Macy’s Mall & Furniture Gallery “Reliability” rears it’s head again!

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Macy’s Mall & Furniture Gallery: “Reliability” rears it’s head again!

“We’re disappointed that Macy’s is once again trying to propose the reliability attendance program, something we have rejected on numerous occasions. Furthering our disappointment, the Employer has so far refused to meaningfully engage with any of our proposals, including our safety improvements.” — Nicole Hardin, Alderwood Macy’s

Our Union Bargaining Team: Azia Domingo, Curtesy Bryant, Emily Hunter, Liisa Luick, Nichole Hardin.

Our Union Bargaining Team began contract negotiations with Macy’s shortly after UFCW Local 5 settled their contentious negotiations with the Employer in San Francisco.

Our siblings in California fought hard for their contract after Macy’s played hardball until the Members went on strike during the holiday season. Alderwood Member Lissa Luick joined their table towards the end to show our solidarity and to take what she learned back home as a member of our own Bargaining Team.

Unfortunately, Macy’s has brought their negative attitude to the Puget Sound. Our first few days of negotiations have led to very little progress with the employer unwilling to meaningfully address any of our issues. Initial talks have focused on safety, but the employer has showed little interest in accepting even the very same language they agreed to add to the San Francisco contract!

To make matters worse, Macy’s has once again proposed to implement their terrible “Reliability” attendance plan that the Union has rejected during previous negotiations. Many of us have heard from staff at non-union stores that the ”Reliability” attendance program is terrible. Hard to understand, difficult to track, and far too much power given to Management. Our Bargaining Team has once again rejected the employer’s proposal, opting instead to propose our own improvements to the existing attendance credit system.

We are severely disappointed (but not surprised) by Macy’s behavior. Their unwillingness to work with our team before even getting to the more difficult conversations about wages is not promising. But if it’s a fight they want, it’s a fight we’ll give them!

Attend our upcoming Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings to learn more about negotiations and what you can do to help our Bargaining Team win a fair contract!

Contract Action Team Meetings:

Alderwood: Tuesday, March 28
3PM—4PM Elemental Pizza (3000 184th St SW #948, Lynnwood, WA 98037)

Southcenter: Tuesday, March 28
11AM—2PM Southcenter Mall Food Court (2800 Southcenter Mall, Seattle, WA 98188)

Bellingham: TBD in April


Share Your Story on the Safety Survey!

Our Union Bargaining Team has proposed changes to our contract that address the serious safety issues that we face in the workplace. In order to pressure Macy’s into meaningful change, we are collecting member stories that show the employer the unsafe reality that their workers face every day. Please share your story by following the link to our safety survey. >>

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Shukri Hashi fighting for Safe Housing

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Shukri Hashi works at SeaTac Airport in Hudson News retail stores, has been a longtime shop steward, and served on the bargaining committee representing her coworkers during negotiations for their union contract. Shukri’s activism also extends outside her job and includes fighting for better protections for renters with the Stay Housed, Stay Healthy Coalition.

As protections for keeping people housed during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic have been brought to an end, it has pushed many vulnerable families into crisis and some have become unhoused. Shukri has seen that when this happens it ripples outward and disrupts our communities and neighborhoods. She recently testified at a SeaTac City Council meeting calling on the city to pass protections for renters like capping late fees, strong just cause requirements for evictions, and having rental assistance programs that will help prevent another public health crisis while we continue to deal with the ongoing pandemic.

Shukri wants union members to know that together we can fight for healthy communities and justice on and off the job.

Anti Kroger-Albertsons merger coalition launch Stop The Merger website

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United in Opposition to the Kroger-Albertsons Merger, Coalition of Over 100 Organizations from Across the Country Join Forces & Launch the “Stop the Merger” Website  

For Immediate Release: March 14, 2023
Contact: Tom Geiger, UFCW 3000, 206-604-3421

The Stop the Merger Coalition includes national, state and local organizations from across US

Des Moines, WA (March 14, 2023) – Today, a coalition of 100 organizations representing diverse interests from around the country have joined forces in the “Stop the Merger” campaign, a national and state-level effort to oppose the proposed $25-billion merger of grocery store chain giants Kroger and Albertsons. The coalition is announcing the launch of its website (www.NoGroceryMerger.com) which includes facts and research about the proposed merger’s negative impact, stories from community members, workers, and others, as well as tools for organizations and individuals to take action and communicate their opposition to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has the regulatory oversight responsibility to review proposed mergers such as this.

In October of 2022, Kroger and Albertsons announced they would pursue a $24.6 billion mega-merger, joining together the two largest standalone U.S. grocery chains, and thereby creating a monopoly in many areas across the country. Both these chains have stores and manufacturing facilities in nearly every state, employing over 700,000 workers across their numerous local banners. The mega-merger, currently undergoing FTC review, would drive out competition, increase food prices, create food deserts, and put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk as well as hurt local farmers and ranchers. 

The coalition of over 100 organizations has written numerous letters to the FTC and state Attorneys General, held meetings with federal and state elected officials and regulators, held press conferences and virtual town halls, attended public events on the merger hosted by government officials, and participated in various local community activities opposing the merger. All this activity has helped reveal growing evidence that shows the real motives for the proposed merger: corporate greed at the hands of C-Suite executives and the private equity firms that are significant owners of their stock. The diverse and large number of groups across the nation now include organizations whose focus includes consumer protection, faith, economic justice, anti-poverty, food justice, environmental protection, women’s rights, Black Indigenous People of Color advocates, farmer and farmworker advocates, and many others.

For more information on the negative impact of the mega-merger, please visit: NoGroceryMerger.com. Interested organizations can also join the Stop the Merger Coalition through the form on the site.

# # #

The Stop the Merger campaign includes over 100 national, state and local organizations representing diverse interests who share a common goal: to stop the proposed Kroger-Albertsons grocery merger because of its negative impact on our nation’s communities. For more information visit www.NoGroceryMerger.com

St. Joseph Medical Center Technical - Bargaining Continues

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“Progress at the bargaining table has moved at unprecedented speed! However, important issues such as call/standby remain unresolved.”

Our Bargaining Team: Vanessa Giles (Surgical Tech), Kat Wood (Radiology Tech), Michelle Gilmore (Respiratory Therapist), Monica DeWitt (Pharmacy Tech), Sissy Allison (Surgical Tech)

Our Union Bargaining Team met with St. Joseph Medical Center management again on February 22, 23 and March 2 to continue negotiations for our successor contract.

Understanding the need for swift action to stay competitive, contract negotiations began earlier than ever before. The employer, in their own proposals, quickly demonstrated that they shared our Bargaining Team’s sense of urgency to make changes to help recruit and retain high quality staff.

That doesn’t mean that we can only focus on wages and overlook the other important issues we face for the sake of speed. The Bargaining Team has been working to address other issues such as low census, the overuse of travelers, posting of FTE’s where needed, our slow grievance process, and much more.

We have made significant progress on the above issues, which is why our Bargaining Team decided to give management our initial economic proposal on February 23. We crafted our proposal after conducting a comprehensive market analysis that included a review of competitors such as MultiCare Tacoma General, Providence St. Peters, UW Valley Medical Center, and Swedish Medical Center.

One of the major factors considered was MultiCare’s move to eliminate all ghost steps (years with 0% increases) during their last round of negotiations. This has made it difficult for St. Joseph Medical Center to recruit and retain staff when healthcare workers know they can move down the street and get paid higher, years earlier than under our current wage structure. Thankfully, the employer agreed with our Bargaining Team’s assessment and has agreed with our proposal to eliminate all ghost steps! However, management’s plan to eliminate ghost steps is different from the Union’s, so more time will be needed to reconcile our differences.

We have also been holding management accountable to the concerning exodus of Anesthesiologist, which are required for many departments to function. Our Bargaining Team has brought the issue up at EVERY bargaining session with management reassuring us that the issue is being handled and that there is nothing to worry about. However, we haven’t seen any substantive changes that indicate that the issue has been resolved, so we will continue to discuss this issue at the bargaining table until we are confident the hospital has a good plan to handle the matter.

Our Bargaining Team will meet with management again on March 17, 24, 28 and 30 with our contract scheduled to expire on April 1. Stay tuned for further updates as bargaining progresses.

Ray's Meats Tentative Agreement Reached! Contract Vote Scheduled!

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Ray’s Meats

Tentative Agreement reached! Contract votes scheduled!

Highlights include:

  • Significant Wage Increases

  • Affordable Health & Welfare

Contract vote details:

Thursday, March 23, 2023

8:00Am—10:00Am

Ray’s Meats, 2113 3rd Ave, Yakima WA 98903

All members in good standing are eligible to vote on the contract offer. If you have questions contact our Rep Pete Nunez at 509-340-7396

Genes Home Owned Grocery and Meat Tentative Agreement Reached!

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Tentative Agreement reached! Contract votes scheduled!

Highlights include:

  • Permanent Hazard Pay for members hired on or before date of ratification

  • Wage Increases

  • Added Pension Security

  • Affordable Health & Welfare

Contract vote details:

Wednesday, March 22, 2023
6:00pm—8:00pm 
Hometown Pizza, 740 Riverside Dr, Omak, WA 98841

All members in good standing are eligible to vote on the contract offer. If you have questions contact our Rep Tammerly Evans at 425-760-7225

Alsco Linen - CONTRACT RATIFIED!

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Our Bargaining Team:

Eli Rivera, Terry Truong Nguyen

After 7 months of negotiations, members at ALSCO Linen overwhelmingly voted YES to approve the new contract with ALSCO.

The new contract includes:

  • Historic wage increases

  • Shortened eligibility time for health insurance

  • Improved and secured pension

  • Reinstated seniority and vacation accruals to workers who were affected by covid layoffs

  • Sick leave payout option

  • First ever Union Leave language

  • Increased timelines for grievance process

Questions about the contract? Or want to continue to help build a stronger union?

Join us for an online training on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 where we will review our basic contractual and legal rights as union members and learn about special rights that apply when we are acting as Shop Stewards.

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Use the QR code to register online, or contact your union representative to sign up!

See all upcoming trainings!

ACME Farms + Kitchen ACME Workers Ratify First Contract!

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ACME Farms + Kitchen ACME Workers Ratify First Contract!

On Friday, March 3, 2023 ACME workers overwhelmingly ratified the first contract. This one-year contract had big wins like:

  • Wage Scales for all union jobs with increases based on length of service. Including language that moves the wage scale up when minimum wage goes up.

  • Time-and-one-half for:

    • More than 9 hours worked in a day.

    • Work performed on holidays that ACME is operating.

    • All shifts during inclement weather events where ACME members commute to work.

  • Paid holiday benefits.

  • Paid time off:

    • 5 personal days a year.

    • 40 hours of vacation in the first year of employment, 80 hours for 1-4 years, & 120 hours for 5+ years (earned as you work).

    • Paid sick leave. Plus quarantine pay.

    • 7 paid days for bereavement leave for those that have more than 90+ days of employment.

  • Protections from unjust termination.

  • Seniority rights for hours and recall from layoff.

There are many other benefits to union members. Make sure you get signed-up as a union member right away. To get copies of the vote documents contact our Union Rep Aisha Womack at 360-419-4681.

Mariners Retail Workers Tentative Agreement Reached!

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Mariners Retail Workers

Tentative Agreement Reached! Contract vote scheduled

Our Union Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement with Seattle Mariners Management that includes 9.25%—11.13% pay increase! Additional gains includes:

  • Increased pay for special events

  • Higher discounts on Merchandise

  • Nine holidays that include holiday-pay when worked

  • Progressive discipline language that keeps our jobs protected

  • Complimentary game tickets

  • Orca passes and more!

CONTRACT VOTE details:

Saturday, March 18 from 1PM to 2PM

at T-Mobile Park – Ellis Room (accessible from the Lobby at the Third Base Entry)

Retail staff have an in-person staff training on March 18 that is scheduled to end at 1pm. After the training, please come to the Ellis Room at T-Mobile Park between 1PM and 2PM to vote on our contract, (accessible from the Lobby at the Third Base Entry). Union Representatives will be available to walk us through our contract and answer any questions we have on the new contract language! If you have questions contact our Union Rep Mohamed Bonah at 206-436-6514.

Welcome to Our Union: Mfused Workers Won Their Union Election!

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MFused workers posted their win to social media

We are excited to announce that workers at Mfused have won their union election to become a part of UFCW Local 3000! This is the first cannabis processor/producer in Washington State to have its workers go union! Mfused cannabis oil cartridges are sold in most dispensaries across the state. The workers do just about everything at Mfused; lab work, production, delivery driving, and marketing! Stay tuned as the workers and our bargaining staff start the process of bargaining their first union contract. Congratulations!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Krystal Krotzer

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Krystal Krotzer beams over the win of retro pay for her and her coworkers!

Shop steward Krystal Krotzer works as a pharmacy tech for Kaiser Permanente in Spokane. As a leader, Krystal took on an arduous fight with her union rep to get Kaiser to make good on owed retroactive pay dating back to December 2021. She helped gather evidence for the group grievance and didn’t give up until her coworkers got paid. Moving forward Krystal’s stewardship will be much appreciated by her fellow Kaiser union members. Good work Krystal!

Kaiser Permanente - PSP and Retention Bonuses

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Kaiser Permanente
PSP and Retention Bonuses

You should have received your PSP payout! In the National Alliance Agreement, we won language which guarantees $200 per goal met at TARGET, even when the KP financial gate is not met. In Washington, the PSP payout is between $400 and $600 depending on your 2022 attendance and is broken down like this:

The Five Goals

  1. Affordability
    Everyone receives $200

  2. Workplace Violence Prevention Training
    Everyone receives $200

  3. Quality (DREs)
    Goal not met $0

  4. Service (QR codes)
    Goal not met $0

  5. Attendance
    If you personally met target for unprotected ill time used in 2022, you received $200

To reach the PSP goal for attendance and receive a $200 payout for 2022, you must have achieved either Target or Stretch:

  • Threshold: 2.0% or less of unprotected time taken off $0

  • Target: 1.4% or less of unprotected time taken off

  • Stretch: 1.16% of unprotected ill time taken

If you reach one of these goals or a number in between, you received one $200 payout for attendance. You will not receive more than one $200 payout if you reach Target or Stretch.

Note: Unprotected ill time is defined as time off not approved by Management such as an unscheduled absence. Protected sick leave under a federal, state, city, or contractual leave of absence such as PSL, WPFML, Matrix, FMLA, Leave of Absence, etc. is protected.

“Unscheduled time off is considered excessive if it occurs more than 6 times during a year, or more than 3% of the employees work time.”

(See Article 12.02.2 for Pharmacy and Article 13.02 for Pro-Tech/Optical of the UFCW 3000—Kaiser Permanente contract.)

Retention bonus coming soon!

These bonuses are a result of union members mobilizing and speaking out. Advocacy won the $500 bonus here is Washington State! But this is not enough. We need a comprehensive, long term solution including wage adjustments, training programs and conditions that cause people to quit. While a one-time bonus is a positive step, we know the cure is going to require much more, and we won’t rest until we achieve a full solution for our patients and union members.

For additional information, please reach out to Contract Specialist, Penny Manker @ 425-306-1357 OR Union Rep Lauren Van Wormer (effective Tuesday, March 7) @ 206-436-6584.

Mariners Retail Workers - Tentative Agreement Reached! Your Bargaining Team Recommends a “YES” Vote

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Congratulations on your FIRST UNION CONTRACT! We have reached a tentative agreement with the Seattle Mariners that includes between 9.25% increase and a 11.13% pay increase over the life of the contract, depending on your position with the Mariners. Increased pay for special events including the All-Star Game, World Series Games and American League Championship Games held in Seattle. 50% off meals and 30% off merch. Protections for you that include: progressive discipline language, grievances, Air-quality and other weather related protections, and MORE!

Year-round employees will receive: An unlimited Orca pass and 4 complimentary tickets PER GAME, Healthcare for 1k or more hours worked in a year. 9 paid holidays!

Seasonal employees will receive: 4 complimentary game tickets per month, holiday pay including for Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. Free ORCA transit for commuting to work shifts. 

What’s next? We are working with the Mariners to schedule a day for you to VOTE on your NEW contract and will be reaching out to you again with a vote day. On that day we will walk you through your entire new contract!

Safe Staffing Bill SB 5236 Passes Senate Ways & Means Committee

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A spread of three photos: One of two people in scrubs holding signs in support of safe staffing at the state capitol, the next a group of health care workers holding signs supporting safe staffing, and one of attendees at an outdoor candlelight

We’re writing with an update on the progress of Senate Bill 5236 – our bill to create safe staffing standards in Washington.

Last Friday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee voted to pass an amended version of SB 5236. It is worth celebrating that this bill is continuing to move forward through the legislative process, even as we know the fight for a strong version with meaningful enforcement provisions is ongoing. At this point, a few senators have prevented us from implementing statewide safe staffing standards across the board as initially proposed. Despite this, the committee did amend SB 5236 to strengthen staffing committees and improve enforcement, setting a solid foundation for us to keep fighting for safe staffing standards. We’re confident this agreement gets us closer to enforceable staffing standards by establishing penalties for hospitals that continue to violate staffing plans, and under the amended bill, if hospitals continue those violations, they would be subject to Labor and Industries’ strict enforcement of safe staffing standards.

The most important thing for all healthcare workers to know is that negotiations at the Capitol around this bill – what staffing standards and enforcement will look like – are ongoing as we speak, and state senators need to hear loud and clear from their constituents that this bill should stay as strong as possible. 

There is still time for hospital lobbyists to try to weaken the bill, but that means there is also time for us to make our voices heard. Contacting your senator, and encouraging your coworkers, family, friends, and community to do so as well, is the main way we can keep up the pressure. Share your experiences with short-staffing and what it means for your patients. Let them know what the current lack of accountability around staffing plans looks like day to day. Make it clear that their constituents are paying attention and demanding action.

Our next hurdle will be to get SB 5236 passed off the Senate floor by March 8th. We thank Sen. June Robinson for being our legislative champion on behalf of Washington’s healthcare workers and Sen. Christine Rolfes, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee, for keeping the focus on this bill until it was voted out of committee.

Your work and advocacy up to this point have been invaluable. We encourage you to continue reaching out to your Legislators to urge them to pass SB 5236.

Acme Farms + Kitchen Contract Vote Rescheduled

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Acme Farms & Kitchen

VOTE MEETING RESCHEDULED

On Wednesday, February 8 our union bargaining committee reached a tentative agreement for the first Acme Farms & Kitchen Union contract! This tentative agreement is unanimously recommended contract by our Union Bargaining Committee for a “yes” vote at the ratification meeting now RESCHEDULED for Friday, March 3, 2023 at 3:30pm. It includes:

  • Wage Scales for all union jobs with increases

  • based on length of service.

  • Paid holiday benefits.

  • Paid vacation benefits.

  • Protections from unjust termination.

  • Many other benefits to all employees.

In-Person Contract Vote Details:

Rescheduled Vote: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak at the worksite and the Employer’s closure of the warehouse, the contract ratification vote, has been rescheduled for:

Friday March 3, 2023 at 3:30pm

909 Squalicum Way, Unit 104 Bellingham, WA 98225

All eligible current bargaining unit members are eligible to vote. Full details of the contract will be available in a vote summary document and the full version of the tentative agreement.

Alsco Linen - Tentative Agreement Reached—Vote Scheduled!

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We have reached a tentative agreement with ALSCO. When we first started bargaining, our goal was to win competitive wage increases, maintain our healthcare, improve our pension and to reinstate seniority and vacation accruals prior to covid layoffs.

We continued pushing the Company and were finally able to settle on competitive wages, maintained our health insurance with improved eligibility, and improved and secured our retirement.

Other wins include:

  • Improved layoff language

  • Reinstated seniority and vacation accruals to those affected by covid layoffs

  • Improved New Employee Orientation language

  • First ever Union Leave language

  • Increased timelines for grievance process

  • Sick leave payout option

  • New improved vacation payout

  • An additional floating holiday for workers hired after 2019

We will be going over the details of the agreement during our in-person vote! Join us:

Tuesday, February 28

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Breakroom at ALSCO

The Bargaining Committee is recommending a YES vote!

UFCW 3000 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. Contact a Bargaining Committee member or your Union Representative for any questions.

St. Joseph Medical Center Technical - Cautiously Optimistic—Bargaining Continues

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“As a team, we’re fighting for every bargaining unit member at the table. We’re very encouraged with our progress and look forward to back-to-back bargaining dates with Management this week.”

Our Bargaining Team: Vanessa Giles (Surgical Tech), Kat Wood (Radiology Tech), Michelle Gilmore (Respiratory Therapist), Monica DeWitt (Pharmacy Tech), Sissy Allison (Surgical Tech)

Our Union contract is scheduled to expire soon, giving us the opportunity to engage in contract negotiations with our employer for better wages and working conditions.

Our Bargaining Team began preparations last year and then met with the employer for the first time on January 5, much earlier than in previous years. At that session we provided the Employer with ALL our non-economic proposals. The team wanted to give the employer as much as possible upfront as to avoid any possible delay in our fight for a fair contract.

We then met with the Employer again on February 16 to receive their counter proposal. The team was pleasantly surprised by the Employers response, which included significant movement not usually shown in an initial response. In fact, we already have a tentative agreement on improvements to our low census process and are close to reaching agreements on other important issues.

The Employer’s proposal may be a signal that they are willing to work with the Union towards a mutually agreeable settlement without delay. However, we all must remain prepared to take action if the conditions at the bargaining table sour. While we are cautiously optimistic about our upcoming meetings with management, our Bargaining Team remains prepared to take action if necessary to win the contract that we deserve.

St. Michael Medical Center - Protech Bargaining Continues

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Our Bargaining Team: Paul Harris, ER Tech; Chris Young, Transport; Don Szabo, Lead Medical Imaging; Rob Shauger, CNA 8th floor; Angela Roberson, Heart and Vascular; Connie Baker, RT; Kain McLeod, Pharm Technician

After evaluating the issues of the workplace and listing to you, our coworkers We have met with management for the first time and presented our non-economic language proposals. We had good discussion and look forward to start talking about wages the next time we meet.  

“After the first day of sitting across the table with management I am hopeful that they have heard our concerns and will respond positively. It’s time for management recognizes that we are the ones who do the work everyday and they need to respect our voices and our experience.” 

— Don Szabo, Lead Medical Imaging  

We are just beginning but if you want to be connected and get more information, please join one of our Contract Action Team meetings!

Thursday, February 23, 2022

10:00 AM • 7:00 PM

In-Person:

UFCW Silverdale office  

3888 NW Randall Way #105, Silverdale, Wa. 98383

Or join by Zoom:

https://zoom.us/join

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