Providence Centralia Tech - No Deal Reached! Next Bargaining Session on September 8!

On August 25 we met with Providence Centralia. We were able to reach tentative agreements on union membership, leave of absence, and management rights. We spent the rest of the day working on a proposal around wages, EIB/PTO, premium pay, retirement, health insurance, hours of work/overtime, education fund, and employment practices. 

Providence provided us with a comprehensive proposal which included: 

• Wages—Placement onto the wage scale and 2.5% wage increase in Year 1; 2% wage increase in Year 2 and an anniversary wage increase; 2% wage increase in Year 3 and an anniversary wage increase 

• Elimination of EIB/ reduced PTO program which is currently in place

• Ability to change health insurance and retirement plan from time to time 

• Education funds of $400 or $300 depending on your FTE

• No daily overtime

Our proposal included:

• Wages—Placement onto a competitive wage scale and a guaranteed 3.5% wage increase in 2021; 3% wage increase, anniversary wage increase, and two-step progression increase if your years of experience do not reflect your wage step in 2022; 3% wage increase, anniversary wage increase, and two-step progression increase if your years of experience do not reflect your wage step in 2023

• Reinstatement of the 2019 EIB/PTO 

• Health insurance and retirement cannot be change for the life of the contract 

• Education fund of $400 or $300 depending on your FTE plus three days of time off

• Daily overtime for all caregivers

As you can see the biggest differences between our proposals are wages, EIB/PTO, daily overtime, health insurance, and retirement plan. Given these differences we were not able to reach a deal on August 25.  In order to win better wage scale placement, better wage increases, and a better PTO plan we need everyone to sign a strike pledge card. 

This past week the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found merit in our unfair labor practice (ULP) surrounding the changes to PTO! We will be going to hearing around this issue in November since Providence has taken the position that their changes were announced and therefore not illegal. We believe we have evidence which proves our point. This ULP would be our striking issue! 

Next step is to sign onto the strike pledge and we will be at the bargaining table again on September 8. If you have any questions, please contact the bargaining team or Erin McCoy. 

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

Providence Centralia - Union wage rates and benefits differ from Management's proposal

On August 5, we bargained with Providence Centralia. Although we have not met in more than a month, we were able to take the wins from the Providence Centralia Technical and Providence St. Peter’s Hospital bargaining tables and apply them to our unit’s bargain. Therefore, it is so important that we stand UNITED with our coworkers at PCH and PSPH. We were able to reach tentative agreements on Management rights, Union representation, Union membership, definitions, and leaves of absence.

The remaining articles are hours of work/overtime, rates of pay, premium pay, EIB/PTO, health programs, employment status, retirement plan, and duration of the agreement.

These articles are mostly all economic. Although we are close on a few issues within these articles the biggest differences between our proposals and Providence’s proposal are the following:

Hours of Work/Overtime

• UNION
  If you work beyond your scheduled work day or more than 40 hours in a week, you would receive daily and weekly overtime

• You will receive 1 ½ your rate of pay for hours worked beyond your FTE

• Caregivers will have two out of four weekends off in a month. Caregivers who usually have weekends off or who usually work weekends should not be affected

• PROVIDENCE
  Overtime only applies if you work more than 40 hours in a week

Rates of Pay

• UNION
  Year 1: Wage scale with 26 steps; everyone receives a 4.5% increase and in some cases caregivers will receive up to a 15% increase because their wage rates are below market
  Year 2 and Year 3: Everyone receives a 3% across the board increase (cost-of-living increase) and anniversary increase

• PROVIDENCE
  Year 1: 1.5% wage increase
  Year 2: wage scale with an increase to “minimum, midpoint, maximum” ranges
  Year 3: 1.5% wage increase and anniversary increase
  Year 4: 1.5% wage increase and anniversary increase

Premium Pay

• UNION
  Increases to all differentials

• PROVIDENCE
  No increases to any differentials

EIB/PTO

• UNION
  100% Employer-covered Employee only health insurance

• PROVIDENCE
  Continuing reduced PTO plan and will not bring back EIB

Health Programs

• UNION
  Continuation of current retirement plan

• PROVIDENCE
  Will not spell out the terms of the current plan and can change the plan from time to time

Retirement Plan

• UNION
  Continuation of current retirement plan

• PROVIDENCE
  Will not spell out the terms of the current plan and can change the plan from time to time

Duration

• UNION
  Contract expires in three years. Typically, Union contracts are three year agreements

• PROVIDENCE
  Contract expires in 2025

We have another bargaining session on August 10 where we will be digging deep on the remaining articles to come to an agreement. Providence has indicated that they wish to finalize the PCH Tech and PSPH Tech contracts this month but has not indicated that for our unit. It is important that we are not left behind and we get a similar contract to PCH Tech and PSPH Techs.

To show our UNITED power, please sign onto the strike pledge card which we will be presenting to Providence later on in August!

>> CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE STRIKE PLEDGE CARD >>

Providence Centralia Tech - Economics and Benefit Language Remains Unsettled!

On August 2, we met with Providence Centralia. As a team, we worked hard in the morning to analyze surrounding area hospital wages and determine if our wage proposal is reasonable. We determined that our proposed wage rates were slightly below other unionized hospitals, but above non-union hospitals. Given that, we did not change our wage scale, but made modifications in other parts of our proposal. 

We presented to Providence the following wage proposal: 

Year 1—Caregivers will be placed onto a 26 step wage scale based on their current hourly rate, with a guarantee that all caregivers would receive at least a 3.5% wage increase. Any caregiver whose years of service in their job classification at Providence does not correspond to their step placement will receive a two-step progression each year of the contract, until their years of service and step matches. 

Year 2 and 3—Caregivers would receive a 3% across-the-board increase and a 2% longevity step increase on their anniversary date. Any caregiver with 26 years of experience or more will receive a 3% across the board increase each year but will not receive a longevity step increase. 

Under Providence’s proposal, caregivers would receive a 1.5% increase in Year 1, an average of a 2% increase in Year 2, a 1.5% across-the-board increase and longevity step increase in Year 3, and a 1.5% across-the-board increase and longevity step increase in Year 4. Providence will also give two-step progression to caregivers whose years of service and step do not correspond starting in Year 2 of the contract. Also their wage scale stops at step 20 which means caregivers would top out faster under their wage scale. 

The difference between our proposal and Providence’s proposal is our wage table and annual wage increases. In most classifications, we are proposing base rates that are $2 to $5 more than their base rates. Additionally, their wage proposal is tied to accepting the elimination of EIB/reduction of PTO..

In order to move Providence to accepting our wage scale, we need to take action! We will be presenting strike pledge cards to Providence later in August to show them that we are willing to strike if they continue making the same PTO and wage proposal! 

Please sign a strike pledge card online and join us for an in-person meeting on August 9 from 6:30AM to 8:30AM and August 12 from 4PM to 6PM outside of the North Entrance at PCH near the physical therapy building to sign a strike pledge card and get a bargaining update! 

If you have any question please contact your union rep Erin McCoy. Our next bargaining session is on August 25. 

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

Providence Centralia Tech - Providence Centralia Tech - Providence Makes a Wage Proposal, but It Is Still Not Enough!

On July 26, 2021 we met with Providence Centralia management. In our previous bargaining session on June 30, 2021, Providence proposed a 2% across the board wage increase (cost of living increase), but they did not propose a wage scale. In that session we told Providence that we deserved a wage scale like Providence St. Peter’s Techs and every union contract within the Providence system. 

In this bargaining session, Providence finally made a wage proposal which included a wage scale, but it is not enough. Providence is proposing: 

• Year 1 (2021)—1.5% across the board increase (no wage scale)

• Year 2 (2022)—employees will be placed onto a wage scale depending on their hourly rate and not based on years of experience

• Year 3 (2023) and Year 4 (2024) 1.5% across the board increase and an increase on your anniversary date

• Continuing the new PTO plan and eliminating EIB 

UFCW 21 is proposing: 

• Year 1 (2021)—All employees shall receive at least a 4.5% wage increase and will be placed on a competitive wage scale depending on their years of experience

• Year 2 (2022)—3% across the board increase and 2% increase on your anniversary date

• Year 3 (2023)—3% across the board increase and 2% increase on your anniversary date 

• Reinstating the 2020 PTO/EIB plan and a three-year contract which is the typical duration of a union contract 

We believe that their proposal is a step in the right direction, but it still does not consider how far behind we are compared to the surrounding hospitals or our individual job experience. 

Our strike authorization and other actions are the reason why we were able to obtain this proposal! We now need to fight for our EIB/PTO and a wage scale for all three years of the contract.

We are getting closer to an agreement, but the major hurdles we are facing are wages, EIB/PTO, and keeping benefits as is for the life of the contract.

In order to get passed these hurdles, we need you all to sign onto our strike pledge card to show Providence that we will strike over our PTO unfair labor practice and wages if we do not see improvements to their proposals. 

We will be planning an in-person action in August to present these strike cards along with St. Peter’s and community partners.

If you have any question please contact your union rep Erin McCoy. Our next bargaining sessions are on August 2 and August 25. 

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

Providence Centralia Tech - Slow Progress! Future Action in August!

On July 19, we met with Providence for our eleventh bargaining session since October 2020. We were able to reach a tentative agreement on “Definitions” and clarified our weekend work proposal in the “Hours of Work and Overtime” article. We proposed language which would give caregivers the ability to get at least two weekends off in a month. Our intent with this language was misunderstood by Providence, but we have made it clear that we do not want to force caregivers to work more weekends, but instead the language is to give caregivers more weekends off!

Currently Providence has proposed a 2% wage increase and a continuation of their “minimum, midpoint, and maximum” ranges. We looked at surrounding hospitals and other tech union contracts and verified that our wage proposal is extremely reasonable and will bring our wages closer to the market average. 

We told Providence that we believe our proposal is not unreasonable and that we do not agree with their “ranges.” To obtain a longevity wage scale and yearly across the board increase (cost of living increase), we need to continue pressuring Providence. We need the entire unit to sign a strike pledge card so we can show Providence that we will strike if we do not see movement on PTO and wages! 

Our community partners are also signing to support us on the strike line if we end up striking. Please sign onto the strike pledge card online or with a bargaining committee member. We will be holding a contract update meeting on Tuesday, July 27 over Zoom. 

If you have any question please contact your union rep Erin McCoy. Our next bargaining sessions are on July 26, August 2, and August 25. 

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

Contract Update Meeting

Tuesday, July 27

6:00PM

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

Sign the Pledge Card!

https://bit.ly/Prov-Strike-Pledge

Providence Centralia Tech - Providence’s Proposals Come Up Short Again!

On June 16, our PCH Tech unit authorized a strike by 88% and rejected Providence’s current contract offer by 97%! We joined the PCH Support Services, PSPH Techs, and PRMCE RNs in authorizing a strike! Together we are more than 2,000 caregivers who will potentially be going on strike if Providence continues to make subpar proposals!

On June 30, we met with Providence for our tenth bargaining session. As a team we went through our priorities and drafted proposals which will help advance negotiations.

One of the package proposals that we presented include union membership language, management’s rights, premium pay, and hours of work/overtime. Under union membership language, we proposed “ modified shop”, which is the same language PCH RNs currently have in their contract. This gives caregivers the option of becoming union members or opting out 30 days after initial hire or after ratification for current employees. We also proposed premiums like daily overtime, overtime above your FTE, increases to shift differentials  and lead pay, and preceptor pay.

Providence did finally hear our arguments and understood that training new hires and students goes above and beyond our job duties and agreed to preceptor pay!

Providence also made a counter proposal to our longevity wage scale and across the board increases. They proposed to keep their current wage ranges and merit system in place with a 2% wage increase.  This is extremely disappointing given that Providence St. Peter’s Techs were offered across the board wage increases with a longevity wage scale. Our team made it clear that we deserve the same type of wage scale and we do the same work as PSPH Techs!

Throughout this bargain, Providence has treated us differently than PSPH Techs and other units. It is time that we show Providence that we are willing to fight just like our sisters and brothers at PSPH. We are asking that you sign onto our strike pledge card and pledge to participate in a strike if it comes to that! Please attend a strike education meeting on July 7 @ 6 PM via Zoom for a bargaining update and to learn more about your right to strike.

If you have any question please contact your union rep Erin McCoy. Our next bargaining dates are on July 19 and 26.

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

Strike Education Meeting

Wednesday, July 7 

6:00PM

https://zoom.us/join

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

Providence Centralia Support Services - Providence—Reinstate OUR PTO plan!

On June 16, our support service unit joined three other units—including Providence Everett RNs, Centralia Technical, and St. Pete’s Technical units—in voting overwhelmingly to authorize a strike!

On June 18, our committee sat down to identify our priorities and advance our bargain to win a fair first contract. Our proposals included: 

• Wage scale to prevent disparate wages 

• Reinstatement of our PTO/EIB program which will ensure we receive wage replacement while we are on medical leave for ourselves and our family 

• 100% Employer paid healthcare and contract language which would prevent premium increases

• Continuation of our retirement plan and contract language which would prevent reductions to contributions

• “Just cause”- the Employer must use progressive discipline, conduct a neutral investigation, and other standards to discipline employees

• Daily overtime and overtime for hours above our FTE

We have taken legal action against Providence and have filed an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board after Providence unilaterally eliminated our PTO plan and are asking the Board to reinstate our previous PTO plan. 

Striking is always our last option and our team is committed to bargaining in good faith to find solutions at the bargaining table. It is now time for Providences to do the same thing, take our proposals seriously and provide a fair and equitable first contract. 

We look forward to setting future bargaining dates and expect to be back at the bargaining table soon. 

Remember, if you haven’t voted, please take a minute to sign a strike pledge card and attend a strike education meeting so you can better understand what it means to strike! 

In Solidarity, Your Support Services Bargaining Team: Necole Moore, EVS; KayCee Grimm, Lab; Kim Jorgenson, ED HUC; Aaron Green, Kitchen; Laura Norton, Endo Tech

Strike Education Meeting *TOMORROW!

Wednesday, June 23 

6:00PM

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

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). 

---

Providence Centralia Hospital Tech - Hands Off Our PTO!

After hundreds of us marched on the picket line including nurses and techs at Everett and St. Peter’s on May 5, Providence continues to disrespect us at the table! We have worked through an entire pandemic short staffed and being undervalued! Providence is trying to frustrate us so we will accept a bad deal. We are essential workers and deserve more than what Providence is offering. 

On May 11, we discussed proposals regarding health insurance, holidays, daily/weekly overtime, PTO, and rates of pay. One of the main reasons we unionized was to keep our EIB/PTO plan. Providence announced the elimination of EIB prior to bargaining, but never announced any changes to our PTO plan until we were in contract negotiations. Due to this change in the status quo, we will be filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). We filed a charge for St. Peter’s and the NLRB found merit in our case! This means that Providence must reinstate the original PTO plan at St. Peter’s. At Centralia, we need to show Providence that we want to keep our original PTO plan and they must bargain with us to change it! 

In addition, Providence finally proposed their wage proposal which is a continuation of their merit increase/ “minimum, midpoint, maximum” pay scale. This proposal would continue the wage disparity amongst our unit and would not take into account our years of service. Providence can arbitrarily place us anywhere on their pay scale and our merit increases would be up to our core leaders. In other union contracts, Providence union members have: 1) annual wage increases 2) anniversary date wage increases 3) wage scale with at least 20 steps  

We believe that we must take further action to move them away from this proposal which is a drastic deviation from all other union contracts with Providence. Our next action will most likely be to vote down Providence’s proposal. We will be holding a contract action team meeting to discuss bargaining on May 26 and 27.

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

PCH will have in person meetings at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Wednesday, May 26 from 1-3 pm, and Thursday, May 27 from 5-7 pm!

Providence Centralia Hospital Support Services - Hands Off Our PTO!

After hundreds of us marched on the picket line including nurses and techs at Everett and St. Peter’s on May 5, Providence continues to disrespect us at the table! We have worked through an entire pandemic short staffed and being undervalued! Providence is trying to frustrate us so we will accept a bad deal. We are essential workers and deserve more than what Providence is offering. 

On May 17, we discussed proposals regarding PTO, leaves of absence, recognition, definitions, grievance, and no strike/no lockout. One of the main reasons we unionized was to keep our EIB/PTO plan. Providence announced the elimination of EIB prior to bargaining, but never announced any changes to our PTO plan until we were in contract negotiations. Due to this change in the status quo, we will be filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). We filed a charge for St. Peter’s and the NLRB found merit in our case! This means that Providence must reinstate the original PTO plan at St. Peter’s. At Centralia, we need to show Providence that we want to keep our original PTO plan and they must bargain with us to change it!

We also asked Providence for their wage proposal, but they told us they are still working on their proposal. At the PCH Tech table, Providence proposed merit wage increases and a “minimum, midpoint, maximum” pay scale which mirrors their current practice. We expect that Providence will propose something similar to our unit.

If this is the case, our next action will most likely be to vote down Providence’s proposal. We will be holding a contract action team meeting to discuss bargaining on May 26 and 27.

In Solidarity, Your Support Services Bargaining Team: Necole Moore, EVS; KayCee Grimm, Lab; Kim Jorgenson, ED HUC; Aaron Green, Kitchen; Laura Norton, Endo Tech

PCH will have in person meetings at Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Wednesday, May 26 from 1-3 pm, and Thursday, May 27 from 5-7 pm!

Providence - Info Picket on May 5!

We have been at the bargaining table with Providence Everett, Centralia, and St. Peter’s Hospital for several months now and all we have seen from Providence is TAKEAWAYS and subpar contract language. It is time that we take our contract fight to the street and show the community and our patients how Providence treats its FRONTLINE WORKERS. 

At Providence Centralia, the Hospital proposed a 2% merit increase outside of contract negotiations for the Techs and Support Services units. We did not ask for a merit increase at the bargaining table, but as a team we agreed to the increase and view it as a recognition of our work during the pandemic. We still plan to fight for longevity step wage increases, annual wage increases, and competitive hourly wage rates! On top of that, Providence continues to propose language which would allow them to change policies during the life of the contract and has rejected some core standards we have in all union contracts like “just cause.” 

At Providence St. Peter’s, we asked the Hospital why they offered Centralia a 2% increase. The Hospital’s response was that Centralia has received a merit increase every year and St. Peter’s has not, therefore Centralia’s “status quo” is to receive a merit increase. This is statement is misleading! We have received merit increases every year except in 2020. While we are in contract negotiations, the Hospital cannot change policies or procedures and must continue all current practices, this is the “status quo,” but they can offer merit increases if they ask the Union. Their claim that their hands are tied is false! If they wanted to give us a merit increase like Centralia they could do so! On top of that, we have made a lot of movement at the table, but they continue proposing contract language which allows them to change policies during the life of the contract. We cannot agree to this weak contract language! 

At Providence Everett, we will have our next mediation sessions on April 12 and 16. We expect Providence to continue pushing back on our improvements to contract language and competitive wage increases. In addition, the Hospital continues to propose the elimination of EIB, reductions to PTO, mandatory paid parking, below market wage increases, and no increases to premium pay.

It is clear to all the bargaining teams that to win a good contract we need to pressure them with workplace actions! They need to see that we are willing to fight and will not agree to their bad deal! We will be holding an informational picket on May 5th at all three hospitals, including both campuses in Everett. You are allowed under the National Labor Relations Act to take collective action and not be retaliated against! We are asking that you stand on the picket line during your free time, meaning before/after your shift, during your lunch break, or on your day off. If you cannot attend because you are working, please have your family/friends attend the picket on your behalf! Family, friends, and the community are welcome to our picket! 

Please RSVP and share the RSVP link with your coworkers, including the nurses at PSPH and PCH! If you would like to distribute picket RSVP cards, please reach out to your Union Rep Erin McCoy 206-436-6598 (PCH/PSPH) or Anthony Cantu 206-436-6566 (PRMCE). 

In Solidarity, PCH Support Services and Tech Bargaining Team, PSPH Tech Bargaining Team, and PRMCE RN Bargaining Team

• Providence St. Peter’s (Olympia)
  Wednesday, May 5 @ 2-5pm
  413 Lilly Rd NE, Olympia, WA 98506

• Providence Everett (Colby Campus)
  Wednesday, May 5 @ 3-5pm
  1700 13th St, Everett, WA 98201

• Providence Everett (Pacific Campus)
  Wednesday, May 5 @ 3-5pm
  916 Pacific Ave, Everett, WA 98201

• Providence Centralia Hospital (Centralia)
  Wednesday, May 5 @ 2-5pm 
  914 S Scheuber Rd, Centralia, WA 98531

Providence - Moving Towards an Info Picket!

On March 16 we met with Providence Centralia Hospital (PCH) and on March 19 we met with Providence St. Peter’s Hospital (PSPH) to continue bargaining for a first contract. Throughout the bargaining process, both bargaining committees have been making proposals that are very similar to one another. Both PCH and PSPH are facing the same workplace issues and are dealing with the same kind of pushback at the bargaining table. This is the reason why PSPH and PCH workers must stand UNITED! 

At the PCH table, we were able to obtain one tentative agreement on the “Labor Management Committee” article. The labor-management committee provides a space for workers and management to come together and try to solve workplace issues like job assignments and staffing. We also made our economic proposal, which included competitive wage increases, premium pay, a retirement plan, and health insurance coverage. We expect the Hospital will respond in the same manner as they did with PSPH Techs. They offered the PSPH Techs no guaranteed wage increases (only merit increases) and no longevity steps. In all our union contracts with Providence, we have annual wage increases plus longevity step increases which are dependent on your years of service. We believe that if Providence responds this way, we should take their proposal to a vote just like PSPH! This will show Providence that we stand UNITED against their lackluster economic proposal. 

At the PSPH table, we spent most of the time on two articles: leaves of absence and seniority. We have moved away from some of our previous positions to show Providence we are prioritizing other articles like compensation and PTO/EIB. We also presented our financial transparency petition at the table and Providence was outraged by our show of solidarity! The point of our petition is to demand transparency on how they spend their money to better understand the resources they are devoting to us and how much more they can spend on wages! Providence may say that they provided “extra shift bonuses” to us, but this was only available to respiratory therapists (RTs). Also, they provided “pandemic pay,” but this pay has been inaccessible for most workers and it was only offered for a short period of time. 

We need to take public action to bring light to Providence’s treatment of frontline workers and move Providence at the bargaining table! Our next step is to have an informational picket at Providence St. Peter’s, Centralia, and Everett. We will be holding this informational picket on May 5. We will be holding picket training meetings on April 7 and 28. Please attend one of these meetings to learn your rights! If you have any questions, please contact your Union Representative Erin McCoy (206) 436-6598.

Picket Training  

Wednesday, April 7 @ 6:30 PM
Wednesday, April 28 @ 6:30 PM

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

Providence Centralia Hospital Community Letter

Dear Community & Patients of Providence Centralia Hospital,

We are the Technical Unit at Providence Centralia Hospital, serving you, our patients in a variety of different ways including Ultrasound, Echo, MRI, Interventional Radiology (IR), CT, X-ray, Respiratory Therapy (RT), and Pharmacy. Our jobs are very fulfilling, but also at times stressful, as we face chronic staffing shortages and now a global pandemic. We also know that it’s important for Tech workers to come together to voice our shared concerns, and to collectively advocate for the work conditions that we need for ourselves and our patients. That is why we voted to join UFCW 21 and are now meeting with management to bargain our first contract. We have joined the RNs at Providence Centralia Hospital and other Techs, Service, Dietary, and EVS workers throughout the Providence system in Washington State.

However, since we started the bargaining process, it has become clear that Providence Centralia Hospital does not respect our Technical Unit. While the RNs have an annual leave and sick leave bank, the Tech unit has an extended illness bank (EIB) and paid time off (PTO) bank. As of January 2021, Providence has taken away our extended illness bank, which acts as a short-term disability plan during medical leaves of absence. Providence has implemented a lesser short-term disability plan and is benefiting from the WA Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) program, which is funded by the State and WA workers. Instead of providing more time off to frontline workers during a pandemic, Providence is decreasing sick time and PTO and saving money by using the State’s PFML program.

In addition, they offered us barebone proposals and are not agreeing to memorialize several important policies such as leaves of absence and PTO. They are undermining our good faith effort to advocate for time to be with our families and to get the time off that we need to do our jobs well.

We know that we will need to take actions to show Providence Centralia that healthcare workers and community are aligned in advocating for basic needs in our hospital. We hope that you will join us. Please let us know if you have upcoming meetings we can attend and give an update, or if there are other ways of connecting our struggle with other advocacy campaigns on access to healthcare and basic human needs such as housing and food.

We are so honored to be your healthcare team and look forward to better care for all our patients.

Sincerely,
Providence Centralia Hospital Bargaining Committee:
Jennifer (Mammography), Jamie (RT), Verity (Pharmacy), Jennifer (CT), Kathy (RT)

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Providence: Protect Your Frontline, Not Your Bottom Line!

We, the community members and patients of Providence, request that Providence keep healthcare workers safe and healthy in these unprecedented times. Caregivers are risking their lives and the lives of their families, every day to care for our communities. They face understaffing, insufficient PPE and possible loss of necessary time off.  We have heard from caregivers that Providence is claiming budget constraints preventing them from providing these necessary provisions to keep our hospitals safe. If this is the case, we are calling on Providence to be transparent regarding their finances and budget. 

We are aware that Providence received hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief money, has billions of dollars in cash reserves, and is running two venture Capital firms in Seattle. We are asking that Providence protect the workers that care for us and our communities and not prioritize their bottom-line.

Given the lack of transparency with finances, we ask that Providence:

1) Respond to workers' information requests, including:

• Amount of COVID-19 relief funds awarded and how they are being used 

• Amount and type of PPE available at each Hospital  

• Providence's detailed financial reports for each Hospital   

• Detailed accounting of Providence's community benefits activities at each Hospital

2) Protect the front-line by making proposals that respect the care workers give to patients and our communities during the Global Pandemic.

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Providence Centralia - Providence Is “Not Interested” in Appreciating the Work of the Techs!

On January 5, we met and bargained with Providence. We presented the “holidays” article, which dictates holiday pay for the entire unit. In all the economic, monetary-related, articles we have proposed, our objective has been to memorialize or improve current practices. Providence has rejected our economic proposals and proposed very weak contract language which allows them to change practices at any time! We are now starting to discuss more economic proposals and anticipate that Providence will continue to reject our proposals if we do not take action!

Today, we told Providence that we believe that the entire Technical Unit deserves an extra shift bonus like the RN unit at PCH. The PCH RNs have been offered an additional bonus for picking up extra shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Providence has offered a similar agreement to the Technical Unit at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett (PRMCE) and has proposed a similar bonus for the Respiratory Therapists at PCH and PSPH. While we are greatly appreciate that Providence has recognized the critical and dangerous work the Respiratory Therapists are doing during the ongoing pandemic, we are disappointed that Providence has failed to recognize the other Technical Unit members who work alongside Respiratory Therapy and the RNs. We believe that this is another attempt on Providence’s part to divide us and weaken our solidarity as we work to secure a fair first contract.

Providence told us that they “are not interested” in offering an extra shift bonus for the frontline Technical Unit members who work tirelessly with Respiratory Therapists and RNs to provide critical, lifesaving care to patients. Providence has the resources to take care of its workers, but only if we hold them accountable. We ask you to stand with us, and sign a petition and demand that Providence does the right thing: Protect the Frontline, and not their bottom line!

Above is the link to our petition and we will distributing paper copies of the petition. If you are interested in collecting signatures please contact your union rep Erin McCoy (206)436-6598 or emccoy@ufcw21.org. PSPH and PRMCE will be collecting signatures as well and we will be presenting our petition towards the end of the month. Our next contract action team/bargaining update meeting will be held later on in the month via Zoom..

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 Service - Providence Ignores Our Demands and Will Eliminate EIB January 1!

On December 9, we met and bargained with Providence. In our last bargaining session, we made a proposal to keep our EIB/PTO, but Providence has not responded! Instead, they presented their new PTO plan which would eliminate EIB. Our position is that Providence should not implement the new plan until we bargain over PTO/EIB and it is a change to the status quo. Under the National Labor Relations Act, employers cannot change policies or procedures, the “status quo,” after a workplace has unionized. Because of this, we have demanded that Providence not implement their new PTO plan until we reach a contract agreement!

Their new PTO plan will 1) freeze your EIB accrual 2) reduce your PTO accrual rate, especially for employees with 10 years or more of service 3) your PTO will also be used for sick time 4) their short term disability plan provides wage replacement only if you are on medical leave and doesn’t apply if you are on leave for a family member. In addition, WA State Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML), which Providence is calling “short term disability” is a state-run program which all Centralia employees can currently use for 12 weeks with partial wage replacement and use their EIB to reach 100% wage replacement. Providence is selling this program as an additional benefit, but the reality is that all employees can access this program and employees are paying into the PFML program.

In addition, we exchanged proposals around recognition of the bargaining unit, union access, grievance procedure, no strike/no lockout, and management rights. 

We will go more in-depth about bargaining at our “Contract Action Team” meeting on Monday, December 14 @ 5:30 PM via Zoom. Furthermore, we will be planning a banner action in Centralia and a financial transparency petition, in order to hold Providence accountable for receiving COVID-19 relief money and not distributing that money to caregivers. If you have any questions or wish to participate in these actions, please contact your Union Rep, Erin McCoy: emccoy@ufcw21.org or 206-436-6598

In Solidarity, Your Support Service Bargaining Team: Necole Moore, EVS; KayCee Grimm, Lab; Kim Jorgenson, ED HUC; Aaron Green, Kitchen; Laura Norton, Endo Tech

Providence Centralia Hospital Tech - Providence Ignores Our Demands and Will Eliminate EIB January 1!

On December 8, we met and bargained with Providence. We made a proposal to keep our EIB/PTO and Providence presented their new PTO plan which would eliminate EIB. Our position is that Providence should not implement the new plan until we bargain over PTO/EIB and it is a change to the status quo. Under the National Labor Relations Act, employers cannot change policies or procedures, the “status quo,” after a workplace has unionized. Because of this, we have demanded that Providence not implement their new PTO plan until we reach a contract agreement!

Their new PTO plan will 1) freeze your EIB accrual 2) reduce your PTO accrual rate, especially for employees with 10 years or more of service 3) your PTO will also be used for sick time 4) their short term disability plan provides wage replacement only if you are on medical leave and doesn’t apply if you are on leave for a family member. In addition, WA State Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML), which Providence is calling “short term disability” is a state-run program which all Centralia employees can currently use for 12 weeks with partial wage replacement and use their EIB to reach 100% wage replacement. Providence is selling this program as an additional benefit, but the reality is that all employees can access this program and employees are paying into the PFML program.

In addition, we reached agreement on five contract articles: recognition, union access, grievance procedure, no strike/no lockout, and separability. 

We will go more in-depth about bargaining at our “Contract Action Team” meeting on Monday, December 14 at 5:30 PM via Zoom. Furthermore, we will be planning a banner action in Centralia and a financial transparency petition, in order to hold Providence accountable for receiving COVID-19 relief money and not distributing that money to caregivers. If you have any questions or wish to participate in these actions, please contact your Union Rep, Erin McCoy: emccoy@ufcw21.org or 206-436-6598

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 - We Are Essential Workers! Providence Treat Us With Respect!

On Wednesday, November 18, the Bargaining Team met with Providence. During negotiations the Hospital, rejected closed shop union membership language and continues to reject other union security language.

It is important that we obtain strong union security language so we can enforce the collective bargaining agreement and empower the unit. If we agreed to the Hospital’s proposals around union security and membership, it would result in having no union members and would deteriorate the collective bargaining agreement. The RN unit had weak membership language in past contracts and this resulted in the Hospital offering lower wage increases compared to the RN unit at St. Peter’s.

In addition, we made proposals on EIB and PTO. The Hospital’s position is that they will move forward with the changes to EIB/PTO because these changes were announced before the unit unionized. Our position is that the Hospital should wait to implement any changes and we need to bargain over EIB/PTO. We will be looking into legal avenues to delay the implementation of the program. 

One of the Bargaining Team’s priorities is ensuring we protect EIB/PTO. In order to achieve this we will need to take action and show the Hospital that we are willing to fight to keep EIB!

One way to take action is by wearing a sticker and posting a sign in your car while at work. If you have not received a car sign or sticker, please contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep, Erin McCoy @ (206) 436-6598. Our next bargaining session will be on December 9 where we will continue talking about EIB/PTO. In additional, we will be holding a contract action team meeting via Zoom on December 14 @ 5:30 PM, where we will discuss bargaining in more detail.

Your Support Service Bargaining Team: Necole Moore, EVS; KayCee Grimm, Lab; Kim Jorgenson, ED HUC; Aaron Green, Kitchen; Laura Norton, Endo Tech

Providence Centralia Hospital - Providence Proposes Weak Contract Language!

On November 11, we bargained with Providence. We discussed several articles: union representation/access to the Hospital, union membership, unit layoffs, low census, and EIB/PTO. The Hospital continues to reject our proposals, which are similar to the current contract language of the RN unit at Centralia. The Hospital is intent on curtailing our union rights through our contract. Although we are a newly organized unit, we believe that our unit deserves the same benefits as the RNs.

The only way we will win those benefits is by showing the Hospital that we are united and willing to fight for our benefits, like EIB. In our last session, the Hospital stated they are going to move forward with the new EIB program as of January 1, 2021. We believe that they cannot move forward with that plan and they must maintain current policies until we have reached an agreement, according to the National Labor Relations Act. As so, we will be pursing every avenue to prevent this change from taking effect.

In our next bargaining session, the Hospital will be making a presentation around EIB/PTO and we expect this article to be contentious. In addition, we will be distributing a petition to request the Hospital be transparent about their finances, especially since Providence received COVID-19 relief money from the government.

If you need more car signs or stickers, please contact Erin McCoy—Union Rep, 206-436-6598—or your Bargaining Team. Our next contract action team meeting to discuss updates and next steps will be on November 19 @ 5:30 PM on Zoom.

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 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