Draper Valley Farms - Accelerated wage increases to start March 27

Draper Valley Farms
Accelerated wage increases to start March 27

The Company and Union have agreed to accelerating wage increases starting March 27. All union members were scheduled to receive a $0.50/hour increase on April 1, but now all union members shall receive a $1.00/hour increase on March 27, which is a combination of the original contractual wage increases from 2023 and 2024!

Additionally, we were able to win a $0.75 increase on April 1, 2024 for all union members!

The increase shall be effective March 27 and will appear on your Friday, April 7 paycheck.

Aumentos salariales acelerados a partir del 27 de Marzo

La Compañía y el la Union han acordado acelerar los incrementos salariales a partir del 27 de marzo. Todos los empleados iban a recibir $0.50/hora el 1 de abril. Ahora recibirán un aumento de $1.00/hora el 27 de marzo! El aumento es una porción de los aumentos contractuales del 2023 y 2024.

Ademas, pudimos ganar $0.75 centavos adicionales para el 1 de abril de 2024!

El aumento entrara en vigencia el 27 de marzo y aparecera en su cheque del viernes, 7 de abril.

Perspective Therapeutics - Bargaining Begins

PERSPECTIVE THERAPEUTICS
BARGAINING BEGINS

Our Union Bargaining Committee met on Thursday, March 16, to prepare for our upcoming contract negotiation with Perspective Therapeutics. During the meeting, our Committee discussed top priorities that were brought up in the bargaining survey including wages, healthcare benefits, discipline and terminations and began working on formal proposals.

Our Committee learned and reviewed the:

• Union contract bargaining process

• Bargaining language like union security that helps us build a strong union

• Just cause language that protects workers from unjust discipline and discharge

• Union representation that will make sure members have access to their Union Steward and Union Rep,

• And the grievance process that establishes a formal procedure to challenge contract violations, discipline and terminations.

We have scheduled bargaining dates with the company for Tuesday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 19.

“We won our Union election, and now we’re ready to start the process of negotiating our first contract! We are looking forward to working together with our Union and Perspective Therapeutics.” -Fernando Gonzalez-Perez, Tamra Neish, Cristal Bauer

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Holly Purcell

Holly Pursell with her family in Port Angeles

Planned Parenthood medical assistant Holly Purcell in her own words about working at her clinic in Port Angeles:

“I have always been a big supporter of Planned Parenthood.  They helped me with some of my healthcare needs when I was younger and living out on the East coast. Their mission and work are so valuable and offer a much-needed service to many people across the country. When I saw that Planned Parenthood had a job posting for a medical assistant in 2017, I knew I had to apply. I’ve been working for Planned Parenthood ever since and enjoy my job tremendously. It’s such a rewarding feeling knowing that you are helping your community. The Port Angeles team is small but mighty! It consists of myself, a medical receptionist, a clinician, and a health center manager. We have all been working together for a long time and we treat each other like family. They have been there for me during some of my toughest times.”

Holly and her husband have loved and fostered many children since marrying in 2012 and have adopted 3 of them, creating their family. Their family enjoys their many pets which include a cat, two lizards, three dogs, and five fish. Wow!

Mariners Retail Workers - Union Contract Ratified

Mariners Retail Workers
Union Contract Ratified

Congratulations, Mariners retail workers! You have ratified your first contract and can expect new wages to go into effect on Friday, April 14.

WHAT’S NEXT?
Fill out your UFCW 3000 membership application if you haven’t done so already.
Scan or go to: https://join.ufcw.org/join/3000

YOUR WEINGARTEN RIGHTS
If you’re called into a meeting that you think could lead to discipline, STOP! Ask for union representation.

“I request a union representative during this meeting. If you accuse me or ask me questions I believe may lead to my discipline, I have a right not to answer those questions and will continue to ask for a union representative until you comply with my request.”

For questions or issues, please reach out to Union Rep Mohamed Bonah at 206-436-6514.

MultiCare Covington Medical Center - Bargaining Continues

Your Bargaining Team: 

• Faith Soriano-Miller, RN – PCU 

• Lolita Edge, CS Tech in Sterile Processing 

• Luz Martinez, Monitor Tech 

• Poonam Gill, RN – PACU 

• Austin Smith, EVS 

• Ken Farrell, Charge RN MedSurg

We are close on our non-economic language but management refuses to prioritize the bargaining table and only bargain for a few hours a day. We have been working hard and deserve and strong, completed contract! It is not fair that we set aside full days to bargain, then management comes and tells us they have other meetings that they have prioritized over bargaining to get us a good agreement. We need management to commit to full days of bargaining so that we can get closer to securing a strong contract. 

We have proposed and made movement on language that will help to better our working conditions, and we have now made proposals for wages that will help us recruit and retain qualified staff. We work so hard to take care of our patients and our community—and we need the employer to show up and take care of us! 

“We have submitted our second economic proposal to management, and we are hoping that management will respect us and pay us so that we can recruit good workers and retain the staff we currently have.”

— Ken Farrell, Charge RN MedSurg

“Bargaining is frustratingly slow! The management’s lack of attendance at the table makes it seem like they don’t care about our issues.”

— Poonam Gill, RN – PACU 

“Hopefully at the next bargaining session management will start to work at a nurse’s pace!”

— Faith Soriano-Miller, RN – PCU 

While we are fighting for strong staffing language at the bargaining table, we also recognize staffing is a huge issue everywhere. 

Whatever language we win in our new contract will not solve the chronic staffing issues and mismanagement that continues to plague Covington Medical Center, no amount of money could fix that. We need to continue to elevate the pressure by submitting official complaints to state agencies and fight to pass legislation on staffing. 

Go to these links and fill out these staffing forms when you are short staffed:

DOSH Complaint

Report safety issues and/or hazardous working conditions directly to the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).

DOH Complaint

Report unsafe staffing directly to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). We encourage members who file a DOH complaint to also follow-up with a CSI report, ensuring the hospital as a record of the issue. 

Collaborative Staffing Intervention (CSI)

Report unsafe staffing and/or missed breaks and lunches.

Taking Our Fight Against the Corporate Grocery Mega-Merger to the FTC!

UFCW 3000 Leadership with allies ready to testify before the federal trade commission

UFCW 3000 and our fellow UFCW locals continue to work aggressively to stop the mega-merger between Albertsons/Safeway and Kroger (parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC).

Recently, union presidents from UFCW Locals 7, 324, 400, 770, and 3000 presented compelling evidence to the Federal Trade Commission on the negative impacts of this merger and our negative experiences with past grocery mergers. Representatives from 10 states’ Attorneys General offices attended, along with UFCW 3000 member and leader Naomi Oligario, a longtime Safeway worker from Port Orchard who shared her story of how the Safeway-Albertsons merger caused her and two other family members to lose their jobs.

We will not stop fighting against this corporate greed and overreach, and bring frontline grocery store workers’ voices front and center so our lawmakers, regulators, and employers hear directly from experts who work in these stores and serve our communities every day.

Take Action!

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Read on to hear some of what Naomi and our president, Faye Guenther, shared.

“My name is Naomi Oligario. I started working at my local Safeway store, in Port Orchard, Washington in 1985. I raised my four kids with my income and benefits from this job. My kids were Safeway babies. As they have grown up, over the years, at one point or another, each have worked at a Safeway store. And my customers are like family too. It is a tight relationship that we all have. We share our triumphs and our tragedies.

In 2015, after nearly 30 years with the company, after coming in on extra shifts, doing extra work to make the store run, after working through holidays, I found out one day, without any advance notice or for-planning, that my store would be bought by Haggen, and that no one would be allowed to transfer to another store. […]

I lived through the debacle of my Safeway store closing, and the new Haggen opening, but quickly it became clear that this was not a good situation. The prices were too high. Many of my loyal customers, within three weeks or less, came to me with tears in their eyes and apologized to me. They said they’d tried but could not shop here anymore. Sales dropped through the floor. Our hours were cut, and quickly many staff were having to look for work elsewhere any where they could find employment… This impacted three income earners in my one family. But the fallout from that failed merger was huge. It was not just me and my family. Similar experiences were felt by workers at over a hundred closed stores. […]

It’s just greed. Plain and simple. A few months ago, back in November, I was in the Senate Subcommittee hearing room and saw the Kroger CEO say they would not close stores or lay off workers. Under oath he said that to a US Senator. But they’re not telling the truth. They will end up closing stores and laying off workers just like happened to me, my family and my co-workers seven years ago. And our customers will lose out again too. This merger is a bad idea and needs to be stopped.”

Naomi (L) and FAYE (R) traveled to speak directly with the ftc on the proposed merger.

“My name is Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 3000, representing 50,000 workers in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. I represented workers in Fred Meyer in 1999, prior to its purchase by Kroger. In 2008, I represented workers in Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, and Haggen. […]

Haggen was a 90-year-old, union, family-owned company, headquartered in Bellingham, WA. After the divestiture of 146 stores to Haggen (as a result of the Albertsons/Safeway merger), we watched this once-local company go bankrupt in a few short months. Workers were hurt in too many ways to enumerate here today. Instead of offering competition, all remaining Haggen stores now belong to Albertson.

The divested Haggen stores were in trouble fast. Something was wrong and workers started calling us immediately. At the store by my house, the banner was changed, but the only things that changed in the store were higher prices and wilted lettuce. Customers fled. Hours were cut, impacting everything from pension contributions to healthcare qualifications and leave banks. 

After bankruptcy, we had to then negotiate with Albertsons, to try restore workers who re-applied to get their seniority back which impacted Sunday pay, healthcare and every other wage and benefit issue.”

Join Us: Union Telephone Town Hall on Monday March 20 at 6:30 p.m.

You’re Invited!
Telephone Town Hall
Mon. Mar. 20, 6:30pm

All UFCW 3000 members are invited to join us for a live Telephone Town Hall on Monday March 20th at 6:30 PM. We will be discussing efforts to reform our International Union, make it more of a worker-led democratic union, and to get more value from the money our local union sends each month. We should have more of a say in our union and we need more power to negotiate stronger contracts and win more rights, higher pay and improved safety at work.
 
You should receive a call on Monday around 6:30 pm. Simply answer the phone and you will join the call. If for some reason you miss the call or do not get a call, you can call in from any phone:

☎️ Call: 1-888-652-0386
Use Meeting ID: 7312

PCC Contract Action Team Meetings

CONTRACT ACTION TEAM MEETINGS

Tuesday, April 4 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm Issaquah Library

Tuesday, April 4 from 4:00pm – 5:00pm Seattle Library

Wednesday, April 5 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm UFCW 3000 Des Moines Offices

Wednesday, April 5 from 6:00pm - 7:00pm Kenmore Library

Thursday April 6 - Online Zoom Meetings from 9:00am – 10:00am & 6:30pm – 7:30pm

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

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

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

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

“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.

AW Rehn contract proposal meeting

contract proposal meeting

Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 5:30pm

UFCW 3000 Office 2805 N. Market St. Spokane WA 99207

Please attend so that you can have input on the terms and conditions in your Union Contract.

If you have questions contact our Rep Mark Hansen 509-340-7406

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

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!

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!

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

• 10:00 AM–11:30 AM

• 3:00 PM–4:30 PM

• 7:00 PM–8:30 PM

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

ACME Farms + Kitchen ACME Workers Ratify First Contract!

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!

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!

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

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!