorize a Strike

On June 2 and 4, Providence Everett RNs and Providence St. Peter’s Techs overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike. Both units have been at the bargaining table since 2020 with little progress around economic issues and Providence has committed unfair labor practices along the way.

Providence Everett is negotiating a successor agreement while Providence St. Peter’s is negotiating their first contract. Along with these two units, Providence Centralia Techs and Support Services are also at the bargaining table negotiating their first contract. Providence Centralia will also be holding a strike vote on June 16 to show Providence that all three units stand united and a fight with one unit is a fight with the rest! 

At all three hospitals, Providence is proposing to eliminate EIB, reduce PTO, and move everyone onto a short-term disability program which does not give caregivers wage replacement if they are out on medical leave for a family member. In addition, at all three tables they have committed ULPs by 1) PSPH and PCH: changing the PTO plan while in negotiations 2) PRMCE: implementing bonuses and incentives without bargaining with the Union and diverting close to a quarter of a million dollars away from the bargaining table. 

We believe if we were to call for a strike, it would be a ULP strike since we are striking over the ULPs and economic issues. We intend to continue bargaining with Providence, but we need to prepare for a strike if things do not progress. 

We are calling for everyone to sign onto the “strike pledge” card! By signing this card, you are saying that you will go out on strike and stand alongside your coworkers! Please share this card and strike manual with your co-workers. 

In addition, we will be holding strike education meetings every Tuesday at 8 PM, June 8 at 6 PM (Fort Borst Park), June 10 at 1 PM (Fort Borst Park), June 15 at 6PM. If you have questions, please reach out to the bargaining teams and your union rep, Erin McCoy (PSPH and PCH) and Anthony Cantu (PRMCE). 

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Whidbey Health - We finally reached a deal! Electronic Vote on June 25m

In 2019, WhidbeyHealth and the Pro-Tech/LPN and Support Services bargaining units reached a one-year contract agreement. At that time, the Hospital asked for a “longer runway” so that they could sort out their finances and plan for annual wage increases for 2020 and 2021. We granted them more time and decided we would fight for fair wage increases in 2020. 

We have been at the bargaining table since January 2021 and were able to finally obtain an agreement in May 2021! The delays in bargaining were in part due to the Hospital’s financial situation. At the table, we heard WhidbeyHealth mention that they had negative days of “cash at hand.” The Employer made proposals to take-away benefits and offered no wage increases. 

We were able to push back on these proposals and finally won yearly increases, retroactive pay from 2020 until present, improvements to contract language, and no takeaways! 

We will be voting online on June 25 via SimplyVoting from 12:01 AM to 8 PM. Every union member in good standing and union dues paying member will receive an email on June 25 with a unique login in order to vote. The full vote document will be available at UFCW 21 and on SimplyVoting. We will also be going over the document on June 14 and June 23 via Zoom. 

Click HERE to UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO

If you have workplace or disciplinary issues, please contact your union rep, Adrian Noel at anoel@ufcw21.org  or (360) 419-4677. You may also call the Member Resource Center at (206) 436-6570.

In solidarity, 

Pro/Tech/LPN and Support Services Bargaining Team

Providence Centralia - Vote “NO” on the contract offer and “YES” to a Strike authorization

We have been at the bargaining table since October 2020 fighting for our first contract. One of the reasons we organized was to keep our EIB and PTO. Throughout bargaining, we have made thoughtful proposals which would improve our working conditions, make our pay rates competitive compared with similar sized hospitals in the area, and continue our EIB/PTO plan. We believe these proposals will help recruit and retain caregivers so we can provide better patient care, but Providence has rejected many of these proposals.

In our last bargaining sessions, Providence finally made their wage proposal for the technical unit and support services unit. Their proposal would continue their “minimum, midpoint, and maximum” wage table, merit increases which are dependent on your “core leaders,” and there would only be a guarantee of 1.5% pay increase for the life of the contract. This proposal deviates from all other UFCW 21 contracts with Providence. Other contracts have a wage scale, 2% wage increases on your anniversary date, and a cost-of-living increase every year of the contract. In addition, they continue to propose language which would give Providence the ability to change, potentially eliminate, your retirement plan, health insurance, education plan, non-legally mandated leaves of absence, and PTO plan.

Given this, we believe we need to vote down the contract to show Providence that we will not accept their proposals!

Additionally, Providence also changed our PTO plan on January 1, 2021 without bargaining with us. We have filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)! The NLRB has already found merit in the ULP we filed for Providence St. Peter’s around the same subject and we believe they will find merit in our ULP at PCH.

Given the rejection of our proposals and the unfair labor practice, we are calling to vote “NO” on the contract and “YES” to a strike authorization! To go out on strike, two-thirds of voters must approve the strike. Going out on strike is always our last resort, but it is clear to us at the bargaining table that Providence is not willing to listen and does not respect us so we must take further collective action! Authorizing a strike means that your Tech and Support Services bargaining team will have the ability to call a strike, potentially a ULP strike, if Providence continues to drag their feet at the bargaining table.

We will be joining about 1,700 nurses at Providence Everett who voted to authorize a strike earlier this month! Our vote will take place online via SimplyVoting and you will receive a link with your unique login information on June 16.

To better inform our units on what it means to strike, we will be holding an education meetings in-person and online on June 8, 10 and 15. Please update your contact information on the UFCW 21 website or email Union Rep Erin McCoy if you do not receive email notifications from the Union at: emccoy@ufcw21.org

Upcoming Strike Education and Contract Vote Meetings

Join in person at Fort Borst Park
June 8 • 5 PM - 7 PM
June 10 • 1 PM - 3 PM

Join online via Zoom
June 8 • 8 PM
June 15 • 6 PM
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

June 16 • 12:01 AM - 8 PM
Contract vote instructions will be emailed to you via SimplyVoting

MultiCare Bargaining Update Progress at Last

“We’re feeling more optimistic than we were a few weeks ago”

Bargaining Team: Alexis Dotts, Glen Steele, Gregg Barney, Heidi Strub, Jamie Fenton, Julianna Van Enk, Kelly Gusman, Kurtis Chaffin, Patricia Brown, Ryan Boyd, Sammy Bainivalu, Teri Kruse, Wanda Rodriguez-Ramos, Yvette Broeckel.

After months of a virtual statement, we finally started the mediation process on May 25.

What is mediation? Mediation is when the Union and Employer have reached a point when little progress is being made, the parties have the option to bring in a neutral third-party mediator to help move things along. The federal government provides a free meditation service (FMCS) that works exclusively on union-employer disputes and has assigned a mediator to help us reach a deal with MultiCare. The role of the mediator is to help the parties better understand the other’s point of view and to push both sides towards an agreement.

So far it’s working. While we are still far apart, we have seen the most significant movement from the employer we have seen since we started in January. The mediator seems to have been doing a good job of forcing the employer to hear and understand our concerns. We noticed the most movement on economics with the employer being more resistant to our non-economic proposals. Our action last month, and the outpouring of community support since then, has certainly been a continuing factor to the movement.

This is very encouraging news, but don’t celebrate just yet. We still have many outstanding issues to resolve (staffing, PTO, wage premiums, floating, preceptor pay, seniority, extra shifts, etc) before we can reach a deal. And while the employer has put more money on the table, we are still worlds apart on our wage proposals.

Keep applying pressure on MultiCare, join the Rally @ the Park on June 30 at 3:30PM at Wright Park (Near Tacoma General Hospital). We already have many community leaders who have pledged to join us again at this action.

Join UFCW 21 MultiCare Page for the latest updates! facebook.com/UFCW21Multicare

Sign the Petition for a Fair Contract! secure.everyaction.com/FQW4R6K7oUC2rFmurWktrg2

Have a Heart Bargaining Begins

Bargaining Begins

Kick-off Proposal meetings

As we prepare for bargaining, we want to make sure all Union members have a chance to voice their concerns and let us know what they want to change in our Contract. Have A Heart Bargaining Proposal Meetings: Join us for one of our Bargaining Proposal meetings on Zoom! If you have any questions, please contact your Union Representative Timothy Moisio 206-436-6517

Macy’s Only Offers 25¢ and Wants to Eliminate the Wage Scales

On June 1, Macy’s gave us their wage proposal, offering colleagues only a $0.25 an-hour raise in each year of the contract. We deserve more than that! 

“The prices customers pay for our products go up by dollars per year, not a quarter a year. Macy’s needs to do better. We worked through this pandemic and put ourselves at risk on the job every day. A quarter just doesn’t cut it.”

– Curtisy Bryant, Southcenter Cosmetics

Macy’s also proposed to eliminate the wage scales that provide us with a pathway to the highest wages in our contract. Make no mistake, eliminating wage scales will:

• Keep wages down for us as a group, the newer you are the worse it would be. 

• Not give us proper credit for the experience and skill that we gain on the job.

• Cease to acknowledge the differences in jobs and responsibilities at Macy’s.

All of that is on top of their previous proposals that:

• Delete all of our attendance credits via their Reliability Program.

• Leave it up to managers to decide if we can take PTOs.

• Allows them to open on Christmas & Easter & schedule you work.

• Allows them to schedule us more late shifts every week then is currently allowed.

But this fight isn’t about Macy’s bad ideas. It’s about us moving forward with a better Union contract. Your bargaining committee is at the table fighting for:

• Have MLK Day become a full PTO instead of a floating holiday.

• Get us the protections we need in this pandemic and any future ones with

• Safety standards,

• Hazard pay for when our work puts us at risk,

• Protections from store closure and loss of hours.

• Wage increases that sustain us better than 25¢

• A shorter probationary period after being hired

• Make it easier to qualify for FMLA leaves

• Improve bereavement leaves to include more family members.

Get ready to take action soon. Macy’s needs to hear from you, its employees, so that they know their proposals for our contract are unacceptable. In 2018 we turned out repeatedly to show Macy’s that we would not accept anything less that a fair contract. 

Ashley House Workers Ratify new Contact

On May 28th workers at Ashley House ratified a new contract. Our bargaining team worked hard to reach an agreement that would increases wages, maintain healthcare and create new funds for training and workforce development. Talk to your bargaining team or your union representative for more information about our new contract.

Bargaining Team: Rose Shrader – CN.A, Kris Spencer – RN, Jeff Stone – Maintenance

If you have any questions, please contact your

Union Representative Ian Jacobson @ 206-436-6550

Summit Pacific Medical Center - Vote Date and Time Scheduled— Bargaining Team Unanimously Recommends a YES Vote!

After close to a year of bargaining, we have finally reached a recommended tentative agreement on a contract with UFCW21. Thank you for all of your support throughout this process. All that remains is the final step of voting. 

Come vote for your contract! 

Thursday, June 10

• 10 AM - 12 PM

• 2 PM - 4 PM

• 5 PM - 7 PM

Elma Grange 26
401 W Waldrip St
Elma, WA 98541

These are drop-in times when voting will be open. You will have the opportunity to review the full document when you come to vote. We will have COVID safety precautions in place to make sure we all stay safe while voting in person.

For our first contract (3 year duration) we won:

• Respectful wage increases each year of the contract

• Increases to many premiums, and new premiums for some job classifications

• Just Cause and a fair grievance procedure to handle contract disputes

• Creation of a Labor Management Committee to address ongoing issues in between bargaining cycles

• Clear, enforceable definitions of practices for seniority, pay, scheduling, hours, leaves, and more

• The right to join and participate in your union free from retaliation

Details of the agreement will be available from your bargaining team members as we finalize our documents. The full document will be available at the vote.

Your Bargaining Team: Angi Swinhart, Barbara Ford, Jessee Bednarik, Michael Granstrom

Northwest Administrators - Bargaining Update

After months of delay, we have finally confirmed our next bargaining date with management on June 2. This will be the first time we’re meeting with a federal mediator, which we hope will speed-up the process so that we can reach an agreement soon.  

During this time, we reached out to some of our community partners to ask for support in our fight for a fair contract. One leader who responded to our call for support was Rick Hicks, President of the Joint Council of Teamsters No. 28, who was appalled by management tactics at the bargaining table.

In a letter to Chris Hughes, Rick wrote “It has recently come to our attention that Northwest Administrators has presented to the two bargaining units represented by our sisters and brothers at UFCW Local 21 unacceptable proposals that would impact their members’ own retirement account… this is unacceptable!” He continued “the workers represented by UFCW Local 21 work hard for our Teamster members every day and we value their expertise managing the Health and Welfare and Pension plans of our membership.”

“We look forward to seeing the bargaining process move swiftly towards and acceptable settlement that values the work of your employees.”

Rick’s letter is significant because he is also Co-Chair of the Washington Teamsters Health & Welfare Trust and a Trustee on the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust. He has pledged to continue lending our bargaining team support until we win a fair contract, and for that we are eternally grateful. 

The bargaining team will meet this week to plan our next steps as we prepare for our first day of mediation next week. Please reach out to a bargaining team member or call Union Representative Rhonda Fisher-Ivie at (206) 436-6584 if you have any questions. 

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

Macy's - Macy's Reliability Program Seems Unreliable

Today Macy’s went over their Reliability Program proposal in-depth and presented their healthcare proposals. 

• The Reliability Program would radically change the attendance system, so we asked a lot of questions. While are still assessing it, the answers to our questions were troubling. The biggest issues we have are:

• With no attendance credits, Macy’s said they can terminate employees based on “a pattern” of being “unreliable.”

• Managers have the sole power to approve or disapprove “occurrences” that negatively effect your “reliability percentage”. There is no appeal to change a negative to a positive.

• That means that you could actually be penalized for staying late and coming-in on an off day at a manager’s request, if they don’t agree with your dispute of the occurrence.

• The Reliability score is based on a percentage of the hours you work, so part-time employees are penalized more than full-time employees for the same occurrence.

There is too much to explain in this update, which is why you should come to our next set of bargaining update meetings (see below), to get the full details. We want to hear from you what your thoughts are.

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Macy’s Makes Healthcare Proposals 

Macy’s has finally put some economic proposals on the table for our healthcare, but still no wage proposals. We asked lots of questions about their proposals and are expecting to get some answers back; but we can’t make any decisions on healthcare proposals, till we know what they are proposing for wages and other economic parts of the contract.  Our wage proposals are on the table, and so we look forward to hearing theirs at our next session on June 1.

“At first glance this Reliability Program doesn’t seem to benefit us much at all. The parts Macy’s sees as positive don’t outweigh the negatives by a longshot.” 

– Emily Hunter, Alderwood Support Staff

Providence St. Peter Tech - Strike Authorization Vote on June 4!

We have been at the bargaining table since late June 2020 fighting for our first contract. One of the reasons we organized was to keep our EIB and PTO. Throughout bargaining, we have made thoughtful proposals which would improve our working conditions, make our pay rates competitive compared with similar sized hospitals in the area, and continue our EIB/PTO plan. We believe these proposals will help recruit and retain caregivers so we can provide better patient care, but Providence has rejected many of these proposals. 

They also changed our PTO plan on January 1, 2021 without bargaining with us. We file an unfair labor practice (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the NLRB found merit in our case! This shows that Providence’s unilateral change to our PTO plan was a violation to the National Labor Relations Act! 

Given the rejection of our proposals and the unfair labor practice, we are calling for a strike authorization vote! To go out on strike, two-thirds of voters must approve the strike. Going out on strike is always our last resort, but it is clear to us at the bargaining table that Providence is not willing to listen and does not respect us so we must take further collective action! Authorizing a strike means that your Tech bargaining team will have the ability to call a strike, potentially a ULP strike, if Providence continues to drag their feet at the bargaining table. 

We will be joining about 1,700 nurses at Providence Everett who will be voting to authorize a strike on June 2. Our vote will be on June 4 and we will be voting electronically via SimplyVoting from 12 AM to 9 PM. 

All members in good standing are elegible to vote.

To better inform our unit on what it means to strike, we will be holding an education meeting on June at 8 AM and 8 AM and June 2 at 6:30 PM. Please update your contact information on ufcw21.org/update-your-information if you do not receive email notifications from the Union. 

In Solidarity, Your Tech Bargaining Team: Josh Wood (CT), Shapel Morgan (X-ray), Rae Lynn Korpi (RT), Colleen Castaneda (Cath Lab)

Upcoming Strike Education Vote Meetings 

June 1 • 8:00 AM
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

June 1 • 8:00 PM
Register for this meeting for call-in details.

June 2 • 6:30 PM
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

PCC - Our PCC Bargaining Committee Unanimously Recommends a “NO” Vote on the Contract Offer and a “YES” Vote to Authorize a Strike

After six months of bargaining, PCC is still not offering competitive or respectful wages. They are only offering increases after hazard pay ends with no retroactive wages included. They continue to reject our proposals to increase the bottom of the scale, keep our wage scales above minimum wages, partner on training, and improve staff discounts. Additionally, PCC refuses to remove their takeaway proposals that would restrict our Just Cause provision and reduce new hire wages by $1.00-$2.00 dollars per hour when performing higher level work! 

It is now time to tell PCC that we are not interested in their wage scale proposal or takeaways in our contract! We deserve a fair contract which will help retain our current workforce and value the essential work that we do. 

The committee is recommending a “NO” vote on PCC’s latest proposal! 

The committee is additionally recommending a “YES” vote to authorize a strike!

We will be voting online via “Simply Vote” on Tuesday, June 15 from 12am to 11:59pm You will be receiving an email from “Simply Vote” with your unique login information. If you do not receive an email from UFCW 21 or “Simply Vote,” by June 14, check your spam folder first. Through this email, you will have access to the vote documents. All active members in good standing are eligible to vote.

If you have still not received an email, please update your information via ufcw21.org/update-your-information or contact your union rep.  

We will have vote meetings via Zoom to go over PCC’s last proposal and will post the vote documents on ufcw21.org

• June 7 @ 10am 

• June 7 @ 7pm 

• June 8 @ 10am 

• June 8 @ 7pm 

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

2021 Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to our 2021 Scholarship Recipients

Four-Year Scholarship
Jack Mezzone
on behalf UFCW 21 Member Melissa Mezzone of Skagit Regional Clinics

Health Care Profession Scholarship
Mari Bradley
of Multicare Good Samaritan Hospital

Health Care Profession Scholarship
Angela Harper
of Safeway

First in Family Scholarship
Jeanett Quintanilla
of PCC Community Markets

First in Family Scholarship
Melissa Morales
of PCC Community Markets

Full-time Student Scholarship
Lindsey Franklin
on behalf UFCW 21 Member Colton Peterson of PCC

Full-time Student Scholarship
Troy Schmidt
on behalf UFCW 21 Member Laura Schmidt of Safeway

Full-time Student Scholarship
Kelly Smith
of Providence St. Peter's Hospital

Full-time Student Scholarship
Viviane Mitchell
of Kaiser Permanente Washington

Full-time Student Scholarship
Emily Drozynski
on behalf UFCW 21 Member Jenny Drozynski of Kaiser Permanente Tacoma Specialty Clinic

Full-time Student Scholarship
Elisa Kooiman
of Food Pavilion

Full-time Student Scholarship
Shayan Shahrabadi
on behalf UFCW 21 Member Setareh Soltani of Sacred Heart hospital

Full-time Student Scholarship
Carmen Wilwert
on behalf UFCW 21 Member Tracy Wilwert of Olympic Medical Center

UFCW 21 Announces Formation of a Racial Justice Advisory Board

Yesterday, one year after the murder of George Floyd, our member-led Executive Board founded the UFCW 21 Racial Justice Advisory Board. The COVID pandemic has exacerbated the glaring racial disparities in our country—in our health care system and our economy, in education and housing, in the very health and safety of the water we drink and the air we breathe. The disproportionate effects of COVID and its economic consequences on BIPOC communities have included higher risks for diverse front-line workforces combined with poorer health care access and outcomes, a childcare crisis for working families that again fell more heavily on BIPOC workers, and an ongoing rise in anti-Asian hate crimes spurred by racist rhetoric from people in power.

While we still grieve over George Floyd’s death and the deaths of countless others, we have put our grief into action by organizing for change. We have been discussing how to build a union that fights for racial justice for a long time, and we have taken steps toward that future over the last year, including embedding racial justice work in our union’s fundamental strategic planning.

Now we take a further step and convene this formal body, made up of rank-and-file members, executive board members, and supported by union staff, to offer a clear racial justice lens for our work moving forward.

“Turning words into action is something we as union members have always done. We have turned words into bargaining proposals and won. We have turned words into legislation and passed laws. We look forward to taking member-led action on racial justice issues that impact us in our workplaces and in our communities.” Kyong Barry, UFCW 21 executive board member, shop steward, Auburn Albertsons front end supervisor 

Boards like this meet and advise union leadership from a specific perspective, bringing experience and insight that helps put our values of solidarity in action. We have an existing Health Care Advisory Board, which offers guidance from the perspective of health care members and helps our union make decisions that support our health care membership and the health care systems all our members and families rely on. We know our membership is affected by structural racism at work and in our communities. We continue to believe that we can only be weakened as a union by not addressing the things that divide and oppress us.

The UFCW 21 Racial Justice Advisory Board will help our union move forward on the work of building true solidarity, eliminating racial bias and promoting racial justice in our contracts, advocating for public policy that supports all our members and addresses equity, and learning what other steps will best help us create the future we want to see. 

The group will create its own founding document, recruit members, and elect group leadership in the coming weeks and months.

Yesterday, Michelle Obama called for “Lasting Change Across the Country” to mark the anniversary of Floyd’s death, and our executive board discussed the impact of our racial justice work over the past year and what we want to see moving ahead. We are answering the call for change by building something we expect to last and inviting all UFCW 21 members and allies to participate in building that future.

To learn more about our Racial Justice Advisory Board and get involved in our union’s work toward racial justice, contact Sarah Cherin at scherin@ufcw21.org.

Some of UFCW 21’s Racial Justice Work This Year: 

• MLK Labor Council Expels Seattle Police Officers Guild 

• WA Statewide Day of Action for Black Lives 

• Actions in Support of #StrikeForBlackLives | PHOTOS 

• Celebrating Juneteenth 

• Organizing for Our Right to Wear “Black Lives Matter” at Fred Meyer & QFC 

  • PHOTOS: Bellingham | Greenwood | Queen Anne | West Seattle 

  • VIDEO: Bellingham 

• Supporting Nonunion Grocery Store Workers Organizing for the Same Rights 

• Statement in Solidarity with Our AAPI Community  

• Responding to Guilty Verdict in the Trial of George Floyd’s Killer 

• APALA Labor Town Hall on Anti-Asian Racism  

Zenith American Solutions - Bargaining Continues

We met with management on May 24 to continue negotiations. We focused on wages, pension, and healthcare proposals. Some movement was made on both sides, but we are still working to win a fair economic package for our new contract. 

“We left negotiations today still feeling under valued regardless of years of service with the company. We countered with an updated wage grid, pension proposal and held strong on the healthcare costs.”  

— Carlotta Bogdon 

Your Bargaining Team: Carlotta Bogdon, Sr. Fund Accounting Specialist; Debbie DeVore, Sr. Pension Processor; Sue Wehmeyer, Sr. Claims Processor. 

Questions or concerns? Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep, David Trujillo @ dtrujillo@ufcw21.org or 360-419-4665

PRMCE RN - Strike Authorization Vote Notice

On May 24, we met with the Hospital for our seventh mediation session. In our last session on May 10, we presented to Providence a 7% across-the-board wage increase each year of the contract plus increases to our premiums and improvements to contract language, including staffing language. Providence responded with minimal movement on wage increases. While our wage increases would apply to all nurses for every year of the contract, Providence’s wage proposal is about 5.25% less than our proposal the first year, about 5% less than our proposal the second year, and part of their third-year proposal would only apply to nurses between base step to step 20 and a bonus for step 30 to step 35. Providence may say that their overall wage proposal is 17%, but that is incorrect. 

Fun fact: Under our current pay scale, we have 2% step increments in between each step. This means that every year we receive an across-the-board wage increase plus our anniversary step increase of 2%. Providence is including the 2% wage increment in their overall calculation which is deceptive. Their overall wage proposal is less than 6% for three years. 

Additionally, Providence continues to propose eliminating EIB, reducing PTO, and mandatory paid parking for all bargaining units including OPEIU, Pros, and Techs. 

While we have been at the bargaining table, Providence has been offering bonuses and incentives to RNs for flipping shifts, sign-on bonuses, and extra shift incentives. Some of these bonuses are as high as 20 thousand dollars. The Hospital has not negotiated with us over most of these bonuses. This is money that could have been reallocated to current nurses for retention bonuses or increases to our base rates! The Hospital is also interfering with your right to act together to report unsafe staffing events.

Given Providence’s disrespectful proposal and unfair labor practices regarding the bonuses, we are calling for a strike vote on June 2. We believe our strike will be a ULP strike based on the Hospital’s conduct described above. For us to go on strike, we must approve it! We will be voting online via an email from SimplyVote from 12am to 9pm. All members in good standing are eligible to vote. If you were unable to vote during our last electronic vote, please update your information online @ ufcw21.org/update-your-information. 

We will be holding strike education vote meetings on May 25 at 8pm, June 1 at 8am and 8pm via Zoom where nurses can ask questions. Our next mediation sessions will be on June 17 and 25. 

In solidarity, Your RN Bargaining Team: Juan Stout, ER; Kimball Conlon, ER; Betsy Bourg, Glasgow; Cindi Dyson, Float Pool; Jenney Gannon, L&D; Madison Hamilton

Upcoming Strike Education Vote Meetings 

June 1 • 8am

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

May 25 and June 1 • 8pm

Register for this meeting for call-in details.