Providence Holy Family Lab - Wage Scale Revision

Providence has proposed a revision to the wage scale for Phlebotomy Lab Assistants that would have across the board increases to the wage scale.

Because it is a change to our contract, we will need to have the affected members vote on the change.

All affected members in good standing are encouraged to vote YES! on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM in the HEC2 room. You must be in good standing and present to vote.

You will be provided with the proposal at the vote.

Vote YES! on the proposed Phlebotomy Lab Assistant Wage Scale Revision

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

9:00 AM – 10:00  AM 

HEC2 room

Providence St. Joseph Hospital - Wage Scale Revision

Providence has proposed a revision to the wage scale for Phlebotomy Lab Assistants that would have across the board increases to the wage scale.

Because it is a change to our contract, we will need to have the affected members vote on the change.

All affected members in good standing are encouraged to vote YES! on Tuesday, February 1 @ 12 PM – 1 PM in the DEC1 room. You must be in good standing and present to vote.

You will be provided with the proposal at the vote.

Providence RadiantCare - Providence Proposes a Wage Scale!

On December 15, we met with Providence RadiantCare for our fourth session. We made it clear to Providence that we are not interested in their proposed merit system and wage ranges. After much discussion around the matter, Providence proposed a wage sale with 20 steps and annual increases. Unfortunately, the proposed increases for the first year are below 4% and the proposed wage rates are below other Providence hospitals like Centralia and Everett.

Under their proposal, workers would be initially placed onto the wage step which is closest to their current hourly rate with a guarantee of a 3% increase for LPNs and RTs and .5% increase for all other classifications. This placement language does not consider workers’ experience in their job classification or provide competitive wage increases. We told Providence that we need placement language which considers experience and looks at the market!

On January 11, we will be presenting our compensation counter proposal and a petition asking for monetary recognition for our work during the last year and a half. If you have not signed onto the petition, please sign-on as soon as possible! 

If you have any questions about bargaining or workplace issues, please reach out to your union representative, Erin McCoy 206-436-6598. . 

In solidarity, your PRCS bargaining team: Branden Raftery (Lacey - Dosimetrist), Paul Lofing (Aberdeen - RT), Kelly Covington (Lacey - RN) Winter Everson (Lacey - RT) 

Providence Radiant Care - Providence Proposes Merit Increases and No Wage Scale! We Demand a Wage Scale!

On December 7, we met for the third time with Providence’s negotiating team. In this session, we discussed the remaining non-economic articles like employment practices, seniority, definitions of contract terms, hours of work and overtime, and leaves of absence. Providence responded with language like other new contracts like the PCH Tech and Service contracts. 

A point of contract is that Providence rejected our proposal to implement job classification seniority. Their proposal is to implement bargaining unit seniority. Your seniority date and hire date are different. Your hire date never changes, but your seniority date begins when you enter the bargaining unit or when you move into a new job classification. Under bargaining unit seniority, a worker would retain their seniority even if they moved into a new job classification. This means a therapist with five years of bargaining unit seniority could be laid off instead of the new therapist with 15 years of bargaining unit seniority. We believe job classification seniority is more equitable and other Providence technical units use job classification seniority. 

We also proposed wages, benefits, and premium pay on December 7. We proposed that 1) all workers should receive a bonus for the lack of wage increase in the last year and to acknowledge our work during the pandemic 2) at least a 7% increase upon ratification of the contract 3) a competitive wage scale with 28 steps 4) annual anniversary date wage increases 5) annual cost of living increases 6) internal equity language to ensure new hires with the same experience as current employees do not get paid more than incumbents. 

Providence rejected our proposals and proposed to continue their current merit pay system. We voiced our concerns about merit pay. Providence told us that they do not have a metric to quantify merit and they believe workers should not reach the “maximum” on their pay ranges. We are extremely disappointed with Providence’s proposal given that we have made a lot of progress on non-economic issues. 

We will be responding on December 15 and reiterating that we need a wage scale and do not want a merit-based pay system! On December 16 at 5:45 PM, we will hold a Contract Action Team (CAT) meeting over Zoom to review bargaining and plan future workplace actions! If you have any questions, please talk to your bargaining team or Union Rep Erin McCoy emcccoy@ufcw21.org. 

In solidarity, your PRCS bargaining team: Branden Raftery (Lacey - Dosimetrist), Paul Lofing (Aberdeen - RT), Kelly Covington (Lacey - RN) Winter Everson (Lacey - RT) 

PRMCE Professionals First Day of Bargaining

PRMCE Professionals

First Day of Bargaining

Our Union Bargaining Team met with Management for the first of five bargaining dates and made good progress. We have all of our proposals on the table for language and economics. We were able to reach tentative agreements on:

• Adding department restructure language to our contract

• Improved bumping language for medical lab

• Union rep access during state of emergency

• Improved new employee orientation language

• Improved union leave language

• Improved contract language to reflect gender neutrality

We are awaiting a response to our economic proposals including wages, bonuses, and parking. Our next bargaining date is December 8.

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

Don’t miss out on important union bargaining updates, benefits, and more. Keep your contact information up to date with our Union: ufcw21.org/update-your-information

Providence St. Peter Hospital Tech - We Have Reached an Agreement! Your Bargaining Team Fully Recommends a “YES” Vote!

After twenty hours of bargaining on August 30, we reached a tentative agreement with Providence St. Peter’s! After fourteen months at the bargaining table and eighteen months after unionizing, we were able to obtain a great first contract for the Tech unit. Our contract has a wage scale, longevity step increases, annual across-the-board wage increases, health insurance benefits, retirement benefits, and other job protections. The next step is for our unit to ratify the contract agreement. The full details of the agreement will be available in-person during our contract vote. 

We will be holding a vote meeting in the next few weeks to go over the highlights of the agreement and to answer any questions. A follow-up update will be sent out next week with the vote date/location and vote meeting dates. 

If you have any questions, please contact your union rep Erin McCoy or the bargaining team. 

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

Providence Centralia Hospital Support Services - We Have Reached an Agreement! Your Bargaining Team Fully Recommends a “YES” Vote!

Late night on August 27 we reached a tentative agreement with Providence Centralia! After eleven months at the bargaining table and thirteen months after unionizing, we were able to obtain a great first contract for the Service unit. Our contract has a wage scale, longevity step increases, annual across-the-board wage increase, health insurance benefits, retirement benefits, and other job protections. The next step is for our unit to ratify the contract agreement. The full details of the agreement will be available in-person during our contract vote. 

We will be holding a vote meeting in the next few weeks to go over the highlights of the agreement and to answer any questions. A follow-up update will be sent out next week with the vote date/location and vote meeting dates. 

If you have any questions, please contact your union rep Erin McCoy or the bargaining team. 

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

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 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 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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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.

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.

Providence St. Peter Hospital Tech - Hands off our PTO!

After hundreds of us marched on the picket line including nurses, techs and support services at Everett and Centralia 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 13, we discussed management’s proposals regarding PTO and daily/weekly overtime, stand-by pay, low census stand-by pay, and rest between shifts. 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 filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board and they found merit in our case! This means that Providence must reinstate the original PTO plan. Although Providence can still challenge the charge, 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 has not moved away from their merit increase/ “minimum, midpoint, maximum” pay scale. 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. We will be holding a contract action team meeting to discuss bargaining and next steps on May 26.

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

PSPH Contract Action Meeting 

Wednesday, May 26

6:30 PM

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

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 Sacred Heart Tech - Contract Vote Scheduled!

We held three contract Q&A meetings via Zoom on March 8, 2021 to answer any questions or address any concerns about the proposed contract prior to voting.

We will be voting online via “Simply Vote” on Monday, March 15, 2021 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 March 12, please update your information (via ufcw21.org/update-your-information) or contact your union representative Maureen Hatton at mhatton@ufcw21.org or 509-340-7370

Your Bargaining Team is recommending a “YES” vote!

OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Lisa Aker, Surgical Tech; Angela Holmes, Surgical Tech; Teresa Bowden, Respiratory Therapist; Laurie Trudeau, Respiratory Therapist; Sam Zabala, Respiratory Therapist; Miriam Critelli, Pharmacy Tech; Kevin Lange, Mental Health Counselor; Shane Sullivan, Peds Sonagrapher; Aaron Bryant, IR Tech; Derek Roybal, CV Tech; Jason Van Curler, EP Tech

Providence St. Peter Hospital - Bargaining Committee Recommends a “No” Vote on March 12!

Since the beginning of bargaining in June 2020, Providence has made it clear that they are not willing to give the technical unit the same benefits or contract language that the RNs have in their contract. Currently we have several tentative agreements around non-economic contract language, but are still far apart on economic topics.

In one of our last sessions, Providence proposed no longevity wage increases and no guaranteed annual wage increases. All UFCW 21 contracts with Providence have longevity wage increases and annual across-the-board increases. We believe that we deserve the same!

It is now time to tell Providence that we are not interested in their wage scale proposal or subpar contract language! We deserve a fair contract which will help retain our current workforce and help us recruit skilled technical workers.

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

We will be voting online via “Simply Vote” on Friday, March 12 from 12 AM to 11:59 PM.

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 March 11, please update your information online.

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

We will have vote meetings on March 10 @ 7:30PM and March 11 @ 7:30 AM via Zoom to go over Providence’s last proposal.

Providence St. Peter Hospital - Heated discussion over EIB and PTO!

On February 2, we met with Providence and discussed EIB/PTO, retirement plan, health insurance, seniority, lay-offs, and leaves of absence. We are getting close to an agreement on seniority and leaves of absence. Seniority is the years of service you have within a bargaining unit job classification and is specific to union contracts. “Seniority” is an example of the UNION DIFFERENCE!

Union contracts often times memorialize current workplace practices, but they also have better benefits than those non-represented/non-union employees receive. Also when benefits and workplace conditions are spelled out in a union contract, Providence cannot make changes without first bargaining with the Union. This is the UNION DIFFERENCE! As a non-represented employee, Providence can change all workplace conditions without any employee input.

We organized to keep our EIB/PTO, to better workplace conditions, and to stop Providence from changing policies. We have been making proposals with this in mind. Providence lost their cool in the last session and showed us that they are not interested in our need for stability and want to continue changing policies like EIB/PTO. They want to take away our ability to “demand to bargain.” We will continue to demand better contract language and better workplace conditions, but we need your support!

We are circulating a financial transparency petition, which demands that Providence share financial information with us.

We ask that everyone sign this petition, which will pressure Providence to give us more financial information and will show that we are united! You can sign this petition online or sign in-person with one of the Bargaining Team members.

Our next bargaining date is February 11 and we have a couple of dates in March. If you have bargaining questions or workplace issues, please contact Erin McCoy (union representative) emccoy@ufcw21.org.

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

Providence Sacred Heart Tech - Protect Your Frontline, Not Your Bottom Line! Put Families First!

We have had 7 session of bargaining and are making progress in many areas but we are focusing our fight for fair wages and you to be able to continue to take care of yourself and YOUR FAMILY. Providence has proposed the elimination of your EIB benefits which for a full-time person would eliminate 64 hours from your Extended Illness Bank.

Please look out for the SAVE OUR EIB petition to show Providence that we are united in the fight to save our EIB.

Please reach out to your bargaining team with questions or concerns or contact your Union Representative Maureen Hatton at 509-340-7370.

OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Lisa Aker, Surgical Tech; Angela Holmes, Surgical Tech; Teresa Bowden, Respiratory Therapist; Laurie Trudeau, Respiratory Therapist; Sam Zabala, Respiratory Therapist; Miriam Critelli, Pharmacy Tech; Kevin Lange, Mental Health Counselor; Shane Sullivan, Peds Sonagrapher; Aaron Bryant, IR Tech; Derek Roybal, CV Tech; Jason Van Curler, EP Tech