PRMCE Technical - Tentative Agreement Reached Bargaining Team Unanimously Recommends a Yes Vote

On January 18, 2022 our bargaining team reached a tentative agreement on our contract. This expedited bargaining process has been successful and resulted in big wins for our bargaining unit without any takeaways.

• The three-year agreement includes:

• Competitive wage increases, including market adjustments for many classifications

• Bonus upon ratification and one year later

• Improvements to step progressions in the wage scale

• Increases to education funds

• Increases to evening and night shift differentials

• Increases to Standby Pay 

• Increases to Preceptor Pay

• Improvement to Bereavement Leave

• Improvements to grievance procedure

• New Standby bonus for excessive standby hours

• AND NO TAKEAWAYS

“We’re happy to have bargained early to implement wage increases before the expiration of our contract. This contract will help our hospital retain the team we have and recruit so that we can provide the best level of care. We fought hard to make sure that everyone’s voices were heard and encourage you to vote YES on this offer. Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Our PRMCE Professionals Bargaining Team: Maria Goodall, Vascular Ultrasound; Darryl Keffer, Respiratory; Rodney Powers, Diagnostic Imaging; Terryl Smith, Pharmacy Tech

Full details of the contract offer will be available during the online vote on Wednesday, February 2 from 6AM - 8PM. You will receive an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. All members in good standing are eligible to vote. 

TO VOTE ONLINE, make sure your information is up to date! In order to vote on proposals, make sure your personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please update your email @ ufcw21/update-your-information.

If you do not receive an email to vote on Wednesday, February 2, please reach out to Union Representative Anthony Cantu at acantu@ufcw21.org or 206-436-6566 to provide an updated email address.

Have Questions? 

Full details of the offer will be available at an online vote meeting Monday, January 31. Drop in from 7AM - 9AM and 5:30PM - 7:30PM

Monday, January 31

7AM - 9AM • 5:30PM - 7:30PM

https://zoom.us/join

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

Providence Everett ED Crisis Counselors - Tentative Agreement Reached!

On January 19, 2022, our PRMCE Professionals Bargaining Team reached a tentative agreement on our contract. Emergency Department Crisis Counselors are eligible to vote on this contract as a newly organized unit. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work, and we encourage everyone to participate.

The three year agreement includes:

• Wages to match Transition Planner II

• Additional compensation for fully licensed crisis counselors

• Bonus upon ratification and one year later

• Full benefits of a union contract!

  We’re happy to welcome the ED Crisis Counselors to our union! We feel like this contract acknowledges the hard work healthcare workers have put in through the pandemic. Management really stepped up throughout these negotiations to show appreciation for PRMCE Professionals in this contract. We believe these gains will help with retention and recruitment, and we encourage everyone to vote YES.”

- Our PRMCE Professionals Bargaining Team: Deb Anderson, Medical Lab; Sara Dillon, Case Management; Emily Conner, Nutrition

Full details of the contract offer will be available during the online vote meeting on Wednesday, January 26, drop in from 4PM- 5PM.

Full details of the offer will also be available during the online vote on Wednesday, February 2 from 6AM - 8PM. You will receive an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. All members in good standing are eligible to vote. 

TO VOTE ONLINE, make sure your information is up to date! In order to vote on proposals, make sure your personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please update your email at: ufcw21/update-your-information

If you do not receive an email to vote on Wednesday, February 2, please reach out to Union Representative Anthony Cantu at acantu@ufcw21.org or 206-436-6566 to provide an updated email address.

Join the online vote meeting to review the contract offer and ask questions!
Wednesday, January 26
Drop in 4PM - 5PM
https://zoom.us/join 
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for meeting details. Details will also be emailed out.

Capital Medical Center Technical Service - BREAKTHROUGH!

Your Bargaining Team met with management again on January 10 to continue negotiations for your successor contract.

We are excited to report that we’ve made significant process in negotiations with management having a sudden change of heart. At the end of our last session, management surprised us by making an economic proposal that ceded to a significant portion of the Union’s economic demands, which would bring Capital Medical Center employees up to market competitive wages. 

For the last few months your Bargaining Team has been showing MultiCare comprehensive data that shows that our wages are far behind what other hospitals are paying, justifying our proposals for large increases. Your Bargaining Team also expressed frustration that MultiCare has been willing to give employees at other facilities significant wage increases but not Capital Medical Center, as if we are not a priority to MultiCare. You also make this clear by wearing stickers in the workplace that informed patients that “MultiCare is Failing our community.”

They listened… but we’re not done yet.  

While historic wage increases are on the table, MultiCare is still proposing to cut your Extended Illness Bank accruals by about 40%. We warned management that if they want a deal anytime soon, their proposal must be withdrawn, or we will be forced to take further action. We know the community will not stand for MultiCare’s attack on healthcare workers EIB, especially in the middle of a pandemic, no matter the wage increases being offered.

We will meet with the employer again on Friday, January 21 and it is possible that we’ll have an agreement. However, this will be contingent on MultiCare withdrawing their EIB proposal. In the meantime, please continue to wear your union stickers at work and tell your manager what you think about their EIB proposal. 

“We’ve seen a breakthrough in negotiations, historic wage increases are suddenly on the table”

Bargaining Team: Adam Swigart, Julie Hinchcliff, and Maureen Ciglia

Next Steps:

Stand up against MultiCare by reaching out to a Bargaining Team member or Union Representative to get “Keep your Hands off our PTO & EIB” stickers that you can wear in your workplace. 

Tell your manager what you think about MultiCare’s proposal to cut your EIB accruals by about 40%.

Attend regular Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings to hear the latest updates regarding negotiations, plan actions to pressure management, and learn how to get your co-workers involved. Our next meeting is being held virtually January 19 @ 6:00PM

Capital Medical Center CAT Meeting
Wednesday, January 19 • 6:00PM

Central Co-op - UFCW 367 & 21 Members Stand Together to Improve Working Conditions and Benefits

Today we met with Central Co-op management for the first time and made initial proposals for:

• Increased PTO time, and prompt responses to time off requests

• New Holidays and new Holiday Language to offer premium pay for the first time

• New and expanded leaves and protections

• New Safety and Vaccination language including paid time-off for recovery from COVID or vaccination

• A free meal for all shifts of 5 hours or more

We also talked about:

• Interim Positions

• Clarifying PTO payout

• Scheduling and Staffing Issues

We are expecting to hear responses from management at our next bargaining session on January 21, 2022.  We will also be discussing the Co-op’s finances so that we can make proposals for wages, retirement, and healthcare.

“For management to take our proposals seriously we need to send a clear message of solidarity.”

—Veronica Armstrong
Tacoma Store Receiver

We will have stickers for us to wear in a show of unity for a fair contract soon! Please keep an eye out for distribution in our stores. 

Your bargaining team,

Gordon Greenwood III - Seattle, Veronica Armstrong - Tacoma, Sydney Stenquist - Seattle, Chris Paine - Seattle, Kate White - Tacoma, Anne-Marie Cavanaugh - Secretary Treasurer UFCW 367, Lauren Vanwormer - Union Rep UFCW 21, Andy Heyman - Bargaining Rep UFCW 21

Jefferson HealthCare Pro Tech Clinics - Tentative Agreement Reached

Our Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement on a new three year contract and recommends a YES vote! We are excited to announce that the new agreement includes:

• COMPETITIVE WAGE INCREASES each year of the agreement

• Full retro to November 1, 2021

• Plus market increases for several job classifications

• One for one past experience credit starting in year three

• Certification pay process improvements

• Security guard premium improvements

• New temporary reduction of FTE language

• And more!

Full details of the contract offer will be available during the online vote on Tuesday, January 25 @ 6am-8pm. You will receive an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. All members in good standing are eligible to vote.

TO VOTE ONLINE, make sure your information is up to date! In order to vote on proposals, make sure your personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please update your email at: ufcw21/update-your-information.

If you do not receive an email to vote on Tuesday, January 25, please reach out to Union Representative Ryan Degouveia at rdegouveia@ufcw21.org or 360-662-1989 to provide an updated email address.

Join the vote information meeting on Monday, January 24 via Zoom. It is very important that members attend the meeting to get a full understanding of the Employer’s offer and have your questions answered.

Jefferson Healthcare Vote Information Meeting on Zoom
Monday, January 24
Drop in @ 4-5pm and 7-8pm
Zoom details to join the meeting will be mailed and emailed.

MHS Covington Medical Center (Service, Technical & RN) WAGES UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED!

UFCW Local 21 members at Covington Medical Center unanimously voted to approve their proposed wage increases yesterday, Thursday, January 13,

The proposed increases will become effective Sunday, January 16; however, the Employer has warned that the Kronos outage could cause a slight delay in member’s seeing the difference in their paycheck.

Now we must prepare for contract negotiations later this year, which will be another opportunity to further increase wages and work on solutions to other workplace issues.

One of the best things you can do to prepare for upcoming negotiations is to sign up for a Steward training! In Steward training, you will learn your rights and protections and how to push back against unfair practices by management. You will also learn how to represent a coworker in a disciplinary meeting and uphold your contract.

To sign up for a training, go to: ufcw21.org/steward-training

Samaritan Hospital - New Three-Year Contract Ratified with Super Majority Vote

After two sessions of bargaining and countless hours of hard work and dedication put in by your bargaining team, on January 10 and 11 we were able to recommend and ratify our new contract with competitive wage increases and gain some recognition for longevity with increased PTO accrual.

We look forward to building strength and unity within our facilities so that we can show Samaritan that we will not be divided in our fight for a fair contract in the next negotiation!

Please contact your bargaining team or Union Rep Maureen Hatton 509-340-7370 with any questions or concerns.

Your Bargaining Team,

Tammy Fisk

Russell Roden

Gloria Robbins

Rachael Hunter

Providence RadiantCare - Providence proposes lesser wages than current minimum hourly rates

On January 11, we met with Providence for our fifth bargaining session. Providence responded to the remaining non-economic articles: definitions, employment practices, seniority, hours of work and overtime, and leaves of absence. We are close to an agreement on most of these articles except for the lay-off procedure. Providence has proposed to use bargaining unit seniority instead of job classification seniority in determining which employees would be laid off. As an example, a PCC who becomes an RN and has seven years of service, but only one year of experience as an RN, would bump an RN who has five years of service. We believe using job classification seniority is a better approach for a lay-off.

Providence also responded to our economic proposal with a 1.5% increase in 2022, 1.5% increase in 2023, and 2% in 2024. Additionally, their base rates are less than the current minimum rates for each classification! Their wage scale and across the board increases will not retain or recruit workers. Radiantcare workers would be earning several dollars less than the same classifications at Providence Centralia, Everett, and St. Peter’s. We must take action to show Providence that their wage proposal is not acceptable, and we deserve the same wage rates as Centralia, Everett, and St. Peter’s!

We will be holding a car sign action on Thursday, January 20 at all three clinics. Please ask one of your Bargaining Team members for a car sign which you can display on your windshield and for a sticker that you can wear daily until January 27. Let’s show Providence that we are UNITED, and we will fight for a fair wage scale!

If you are available, please join us on the sidewalk in front of the Centralia clinic @ 1pm- 2pm and Lacey clinic @ 3pm- 4pm on Thursday, January 20.

If you have comments, workplace issues, or are facing disciplinary action, please contract your Union Rep Erin McCoy @ (206) 436-6598 (landline).

Bargaining Team: Kelly Covington (RN), Winter Everson (Radiation Therapist), Branden Raftery (Dosimetrist), and Paul Lofing (Radiation Therpaist)

CHI General Update - Vote Scheduled on Wages

We are pleased to announce that, given today’s hyper-competitive labor market, we’ve come to an agreement with your employer to implement our 2022 wage increase months ahead of schedule along with some additional wage adjustments for select classifications that have fallen behind market. 

These changes will affect the following units:

• St. Anne Hospital (Pro-Tech)

• St. Joseph Medical Center (Pro-Tech)

• St. Michael Medical Center (Pro-Tech)

• St. Michael Medical Center (Service & Dietary)

While we are not scheduled to begin contract negotiations for these units until next year, immediate action on wages was deemed necessary in order to retain and recruit staff.

However, the proposed wage increases must first be approved by a vote of membership before they can be implemented. We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Thursday, January 20 from 6:00AM to 8:00PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information, along with all the details about the proposed changes to your contract.

In order to vote, everyone needs to make sure their personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please visit ufcw21.org/update-your-information and update your information. If you do not receive an email to vote on Thursday, January 20, then please reach out to your Union Representative no later than 5PM on the day of the vote to provide an updated email address.  

Have Questions? 

There will be virtual meetings the day prior to the vote to explain the proposed changes and answer questions. You can also reach out to your Union Representative to learn more about the proposed wage increases.

St. Joseph Medical Center

Wednesday, January 19

5PM – 6PM

St. Michael Medical Center

Wednesday, January 19

6PM – 7PM

St. Anne Hospital

Wednesday, January 19

7PM – 8PM

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

Capital Medical Center - Multicare is failing our community

“Does MultiCare even Care?”
-Bargaining Team: Adam Swigart, Julie Hinchcliff, and Maureen Ciglia

Our Bargaining Team met with Management again on December 20.

MultiCare made another economic proposal, warning the Bargaining Team that they are “reaching their authority” on wage increases at Capital Medical Center.

MULTICARE’S CURRENT OFFER
Year 1: 5.75%
Year 2: 2.00%
Year 3: 2.00%

We are again disappointed with their offer that would fail to raise our wages to market standards, including MultiCare’s own neighboring facilities such as Tacoma General Hospital. Furthering our frustration is their continued insistence on radically changing our Paid Time Off (PTO) and Extended Illness Bank (EIB) program, still asking to cut our EIB accruals by about 40%.

How does MultiCare think it is acceptable to reduce the accrual rates of health care workers Extended Illness Bank in the middle of a pandemic! It’s INDEFENSIBLE to propose takeaways to the very system that would defend a healthcare worker in the unfortunate event they become ill while protecting our community from COVID-19, especially as Omicron cases overwhelm our hospitals.

We will be reaching out to community leaders in the coming weeks to inform them of MultiCare’s attack on healthcare workers at Capital Medical Center. Ensuring the community that MultiCare is failing healthcare workers and their community at their most vulnerable time.

We will be meeting with Management again on January 10, then again on January 21 and 24.

Next Steps:

• Stand up against MultiCare by reaching out to a Bargaining Team member or Union Rep to get “MultiCare is failing our Community” stickers that you can wear in your workplace.

• Attend regular Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings to hear the latest updates regarding negotiations, plan actions to pressure management, and learn how to get your co-workers involved. Our next meeting is being held virtually, January 19 @ 6PM.

Join our online Contract Meeting and hear from the Bargaining Team!
Wednesday, January 19 @ 6 PM
https://zoom.us/join
Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Rep for meeting details. Details will be emailed as well.

Hood Famous Bake Shop Wage Scale Unanimously Approved

Hood Famous Bake Shop

Wage Scale Unanimously Approved!

We are excited to announce that members at Hood Famous unanimously voted to approve the proposed changes to their contract, including the addition of a new wage scale! If you have any questions, or would like to have a copy of the approved changes, please reach out to Union Representative Heather Elliott at 206-436-6591

Sign up for a steward training!

Every department needs strong Stewards – both right now and between negotiations. In Steward training, you will learn your rights and protections and how to push back against unfair practices by management. You will also learn how to represent a coworker in a disciplinary meeting and uphold your contract.

Sign up for a training at ufcw21.org/steward-training

MultiCare Covington Medical Center Service & Technical & RN - Emergency Wage Increases—Vote Scheduled

We are pleased to announce that we’ve come to a tentative agreement with MultiCare on emergency wage increases for all UFCW Local 21 members at Covington Medical Center! The proposed increases would align our wages with the union contracts recently negotiated at Auburn Medical Center.

It is also important to note that this is considered a mid-cycle increase, meaning that it is occurring outside of normally scheduled contract negotiations. Therefore, we are still scheduled to renegotiate your contract later this year, which will be another opportunity to further increase wages and make other changes to your contract. 

However, the proposed wage increase must first be approved by a vote of membership before they can be implemented. We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Thursday, January 13 from 6:00AM to 8:00PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information. 

In order to vote, everyone needs to make sure their personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please visit ufcw21.org/update-your-information and update your information. If you do not receive an email to vote on Thursday, January 13, then please reach out to Union Representative Kent Tse at ktse@ufcw21.org no later than 5PM on the day of the vote to provide an updated email address. 

Have Questions? 

There will be virtual meetings on the day of the vote to explain the details of the offer and answer any questions. Drop-in anytime during the scheduled meeting times.

Thursday, January 13

6AM – 8AM & 5PM – 7PM

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

Conifer St. Michael Medical Center - Contract Ratified

We are excited to announce that members at Conifer St. Michael overwhelmingly voted to ratify the new contract on January 5!

Your first 10.00% wage increase should become effective in about one pay period with another 2.50% increase in early April. We are very excited about the new contract, which we believe will help recruit and retain staff with significantly higher pay and improved working conditions.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your workplace Steward or call Union Representative Ryan Degouveia at (360) 662-1989.

Sign Up for A Steward training! Every department needs strong Stewards - both right now and between negotiations. In Steward training, you will learn your rights and protections and how to push back against unfair practices by Management. You will also learn how to represent a coworker in a disciplinary meeting and uphold the contract.

To sign up for a training, go to:
ufcw21.org/steward-training

Samaritan Hospital - Tentative Agreement Reached—Vote Scheduled!

After just 2 sessions of bargaining, your bargaining team is recommending a “YES” vote on the proposed new 3-year contract with Samaritan Health.

This contract will:

• Secure across the bargaining unit wage increase for all members each year of the contract

• Improvements to the top of the scale wages 

• Increase PTO hours accrual rate for over 10 years by adding tiers

• Improve floating language

Join us in voting “YES” next week! Members will need to be in good standing and attend the vote in person. Answer to any question and a complete document will be provided at the vote for review. 

Join one of our two voting meetings!

• Monday, January 10, 2022 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm 

• Tuesday, January 11, 2022 from 7:30 am to 9:30 am

• Vote meetings will be held in Room 407

Bargaining Team: Tammy Fisk, Russell Roden, Gloria Robbins, Rachael Hunter

If you have questions, please reach out to your bargaining team members or Union Representative Maureen Hatton at 509-340-7371

Seattle Children’s Hospital - Bargaining Update

“Even though things are looking optimistic this is not a time for us as to back down and settle! We as union members need to continue with our unity and show our strength even more so with current staffing shortages and ongoing health crisis.”

-Tyler Schaffer Anesthesia Tech

Yesterday, Tuesday January 4, our Bargaining Team met with Management for our third bargaining session. We presented almost all of our remaining non-economic language proposals and provided counters to many of what Management gave back to us. This means that the way is now clear for us to begin negotiating economic issues next session.

Management presented the diversity and inclusion policies Seattle Children’s is implementing. While we like the idea of what they told us they were working on, we know that their words and promises only hold weight if they commit to being held accountable for addressing the significant equity issues the hospital continues to face daily. Management has to practice what they preach and accept our trailblazing equity and inclusion proposals— which would force them to be accountable to us as workers, and make sure we are part of the decision-making process. We hope to receive a positive response to this proposal next session.

Overall, we were happy to see that Management seems to have changed their tune, doing away with their unfair package proposals and instead presenting individual counters on most of the outstanding proposals we made. Management even went as far as to finally acknowledge that we are in a massive staffing crisis. We know that fixing this requires bold wage increases and other economic incentives, so we again hope that Management’s words translate into real commitments in our contract.

This shift is the direct result of the strong actions, like our recent sticker-ups, that we are taking in the field. Management is finally starting to see we are all unified and willing to take bold actions get a fair contract. We need to keep up the pressure by participating in more upcoming actions, making sure coworkers are connected to what is happening with our negotiations by following our Instagram (@schworkers), and joining our Contract Action Team (CAT). There’s too much at stake to sit on the sidelines!

Call your Union Rep Christie today @ (206) 436-6606, to ask how you can join our CAT, find out how you can get more connected with our campaign updates, and learn what you can do to help empower your Bargaining Team at the table.

Our next negotiations session will be on Tuesday January 20. Keep an eye out for future updates and a summary of our proposals.

Bargaining Team: Matt Brabant - Respiratory Educator; Madison Derksema - Pharm Tech; Angela Ballard – Surgical Tech; Kellie Koenig - Ultrasound Tech; Ashley Strickland - Respiratory Transport; Tyler Schaffer - Anesthesia Tech; Tesfaldet Kidanemariam - Respiratory Therapist

RSVP to our online Contract Action Meeting tomorrow:
Thursday, January 6
11 AM
https://secure.everyaction.com/zqqN-XRxcEemWs4O72fcQg2
RSVP to your meeting, and you'll get the details for your online meeting emailed to you.

We will be going into more detail about what happened at the table and how we can participate

Jefferson HealthCare Pro Tech & Clinic - Tentative Agreement Reached!

After 16 weeks of bargaining we have reached a tentative contract agreement which includes: 

• Competitive wage increases for every job including market increases for jobs below market

• Full retro from 11.1.21

• One for one credit for past experience process to bring people up to their correct wage level

• Premium Improvements including Shift Differential for Security Guards

• Process for a temporary reduction of FTE when needed

• Improved scheduling language

• And more…

Your bargaining team recommends a “YES” vote!

Additional information regarding the vote, including location and times will be sent when confirmed. Please make sure we have your updated contact information so we can send you the details.

For additional information, please reach out to any Bargaining Team member or Union Representative Ryan Degouveia at 360-882-1989.

Our Jefferson Healthcare Pro Tech & Clinic Bargaining Team: Karen Starling, Clinic RN; Nell Allen, Pharmacy Tech Specialist; Natalie Irwin, Physical Therapist; Kim Vasenda, CNA; Monique Samos, Patient Accounts Rep; Miychell Vereeke, Dental Assistant; Robyn Wentz, Surgical Tech; Ryan De Gouveia, UFCW 21; Cathy Macphail, UFCW 21

Update Your Contact Info!

Jefferson Healthcare RN - Management is Being Unreasonable

Our bargaining team met with management on December 28 to continue negotiations and worked into the early morning the following day. Although we were able to make some movement, we were disappointed with management’s economic proposal.

Management is proposing to cut into our medical leave by stripping away the protections that allows you to return to your position after recovering from a medical or maternal leave. A prospect that is even more unthinkable in the time of COVID.

They want to take away shift differential pay for day shift employees and some evening shift employees based on the timing of your shifts. This coming at a time when nearly everyone is already working well past their FTE due to staffing shortages and are feeling the emotional exhaustion and burnout that is hitting harder than ever. 

Management says they want to raise wages to be competitive in the market but seem fine leaving those who have put in the most time with Jefferson Healthcare behind by offering multiple wage proposals where nurses would make less money in each following year than they did the previous year.

Jefferson is telling us that this is the best they can do. This is unacceptable and NOW is the time to let them know that we will not stand for takeaways in our contract. We have worked hard to serve our community and patients during this unprecedented crisis, and it is unreasonable for Jefferson to expect us to do that and do it while they take even more from us than the last two years already have. 

Sign the Petition for Respect and Retention! 

https://bit.ly/jeffersonrn22

Please contact any of the Bargaining Team Nurses for details: Ben Schadler, RN ICU; Melanee Knudson, RN FBC; Jeannette Hundley, RN Surgical Services; Robin Bridge, RN ED

Update Your Contact Info

https://www.ufcw21.org/update-your-information

Seattle Children’s Hospital Tech - Management Needs to Take Us Seriously

On Tuesday, December 21, our team met with management for our second session of joint negotiations. We were disappointed to receive a meek response to what we proposed last week. Management denied most of our strong lanaguage which included expanding access to union resources, an accessible new employee union orientation led by coworkers, limiting managements unilateral power over us, and fully integrating per diems into our union. Even worse, what could have been promising movement towards meeting some of our proposals was completely negated by the fact that their response was in “package” form, meaning that they will only accept these proposals altogether. Essentially, they are trying to force us to accept their bad proposals in exchange for some of our priorities. 

We are sad but not surprised to see that they do not want to fully incorporate the per diems into the union. Currently per diems do not have the same level of protection as other workers. They also cannot become stewards, bargaining team members, or even vote on our contract. This is a strategic move from management to divide us and weaken our union power.

We also did not hear back from many of our strong proposals that would improve the working conditions within the hospital including one would increase the equity that they claim to prioritize along and another that would decrease the cost of commuting to work. We need management to respond on all our non-economic proposals so we can move on to negotiate our economics, however, they have made it clear that is not their intention.

At the table we pushed back and told management that we won’t allow them to bully us into a bad agreement with this take it or leave it approach. We told them they need to meet us at the table as equals to negotiate a fair contract that addresses the real issues we face daily. 

Still, we know it will take more than our words at the table alone to change their minds. Management needs to see that we are ready to fight for a strong contract and that we don’t have time to waste playing hardball. We need to continue to talk with our coworkers and encourage them to join our Slack and Instagram(@schworkers) so everyone can be informed about upcoming actions we will take to show management we are serious! 

Our next bargaining session will be on January 4. Keep an eye out for more updates, including a summary of all the proposals we have put across the table so far! 

If you want to find out how to get more involved by joining the Contact Action Team or Slack, or you have any questions about bargaining, please call your Union Rep Christie Harris at 206-436-6606

“Today we saw that management is hoping to give us the bare minimum. It is more essential now than ever to be visibly united in front of management through actions and involvement of all departments so that we can garner power and demand the strong contract we deserve.”

— Kellie Koenig, Sonographer

Our SCH Tech bargaining team: Matt Brabant - Respiratory Educator, Madison Derksema - Pharmacy Tech, Angela Ballard – Surgical Tech, Kellie Koenig – Ultrasound Tech, Ashley Strickland – Respiratory Transport, Tyler Schaffer – Anesthesia Tech, Tesfaldet Kidanemariam – Respiratory Therapist 

MHS Covington Hospital Bargaining Update (All Units) - EMERGENCY WAGE INCREASE TALKS BEGIN

We are pleased to report that talks have begun with Management for emergency wage increases for all UFCW 21 represented positions at MultiCare’s Covington Medical Center.

While we are not scheduled to start contract negotiations until later next year, today’s tight labor market has resulted in recruitment and retention issues that require immediate action on wages in order to stay competitive with neighboring hospitals. This is further necessitated by the wage increases that we negotiated earlier this year at other UFCW 21 facilities such as Auburn Medical Center and Tacoma General Hospital.

With this in mind, we were happy to hear from the Employer in an email to the Union on December 21 that they wanted to begin talks to increase wages before contract negotiations.

While we will work to expedite the process, we must still ensure that any proposed changes to our wage scales are fair and equitable for all members. Furthermore, any proposed changes to our wage scales will also require a full vote of UFCW 21 members at Covington Medical Center before they can be implemented.

We have requested additional information from the Employer and are working as quickly as possible to conduct a comprehensive analysis of possible solutions.

We’re also making the necessary preparations to conduct an online membership vote swiftly after an agreement is reached. An online vote will require that we have an updated email address from you, so please update your contact information if you did not receive this notice via email at:

ufcw21.org/update-your-information

Stay tuned for additional updates soon!

Hood Famous Vote Notice - Tentative Agreement Reached on Wage Scale

Your Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement with Management on the implementation of a wage scale at Hood Famous!

Wage Scale Placement: Current employees will be placed on the wage scale based on their years of service with Hood Famous, minus the 6 months the workplace was closed in 2020, if you were an employee during that time.

• The Employer can always pay above and beyond the requirements of the wage scale. The proposed wage scale only determines the minimum that the Employer must pay an employee based on their service with the company.

Lead Premium: Any employee who is assigned a lead position shall receive an additional $1.00/hr premium on top of their regular rate of pay.

Certification Premium: Any employee who holds a Culinary Degree shall receive an additional $1.00/hr premium on top of their regular rate of pay.

Tips: Tipping will continue to be accepted in addition to the proposed wage scale! If the Employer decides to prohibit tips, they will be required to bargain the effects of the change and a new wage scale would need to be developed.

Service Charge: In the event the Employer decides to implement a service charge, employees will be entitled to at least 50% of the money collected, split between employees in accordance with the current tip policy. The Employer would also be required to display notices at the counter and on menus outlining the percentage of the service charge that goes to employees.

Recognition for Past Experience: New hires who have at least 4 years of experience in the industry (within the last six years) shall be start at Step 3 of the wage scale.

A wage scale in one of the most important parts of any contract, ensuring fair and equitable wages for all bargaining unit employees. A wage scale establishes a minimum wage and guaranteed raises that management cannot deny an employee for any reason, minimizing the impact of favoritism or biases in the workplace.

However, the proposed changes to your contract must be approved by a vote of UFCW 21 membership at Hood Famous before they can be implemented. Due to COVID-19, we will be voting these changes online via a service called “Simply Voting” on Thursday January 6 @ 6AM - 8PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information at 6:00AM on the day of the vote.

In order to vote you must be a UFCW 21 member in good standing. We also need an updated email address, so if you did not receive this announcement via email, please update your contact information at:

ufcw21.org/update-your-information

If you do not receive an email to vote on Thursday, January 6, then please reach out to Union Rep Heather Elliott @ 206-436-6591 no later than 5PM on the day of the vote to provide an updated email address.

Join our virtual meeting the night before the vote to answer any questions you have regarding the proposed changes!

Wednesday, January 5 • 6:00 PM
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for meeting details. Details will also be emailed.