UFCW 3000 Member Story: Julia Douglas

Julia Douglas, ICU RN at Providence St. Peter Hospital and UFCW 3000 member

This week’s #MemberMonday spotlight is on Julia Douglas, who is currently an RN in the ICU at Providence St. Peter Hospital.

Julia approached one of the PSPH RN stewards about participating in the 2022 contract negotiations. While she as an ICU RN, Julia wanted to help RNs working in the emergency department, as it was a field she had worked in previously. Throughout negotiations, Julia tirelessly advocated for the ED RNs who are currently working in one of the most dangerous and emotionally challenging environments in patient care.

Julia’s persistence was rewarded. In fact, management actually commended Julia on her advocacy for a department she did not work in, and listened to her proposals and concerns. Julia helped the negotiating team push for language that will improve working conditions, and create a safer and more collaborative environment for all. Julia’s hard work helped win a strong contract, which was ratified by the RNs at PSPH last week!

Julia embodies the definition of solidarity and raising the voices of those who go unheard. She is an inspiration to all of us. Thank you, Julia!

Rosauers Moscow - Contract Vote Scheduled!

A contract vote has been scheduled for: 

Tuesday, June 14 

10AM - 12PM • 6PM - 8PM

LaQuinta Inn

185 Warbonnet Dr

Moscow Idaho 83843

UFCW 3000 members in good standing are eligible to vote and encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. For additional information reach out to your union representative Rob Roundy 509-943-8923.

Update Your Contact Info!

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

Forks Community Hospital - We Have Reached a Fully Recommended Tentative Agreement!

Your bargaining Committee has reached a tentative agreement on wages. Highlights of the agreement include significant wage increases for all nurses, increases to premium pay.

A contract vote has been scheduled for: 

Thursday, June 9 

12PM - 3PM

Forks Community Hospital 

Hospital Conference Room

530 Bogachiel Way 

Forks WA 98331

UFCW 3000 members in good standing are encouraged to attend the meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. For additional information reach out to a bargaining team member or your union representative Brandan Zielinski @206-436-6603. 

Update Your Contact Info!

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

St. Michael Medical Center RN - ULP Strike Authorization Vote Notice

Your Bargaining Team met with Management on May 31 to continue negotiations for the St. Michael Medical Center RN contract. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach an agreement.

We focused our proposals on addressing the staffing crisis at St. Michael Medical Center, demanding that the Employer implement safe staffing standards on every unit and raise wages to help retain and recruit nurses. Management has failed to seriously address these issues, refusing to be held accountable for our chronic staffing issues.

The Employer has made matters worse by committing several unfair labor practices (ULPs) in an attempt to intimidate nurses from engaging in union activity. We have filed unfair labor practice charges against the Employer when Management (1) threatened discipline to nurses wearing union stickers, (2) prevented nurses from distributing strike pledge cards, and (3) threatened discipline to nurses leafleting to patients during the picket.

Given the Employer’s serious ongoing unfair labor practices that are negatively impacting the bargaining process, our Bargaining Team has announced a ULP 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 our Bargaining Team that Management will not listen unless we take serious action. Authorizing a strike will empower our Bargaining Team to call a ULP strike if the Employer continues to drag their feet at the bargaining table.

It's imperative that everyone participate in the vote to show management that we stand in solidarity for a fair contract and against their unfair labor practice charges.

Voting Process:
DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE
Links to the vote documents are now available and and will be emailed out to nurses who have an accurate email on file with the Union.

www.ufcw21.org/s/SMMC-RN-Strike-Vote-Highlight.pdf
www.ufcw21.org/s/SMMC-RN-22-25-Proposed-Contract-Redline.pdf

ONLINE MEETINGS
Wednesday June 8
9AM // 6PM // 8:30PM
Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Rep for details. Details will also be emailed.
The Bargaining Team will run through the vote documents, provide details about the progress of negotiations, talk about what it means to go on strike, and answer any questions. Voting will NOT occur during these meetings.

VOTE DAY
Thursday June 9
6AM-9AM // 12PM-2PM // 4PM-9PM
Best Western Plus Silverdale Beach Hotel 3073 NW Bucklin Hill Rd
Silverdale, WA 98383
The vote will be in-person and nurses will have the opportunity to speak to Bargaining Team members and Union staff before casting their ballot. Please arrive during the posted vote times as we cannot allow members to enter the vote room outside of the advertised times.

Jefferson HealthCare RNs - Tentative Agreement Reached!

Our bargaining committee has reached a tentative agreement with Jefferson on a new three year contract. We are very excited to tell you that the agreement includes the following:

• Sustainable Wages Increases for all RNs and LPNs 

• Retro Pay from January 2 to Ratification

• Contract Signing Bonus of $1300 (prorated)

• Full Credit for relevant past experience (both new hires and current nurses!) 

• Bonus Shift Pay Improvements

• Double time for work beyond a scheduled shift on holidays

• Fully defined floating language

• Improved Scheduling Process

ONLINE VOTE SCHEDULED

The full contract offer will be available during the online vote on Tuesday, June 7 from 6AM - 8PM. You will receive an email from UFCW 3000 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information.

You must be a member in good standing to vote.

Make sure your information is up to date!

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 June 7, please reach out to Union Representative Ryan Degouveia at rdegouveia@ufcw21.org  or 360-662-1989 no later than 7PM the on the date of the vote to provide an updated email address.

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Join the contract information meeting to review the full contract changes. One meeting will be held in-person at the hospital, and the other online through Zoom.

IN-PERSON

Friday, June 3 • 8AM - 8PM

Jefferson Health Care (Hospital)

834 Sheridan Street Port Townsend, WA 98368

Cafeteria/Cafe

ONLINE

Monday, June 6
4PM - 8PM

https://zoom.us/join

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

It is important the union members attend one of the meetings to fully understand all of the changes to the contract and get your questions answered.

Providence St. Peter RN - PSPH RNs Overwhelmingly Ratify Contract!

On May 25, the PSPH RN unit voted to approve the contract! RNs will receive their across-the-board increase on the first full pay period following May 25, which starts on June 5. Additionally all full-time and part-time RNs shall receive a $1,000 bonus (pro-rated to assigned FTE) on the first full pay period following ratification. 

Our next step is to finalize the agreement and for both parties to sign the contract. Once the contract is signed we will post the contract onto our website. This process can take between four to six months. In the meantime, please reference the redline vote document. 

If you have any questions about the contract or issues with your pay, please reach out to your union rep Erin McCoy emccoy@ufcw21.org . 

PSPH RN Bargaining Team: Mike Staley, Andy Dusablon Jacob Kostecka, Darlett Holm, Holly Wallace, Marcia Chinnick, Julia Douglas

Island, Jefferson, Clallam, Skagit, Whatcom counties, it’s time to vote!

Island, Jefferson, Clallam, Skagit, Whatcom counties, it’s time to vote!

Member Bargaining team recommends a YES vote!

This historic agreement is a direct result of our actions and commitment to fighting for essential frontline grocery store workers and serving the communities in which we live, both during and long before COVID. This is a Tentative Agreement and is not final until we vote to accept it. Full details of the agreement will be provided at each vote location. Our Union Member Bargaining Team reached this Tentative Agreement and recommends a YES VOTE to accept the proposal from the employers. These votes are open to all active members of UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Workers in Island, Jefferson, Clallam, Skagit, Whatcom, and independent stores covered by this Tentative Agreement.

Contract VOTE MEETINGS

Active members are eligible to vote at whichever location is most convenient, during any time when polling is open. All vote meetings will be open between the hours of 8:00AM — 12 Noon and 4:00PM — 8:00PM

MONDAY, JUNE 6 – BELLINGHAM
FOX HALL EVENTS CENTER, 1661 W Bakerview Rd, Bellingham, WA 98226

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 – OAK HARBOR
Best Western Plus, 33175 State Route 20 Oak Harbor, WA 98277

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 – MOUNT VERNON
UFCW 3000 Office, 1510 N 18th Street Mount Vernon, WA 98273

THURSDAY, JUNE 9 – PORT ANGELES
OLYMPIC LODGE, 140 S Del Guzzi Dr Port Angeles, WA 98362

FRIDAY, JUNE 10 – PORT TOWNSEND
HARBORSIDE INN, 330 Benedict St Port Townsend, WA 98368

Fresenius Renal Care Contract Action Meetings

We are working to get better wages. Contract Bargaining affects the next three years of our wages, benefits and working conditions so it’s essential that we stay informed about the issues and get involved. We will be having meetings to discuss ways to make this happen.

• Make sure your contact information up-to-date so you receive important bargaining and benefits updates. www.ufcw21.org/update-your-information

• Get involved. Find out how to win a better contract!

• Learn about your on-the-job rights!

• Join the Contract Action Team!

CAT Meeting: Wed. June 1 @ 10am & 6PM

For more information contact your Union Rep Ryan Degouveia 360-662-1989

St. Michael Medical Center RN Management is unresponsive — Time to take action!

St. Michael Medical Center RN

Management is unresponsive — Time to take action!

Our Bargaining Team will be meeting with Management today and tomorrow with a Federal Mediator, continuing contract negotiations for St. Michael Medical Center nurses.

We haven’t met with the Employer since May 6 and, except for a small package proposal, haven’t received a substantive proposal from Management since our last bargaining date in April. We continue to be frustrated with the lack of progress from the Employer but have hope that the Federal Mediator will be able to help during this week’s bargaining sessions.

As of Monday morning, everything is in the Employer’s court. Our Bargaining Team is looking forward to seeing the proposal they’ve had weeks to work on.

It is imperative that nurses make a strong statement of solidarity at this week’s informational picket, showing Management we are serious about winning a fair contract. Nothing will move the employer more than a high turnout by nurses and the community at the informational picket.

We invite nurses to attend our next Contract Action Team meeting on Wednesday May 25 at 9AM & 6PM, where your bargaining team will share the latest news from negotiations and talk about the logistics of Thursday’s picket.

Informational Picket: Thursday, May 26

3:00PM – 5:00PM

@ St. Michael Medical Center

1800 NW Myhre Rd, Silverdale, WA 98383

RSVP and Join the Informational Picket!

go to: bit.ly/smmc-info-22

Join the Contract Action Team Meeting

May 25, 2022 @ 9:00AM & 6:00PM via Zoom

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Ralph Leads by Example!

Ralph Stumbo, UFCW 3000 member and worker at Kaiser Permanente, with his grandkids

#MemberMonday is here and today’s spotlight is on Ralph Stumbo, who is currently an Alliance Partnership Representative at Kaiser Permanente. Ralph has worked at KP (formerly Group Health Cooperative — GHC) for almost 35 years!

Ralph grew up in Federal Way and went to college in Portland. After he graduated, he had the opportunity to return to Washington State and began working at Group Health as a respiratory therapist. Ralph loves working in healthcare and says he works hard because it is so rewarding for him to help patients and his coworkers.

Within a few years of starting at Group Health, Ralph attended training sessions and became a shop steward for his workplace. Through the years, he has been actively involved with contract negotiations and helping to advocate for his coworkers. In fact, Ralph is currently serving as part of the Labor Management Partnership (LMP) and continues to center his patients through that work.

Ralph says that he did not set out with the intention of being a shop steward or any other kind of workplace leader. Rather, he says that his service to others, whether his patients or his coworkers, has brought him tremendous joy — and that joy is what motivates him every day.

“Shortly I will return to the pulmonary lab and once again be giving awesome care to my patients whom I have missed…Whether you work in healthcare, in grocery, food service, retail, etc., it doesn’t matter, you are serving your fellow humans and that is something for which you should be proud!”

Ralph — your generosity, humility, and joyfulness are so inspiring to witness. You are an incredible example of the UFCW 3000 members who step up every day as worker-leaders, advocating for their coworkers and for change in the workplace. Thank you for leading by example!

Grays Harbor Harbor Regional Health - Bargaining Continues

Our union bargaining team has been hard at work creating a stronger and more efficient agreement between employees and management. We are proposing real wage increases because we have given up increases for the sake of the hospital. We are behind and need to catch up. 

We are proposing wages:

• That are competitive with other local hospitals 

• That meet the increasing cost of living

• That recognize our value to the hospital and the community 

We have worked through difficult times facing the ongoing staff shortages that require you to work twice as hard!

Thanks for the burger HRH but show us the money!

For additional information or to get involved contract your union representative Brandan Zielinski @ (206) 436-6603.

“I joined the bargaining team to put my passion for social justice into action to benefit my coworkers and family. I grew up in union households and want to honor all those who have sacrificed for worker’s protections”

— Ricki Franklin, Medical Social Worker and Bargaining Team Member

Your Bargaining Team: Janet Byrd, Ricki Franklin, Dan James, Bambi Shope, Debbie Sturm.

Please remind your coworkers to update their information so that everyone can receive these updates!

St. Joseph Hospital - We Have Reached a Tentative Agreement

Your bargaining team met with the employer for an expedited bargaining session where we focused on wages. After one quick session we were able to reach a tentative agreement that will compensate RNs fairly for the work they do. The wage increases will make us market competitive within our region.

Your bargaining team is recommending a YES vote on the tentative agreement!

Bargaining Team Left to Right: Amy Radclif - Union Representative, Eilish Smit - RN Acute Care, Maegan George - RN Emergency Department, Lenaya Wilhelm - Union Representative - Union Representative

Join Our Vote Meeting!

Full agreement for review will be available at the vote meeting. UFCW 3000 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. Contract a bargaining team member or your Union Representative for any questions.

Thursday, June 2

6:30 am - 8:00am

St. Joseph Hospital classroom

UFCW 3000 Member Story: CJ Brings the Music!

CJ, proud UFCW 3000 member and receiver at Fred Meyer

It’s #WorkerWednesday, and that means it’s time for another member spotlight! Meet CJ — he’s worked at Fred Meyer for 20 years and is a proud member of UFCW 3000. CJ is currently working as a Receiver at FM 210 in Monroe!

CJ was raised in a household that practiced worker power and solidarity. In fact, CJ says that he has vivid memories of being a kid in the 1990s and going on strike with his dad who was working at Boeing at the time.

While CJ enjoys the work that he does at Fred Meyer, his main passion in life is music. CJ plays the piano and just recently released a new album on Spotify! CJ says that he draws inspiration from his work at Fred Meyer. For example, CJ wrote a song about his coworker Sunil, who is a Grocery Clerk, entitled “International Man of Fiji.” You can check out his music @ CJ (DJCJ)!

CJ — thank you for bringing joy to your workplace! It is so cool to see your work & fellow union members represented in your artistry.

Mt. Carmel Hospital - We Have Reached a Tentative Agreement

Your bargaining team met with the employer for two expedited bargaining sessions where we focused on wages. After some long sessions we were able to reach a tentative agreement that will compensate RNs fairly for the work they do. The wage increases will make us market completive.

Your bargaining team is recommending a YES vote on the tentative agreement!

Bargaining Team Left to Right: Lenaya Wilhelm - Union Representative, Lisa Sanger - RN Acute Care, Rebecca Landers - RN Birth Center, Georgia Davenport - RN Emergency Department, Amy Radcliff - Union Representative

Join Our Vote Meeting!

Full agreement for review will be available at the vote meeting. UFCW 3000 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. Contract a bargaining team member or your Union Representative for any questions.

Wednesday, June 1

12:00 pm - 2:00pm

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm 

First floor meeting room of the Health Education Center, across from ER

Olympic Medical Center - Market Increases for PAS!

We have reached an agreement with Olympic Medical Center to increase pay rates for patient access services (PAS) to recruit and retain staff. This market adjustment is uncommon since our union contract expires on June 2023. We requested that Olympic Medical Center act to fix our recruitment and retention issues, to which they agreed. We will be entering full contract negotiations in Spring 2023 where we will be fighting for competitive wage increases and improving contract language. 

Below are the details of the agreement:

• Patient Access Representative I and II (PAS Rep I and II) will convert into a single Patient Access Representative position: all current PAS Reps I and II will move to grade 50 (base rate of $18.10)

• Patient Access Specialist: increase from grade 65 (base of $18.91) to grade 74 (base rate of $19.94)

• New position of Patient Access Senior Specialist: grade 75 (base of $20.65)

Your bargaining committee is recommending a “YES” vote on these changes! 

We will vote on May 30 online from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. You will receive a vote link via email from “Simply Vote.” In order to vote, you must be a union member in good standing and must have a valid email on file with UFCW. Please update your email address if you do not receive emails from UFCW through the link below.

Update Your Contact Info!

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

 If you do not receive an email to vote on May 30, please contact your union representative Aimee Oien aoien@ufcw21.org.

Mid Valley Hospital & Clinic - New contract overwhelmingly ratified!

Mid Valley Hospital & Clinic

New contract overwhelmingly ratified!

Mid Valley Hospital and Clinic Workers voted overwhelmingly to Ratify new 3-year contract on May 12, 2022.

There were no take-aways and some of the improvements included

• Equal pay for equal experience for all Hospital and Clinic employees.

• Minimum of 10 percent increase to any employee in a job classification that started under 16 dollars per hour.

• New Increase Wage scale for Radiology department that properly classifies the different modalities.

• Improved wage scale for RNs with elimination of ghost steps at the top of the scale.

• Minimum of 12 percent increases for all employees through the three year contract.

Fresenius Renal Care - Bargaining Continues

Your Bargaining Team is working on attaining competitive wage increases:

• To mirror your skill and dedication

• To Recruit and Retain great employees to end the staffing shortages!

• To reward everyone who worked through difficult and unprecedented times!

We have met with management and made proposals around wages and non-economic contract language. We want your input and involvement! We will be holding regular Zoom Meetings and invite you to attend.

For additional information contact your Union Rep Ryan Degouveia @ 360-662-1989.

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Fresenius Renal Care Contract Action Team Meeting

Tuesday, May 17 •6:00 PM

https://zoom.us/join

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

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“Show Fresenius that we will stand together to win the contract we deserve.  Management is proposing less than bare minimum on wage increases. United we have a chance to be paid what we deserve and an amount we can live on and be proud of.”

— Tiffani Davis, South Tacoma

Bargaining Team Member

Update Your Contact Info

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

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Christina Delgado

Christina Delgado, UFCW 3000 member and Pharmacy Tech at Kaiser Permanente

Happy #MemberMonday! This week’s spotlight is on Christina Delgado, who is a Pharmacy Tech at Kaiser Permanente. Christina has been a member of our Union for 35 years, having started her career at Pay N Save and a member of UFCW Local 1001!

One day, a fellow coworker and Pharmacist at her store talked to Christina about working in Pharmacy. Christina’s interest was piqued because she knows just how important getting the right medications can be for people to live healthier lives. Christina decided to attend Pharmacy Tech school and the rest, as they say, is history! She’s now been in Pharmacy for 22 years and prides herself on the quality of care and service that she’s able to provide for her patients.

Christina is a natural workplace leader. In fact, she has been a shop steward for many years and also became a contract specialist about 6 months ago. You can often find Christina making the rounds, meeting new members, and welcoming them to our Union. Christina talks to her coworkers about issues they may have in the workplace with the goal of identifying strong leaders and providing the training needed to resolve issues at a work unit level.

When asked why she’s stepped up as a worker-leader in her unit, Christina said: “It’s critical to have strong leaders in place, in each department, in each unit, making a difference in the clinic and providing a voice for all employees.”

Christina — thank you for all that you do on behalf of your patients and your coworkers & fellow members. We’re so inspired by your leadership, positivity, and hard work!

Skagit Regional Health - It’s Time to Take Action

“We have been listening and hear the concerns of our fellow members. We will keep fighting until we have a contract that reflects the improvements we need and deserve.” 

— Jill Douglass, Data Entry Clerk

Your Bargaining Team: 

Aaron St. John – Central Supply Tech

Alina Delano – Ultrasound Tech

Ashley Price – Medical Assistant

Jill Douglass – Data Entry Clerk 

Maria Muñoz – Environmental Aid

Megan Osborn – Med Tech

Mike Koenig – Engineer

Rindi Atkins – Radiology Tech 

Thomas Kean – Exercise Physiologist

Katie Davis – Social Worker 

Cindy Tjaded – Surgical Tech

On Wednesday, May 11 our bargaining team meet with management for our sixth joint negotiation session. We presented management with our remaining new non-economic proposals. These included the creation of staffing committees, which would ensure we have a say in how staffing changes are handled. Management provided their final non-economic proposals, along with a counter proposal regarding reallocation. While management made some moves towards what we proposed, we were sad to see that key concepts, like our reallocation staff forum, were missing from their counter. After presenting, our team worked to develop more counters to managements proposals. Our hope is that in our next few sessions we can reach agreement these open issues and pave the way for our economic discussion. However, management’s recent counters have shown us that we are still far apart on some important issues. 

It’s time to take action and show management we are willing to fight for what we need! In doing so we can encourage them to provide real solutions to all of the challenges we face. Please join us at one of our upcoming Contract Action Team meetings, where we will discuss our upcoming plans to show management we are serious. These CAT meetings will be held virtually on Tuesday, May 17 at 1:00PM and 6:00PM.

If you have any questions about the bargaining process, please call our Union Rep Celia at (360) 419-4678. Celia will also be in the San Juan Conference Room from 11:00AM to 2:00PM on Monday, May 23 to answer contract and bargaining questions, as well as to discuss general workplace issues.

Stay tuned for more updates after our next session on June 1. 

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You’re Invited! 

RSVP to Our CAT Meetings

As we approach this critical point in our negotiations it is extremely important that we show management we are prepared to do whatever it takes to win a strong contract. If you haven’t already, please RSVP to one of our Contract Action Team Meetings, which will be held virtually on May 17 at 1PM and 6PM. 

Tuesday, May 17

Providence St. Peter RN - Online Contract Ratification Vote! Your Bargaining Committee Recommends a YES Vote!

On May 3, we reached an agreement with Providence St. Peter’s Hospital! We will be voting online on Wednesday, May 25 from 6:00AM to 8:00PM. The entire vote document shall be available for review 24 hours prior to the start of the online vote. 

We will be holding virtual vote meetings on Monday May 23 and Tuesday May 24 8:00AM to 9:00AM and 8:00PM to 9:00PM. During these meetings, we will be going over the vote documents and answering questions.

In order to vote, you must be a union member in good standing prior to the start of the vote. You will be receiving an online vote link from “SimplyVote” at 6:00AM on May 25. If you do not receive a link to the vote, please email your union representative Erin McCoy emccoy@ufcw21.org. Additionally we ask that you provide us with a non-Providence email address. We have noticed in the past that Providence’s email system blocks emails from “SimplyVote” and UFCW. 

If you do not receive UFCW emails, please check your junk/spam folder or update your contact information by May 20, 2022 at https://www.ufcw21.org/update-your-information. If you have any questions, please contact your bargaining team or union representative. 

PSPH RN Vote Meetings

• Monday, May 23 • 8:00 AM

• Monday, May 23 • 8:00 PM

• Tuesday, May 24 • 8:00 AM

• Tuesday, May 24 • 8:00 PM

https://zoom.us/join

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

PSPH RN Bargaining Team: Mike Staley, Andy Dusablon Jacob Kostecka, Darlett Holm, Holly Wallace, Marcia Chinnick, Julia Douglas