Mason General RN Contract - BARGAINING UPDATE

Our team is working hard just to bring our contract up to the standards of other local hospitals:

• Competitive Wages — Mason Health does not appear to see the need for any significant wage increases and is offering less than 4% in the first year.

• Federally Recognized Holidays — Mason Health is not interested in any of the holidays we asked for and other hospitals already have.

• Equitable Vacation/Earned Time — We are working to ensure that earned time is competitive with other hospitals.

• Correcting the Definitions of Full-Time & Part-Time — We have proposed language which documents that full time for 12 hour nurses is 36 hours a week.

These are things we shouldn't have to fight with management about but our fight continues. We are bargaining next on Wednesday, January 17 and will not compromise on this contract.

For additional information, contact Union Representative Naomi Oligario at (360) 662-1989.

If someone you know is not receiving these updates, update your information.

Lourdes Medical Center RNs - New union contract ratified

Lourdes Medical Center RNs
New union contract ratified

“We are glad we are finally competitive with the market!”

—Jennifer Powell, RN and Bargaining Team member

Our Bargaining Team: Jennifer Powell, Jessica Leon, and Holly Kelly

The new contract was overwhelming voted and approved on December 27 and it includes:

• Significant wage increases making Lourdes more competitive

• Additional Step 32 at the top of the scale

• Premium increases to:

• Charge Nurse Differential

• Night Shift Differential

• On-call Differential

• Preceptor Premium increase

• Increase PTO accrual for 5-15+ years of services

• Memorandum of understanding (MOU) compensation for SANE

• Two-year extension to the current contract: The new contract will now expire January 1, 2027.

QUESTIONS? Contact a Bargaining Team member or Union Rep Juanita Quezada @ 509-340-7407.

Providence St. Peter Hospital RN - Case Manager Rns Bargaining Update!

Our bargaining team met with management on Tuesday, December 12. While we have not come to a tentative agreement, we have made it clear, and management has grasped, that we have no interest in a wage scale that is different (and economically worse) than the existing RN scale. At this point, management has not agreed to any retroactive pay, and we still have not reached a consensus on where our years of experience would place us on the wage scale.

We appreciate the supermajority of our coworkers signing strike pledge cards! We will be holding another Contract Action Team meeting to discuss next steps and get your input. This will be held at the Olympia Center, located at 222 Columbia St. NW, Olympia, WA, 98501, on January 4 at 5:00 PM in Room 101.

Please reach out to us or Union Representative Brandan Zielinski (206 436 6603) with any questions.

Bargaining Team, left to right: Alison Studeman, Case Manager RN; Melissa Macchiarella, Case Manager RN; Mary Briles, Case Manager RN.

Lourdes Medical Center RN Tentative Agreement reached for contract extension and wage increases for all Nurses

In an attempt to address the immediate retention and recruitment issues at Lourdes Medical Center, our Bargaining Team and Administration met to discuss the possibility of extending the current contract with increases to compensation and some other changes.

After two long days of conversations, we were able to reach a tentative agreement that will close the gap in compensation with our geographic competitor. We believe the increases will help our hospital with retention and recruitment.

Our Bargaining Team worked hard and made sure that there were substantial economic increases, increases to PTO accrual, an addition step to the top of the scale, and premiums were increased in many areas including Charge Nurse, On-Call, Night shift differential, Preceptor, and a new SANE premium.

“Competitive wages are an absolute must to recruit and retain nurses. We believe this proposal achieves that goal and makes me very happy.” — Jennifer Powell RN

“It is great to be part of a Union that always has the members’ best interest in mind and supports our efforts in achieving those interest.” — Holly Kelly RN

“I feel accomplished and fulfilled in being part of a successful negotiation in this expedited process. It is a validation of our hard work, dedication, and the value we brought to the table as a team.” — Jessica Leon RN

Please join our Bargaining Team in voting YES!

December 27, 2023 any time between 6:30am to 8:00am and 11:00am to 2:00pm in the Carondolet Room next to the cafeteria.

A complete document of the contract and the new wage scale will be available at the vote along with our Bargaining Team to answer any questions and address any concerns you may have.

You must be a member in good standing to be eligible to vote. Please reach out to Union Representative Juanita Quezada with any questions at 509-340-7407.

Mason General RN Bargaining Begins!

Our Bargaining Team has met twice with Management and exchanged non-economic proposals that clarify the low census process, clean up the definition of full time, part time, transfers, notice and report process, as well as many other proposals to clean up contract language and make it more understandable. So far, Management seems to have heard what our interests are.

We have multiple meeting dates set up through the rest of October, and still need to work through economic proposals, including premiums & benefits- and specifically wages!

Our next session is scheduled for October 24.

For additional information, reach out to a Bargaining Team Member or our Union Representative Naomi Oligario at 360-662-1989

Make sure your personal contact information is up to date! Go to ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

Tri-Cities Community Health RNs Ratify First Contract

The Bargaining Team would like to thank everyone that showed up to vote YES on our new 3 year contract.

Our bargaining team is excited to announce that on June 21, 2023 Tri Cities Community Health workers made history with Ratifying their First contract by a Unanimous vote. The new contract guarantees two wage increases each year of the contract, annual merit bonuses, a competitive wage scale, job security, Grievance process, Continuing Education reimbursement, Union Security, Equality and fairness from now on.

We now have a voice that will be heard by All! Reach out to our Bargaining Team or Union Rep. Juanita Quezada at 509-340-7407 if you have any questions or concerns and to learn how you can get involved.

Tri-Cities Community Health RN Bargaining Update

Tri-Cities Community Health RNs

Bargaining Continues

Our Union Bargaining Team met with the Employers’ over four very productive negotiation sessions. We have been discussing multiple proposals at the table but are focusing on: job security, working conditions, and compensation while making sure that we protect the benefits we currently have.

“We addressed multiple issues with responses from TCCH. We achieved Tentative Agreements on several articles. Building a brand-new 1st contract is an exciting but laborious experience.” — Karen Engel RN, Auburn campus

“I’m excited that finally us nurses will have a voice and hold management accountable. The union will help us establish a better work environment.” — Sophia Rubalcava RN, Court St. campus

“Nurses will finally have a voice. Being a bilingual nurse should be a benefit, however it feels like a punishment, managers would expect me to do many more responsibilities when I worked with 5 providers. Now I will be able to speak up and address my concerns for equitable treatment because I now have the union’s support.” — Hilda Torres RN, Court St. campus

Our next bargaining session will be May 11, 2023.

Please reach out to one of our Union Bargaining Team members or our Union Rep. Juanita Quezada at 509-340-7407 with any questions or concerns.

Providence Regional Medical Center Everett - Staffing Update • November 10, 2022

The staffing problem at Providence Everett continues to worsen. This past month it culminated with a sentinel event in the emergency department. This event, along with others can be avoided with proper staffing!  

Time and time again in nurse staffing committee, nurses have made staffing suggestions to the Hospital administration. Instead of taking into consideration our recommendations, they have ignored us, cancelled additional meetings needed to review the many CSIs submitted, and are now planning to restructure the Staffing Steering Committees which will favor the Hospital. 

Enough is enough! Providence needs to be held accountable and answer our questions about staffing. We have submitted a detailed information request to the Hospital to better understand the factors which lead to the sentinel event in the emergency department. 

Providence has failed to resolve our staffing problems and is failing the community and patients. 

We call on Providence Everett to be transparent and collaborate with nurses in staffing committee! Our patients deserve better! We need safe staffing conditions now! 

We will be following up with next actions in the next two weeks. In the meantime, our most effective tool is to file a CSI form or file a DOH complaint. We highly encourage you to use these avenues to report staffing issues.  

Samaritan Health RN Wage Scale Change vote

Samaritan Health RN Wage Scale Change vote

Samaritan Health has proposed a mid-contract improvement to our current wage scale for all RNs.

Because it is a permanent change to our contract, we will need to have members in good standing vote on the change.

All members are encouraged to vote YES on Monday, November 14, 2022 any time between 10am–12pm in Room 405.

You will be able to ask any questions and will be provided with the proposal at the vote.

Please reach out to our Union Representative Amy Radcliff at 509-340-7370 with any questions or concerns.

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Nurses at PRMCE Step Up

This #WorkerWednesday, we want to especially recognize three amazing UFCW 3000 members at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, WA.

Heidi, Kristen, and Trevor are all nurses who work at PRMCE. As frontline healthcare workers, they have seen first-hand the impacts of the staffing crisis on their work. Because of their dedication to providing the best possible care to their patients and their community, these amazing worker-leaders have been stepping up to advocate for safe staffing!

Outside of the workplace, Kristen, Trevor, and Heidi have helped raise community awareness on the staffing crisis by appearing in the local papers & media. They’ve also organized coworkers & fellow union members to testify at city council meetings, sharing the perspective of essential workers with lawmakers.

Trevor, Heidi, Kristen…thank you for the work that you do to advocate for your coworkers while working hard to keep your patients and our communities safe & healthy!

Providence Everett - Management finally responds to Union proposed incentives and retention bonus!

Providence Everett Medical Center
Management finally responds to Union proposed incentives and retention bonus!

For several months, we have been asking Providence to focus on improving staffing through incentives. In July, we proposed to Providence Everett Management three incentives to help with retention and recruitment. We proposed: 1) a flip shift incentive which would give day/evening shift employees time-and-a-half for every hour worked during a temporary night shift assignment; 2) an extra shift incentive for any employee who works beyond their assigned FTE; 3) an $8,000 retention bonus, split in two payments, for all employees who have been employed since July 1, 2022.

Providence finally responded to our proposal on October 3. They responded with an extra shift incentive only for RNs, Discharge Planners, Transition Planners, Respiratory Therapists, CT Techs, MRI Techs, Medical Lab Techs, Medical Techs ASCP, Senior Medical Techs, Surgical Techs, and Sterile Processing Techs. These employees who are assigned a 0.9 FTE or below would receive time-and-one-half pay for shifts beyond their FTE and employees who are assigned above a 0.9 FTE would receive double time pay for shifts beyond their FTE.

While we recognize Providence’s effort to alleviate staffing problems with this incentive, we do not believe this is sufficient. The incentive is only for a portion of employees. It is important that all nurses, professionals, and techs be included!

We will be discussing the incentives with your Bargaining Committee and responding to Providence. Please reach out to your Union Rep or Bargaining Committee for questions or comments.

Capital Medical Center RN Bargaining Update

Capital Medical Center

There is Still work to be done

We had another bargaining session with management on September 22. Overall we have made great progress and feel like Management has come a long way. However, while a lot of things are promising there is still some work to be done before we can settle a contract that is equitable for everyone. Between the last two bargaining sessions we have discussed economics, staffing, safety, and made a lot headway on some of those issues but Management still needs some more nudging. 
Join us in signing this petition and let Management know that we are united for a strong contract.  

Sign our Petition: United for Strong Contract!>>

“We as nurses are compassionate about safety, our concerns were heard after a hard fight leading to an agreement around safe staffing.” 
–Bonnie Verellen and Carol Cairone  

“Management is trying to take away pay from those who work on-call. Individuals on-call already have a family work life balance burden and now management is trying to reduce pay. We Deserve Better!” –Cindy Dixon and Elisabeth Hildebrand.

Capital Medical Center RN - Bargaining for better pay, PTO, and patient safety

Capital Medical Center RN
BARGAINING FOR BETTER PAY, PTO, AND PATIENT SAFETY

On August 30, we met across the bargaining table from Capital Medical Center and proposed our economics. The market for Nurses in Washington state is evolving rapidly, and we’re holding it to Management to work with us to keep Capital Medical Center at the forefront of our needs.

Beyond the wage scale, we’ve continued to flesh out our counter proposals on PTO. Management initially brought us language to provide consistency between contracts, and we must ensure whichever plan we agree upon is equitable, and amends the ongoing concerns around benefits and accruals.

Lastly, our Bargaining Committee has been creative in our approaches to staffing and education. Although these conversations are still in their beginning stages, we know that our day-to-day lives as Nurses are about more than just pay and benefits: we must honor our safety as well as our patients!

Stay tuned for more information on joining the Contract Action Team (CAT)!

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns to Union Rep Brandan Zielinski @ 206-436-6603 or BZielinski@ufcw3000.org

Our Capital Medical Center Bargaining Team (L - R): Steven Toff (Chair 1 Bargainer for UFCW), Bonnie Verellen (Labor & Delivery), Dennis Verellen (ICU/PCU), Cindy Dixon (PACU). Not pictured: Carol Cairone (OR) & Elisabeth Hildebrand (Cath Lab)

Capital Medical Center RN Bargaining Update

We had two more bargaining sessions with Management where we got a few more tentative agreements. We spent a lot of time talking about PTO. Management wants to keep us in alignment with all of the other MultiCare facilities, which we are okay with but they also need to recognize we are our own bargaining unit with our own needs.

We, as a Bargaining Team, want to be sure that none of us are left behind. If Management wants to make changes and put us in alignment, we want to make sure that all our coworkers are coming out on top.

“Things are moving in bargaining, but it seems like we have more questions for Management than what they are giving us. We need more answers from Management so we can get more done.” – Elisabeth Hildebrand, Cath Lab

“Management has made proposals around PTO that leaves some of our coworkers behind. We want to make sure none of our coworker are left behind!” – Cindy Dixon, PACU

Capital Medical Center RN - We Are United for a Strong Contract

Our Bargaining Team (Left to Right):

Dennis Verellen (ICU/PCU)

Elisabeth Hildebrand (Cath Lab)

Bonnie Verellen (Labor & Delivery)

Carol Cairone (OR)

Cindy Dixon (PACU)

We had our first bargaining session and led on our vision of what a great Capital Medical Center looks like. With your input we presented our priorities to MultiCare management and told them that our team is united for:

• Competitive Wages that recruit and retain workers

• Safe Staffing for us and our patients

• Safe working conditions for all our coworkers

• Raising standards to meet other MultiCare Units.

“As we began bargaining, we shared with management the important of raising us to the standards of other MultiCare units up north. Just because we are in Olympia doesn’t mean we deserve less than others. We deserve the same services, benefits and resources as others.”

— Dennis Verellen

“We had a successful start to our bargaining coming to some agreements right out the gate. With your support and involvement I believe we will have a successful bargain and win a strong contract.”

— Carol Cairone

Together we can win!

Many hands make light work! If you are interested in being involved and staying up-to-date please join the Contract Action Team (CAT). Reach out to anyone of us on the bargaining team or our union rep Brandan Zielinski at (206) 436-6603 or via email BZielinski@ufcw3000.org.

St. Michael Medical Center RN - New Agreement Ratified

After six months of negotiations, our Bargaining Team is excited to announce that nurses voted to ratify their successor contract. St. Michael Medical Center will now have one of the highest wage scales and charge nurse premiums in the state, a much stronger staffing committee, and much more.

However, the fight is not over! Our new contract will not solve the chronic staffing issues and mismanagement that continues to plague St. Michael Medical Center, no amount of money could fix that. We need to continue to elevate the pressure by submitting official complaints to state agencies, running petitions of no confidence against incompetent managers, and fight to pass legislation on staffing ratios.

While changing the law may take time, we are taking action NOW to impact change. The first petition of no confidence will begin circulating this month and you can begin to file complaints with the state today through the following links.

Please contact Union Representative Aimee Oien at (360) 662-1981 if you have any questions or need assistance filing a complaint with the state. 

Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks. 

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.

St. Michael Medical Center RN - Contract Vote Scheduled

Contract Ratification Vote Documents are now available. Links below:

https://www.ufcw21.org/s/SMMC-RN-22-25-Contract-Redline-Vote-Doc.pdf
 
https://www.ufcw21.org/s/SMMC-RN-Vote-Highlight.pdf

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After six months of negotiations, your Bargaining Team was able to reach a tentative agreement with management on a new contract. The Bargaining Team is recommending a YES vote:

• One of the highest wage scales in the state, exceeding St. Joseph Medical Center, Tacoma General Hospital, Swedish Medical Center, and most others! The 4.00% raises in year two and three will ensure that we’ll stay competitive throughout the life of our contract.

• Significantly improved staffing language,

• $3.25/hr charge nurse pay immediately! This is the highest charge nurse pay in the state (and 18% higher than St. Joes!).

• Removal of ghost steps 17, 21 and 23 (steps with 0% wage increase),

• Per Diem differential increased to 15% (and they will continue to receive holiday pay),

• Double time when called back to work from standby during a holiday,

• NEW B.S.N. / M.S.N. differential,

• NEW language to prepare for the next public health emergency,

• And much more!

While we were unable to get staffing ratios added into our contract, your Bargaining Team did win unprecedented staffing language that will help address the long-term issues at St. Michael Medical Center. However, the fight for staffing ratios is not over! Our Union is working to make staffing ratios state law, because every hospital across Washington State should be held accountable when they fail to provide high quality care to their community.

Our fight has also shined a light on the serious problems at St. Michael Medical Center. Our community, state leaders, and even Dignity Health have heard directly from nurses that our hospital is in crisis. We will continue to challenge those with authority to work on solutions to the problem that we cannot address in contract negotiations.

Voting Process:
DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE
On Friday, June 24, electronic copies of the vote documents will be made available on ufcw3000.org and emailed out to nurses who have an accurate email on file with the Union.

ONLINE MEETINGS
Wednesday, June 29
9AM, 6PM, 8:30PM

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 30
6AM-9AM, 12PM-2PM, 4PM-9PM
St. Michael Medical Center – Garden Room
1800 NW Myhre 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.

NOTE: The Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings scheduled for Wednesday, June 22 have been CANCELED and replaced with the online vote meetings mentioned above. This will allow nurses time to review the vote documents before the online meetings.

Your Bargaining Team: Brett Moore, Cindy Franck, Kimberly Fraser McMillan, Michael Nord, Tammy Olson, and Janice Jones.

Jefferson HealthCare (RN) - Contract Ratified

After several months of bargaining, Nurses at Jefferson voted YES to ratify their contract!

Highlights of the contract include:

• Wage increases of 4%-15.8% in year one, 2.5% in year two, and 2.5% in year three

• Retro pay from January 2, 2022 plus a $1300, ratification bonus prorated by FTE

• One for one credit review to be completed within 60 days of ratification for past years of experience

• Improved work schedule language and improved pay for working extra shifts

• Clarification of restructure reassignment including role definitions

The Jefferson Board is meeting on June 22 to review and vote on this contract. When ratified by the board, Nurses should expect to see the wage increases as well as the retro and ratification bonus on checks by July 22.

BIG THANK YOU TO THE BARGAINING TEAM: Robin Bridge, Melanee Knudsen, Ben Schadler and Jeannette Hundley!

For additional information or to get more involved, contact Union Representative Ryan Degouveia at 360-662-1989.

Providence Centralia hospital RN - We have reached a tentative agreement!

Providence Centralia hospital RN - We have reached a tentative agreement!

On June 8 we reached a tentative agreement with Providence Centralia Management! Last bargaining cycle in 2019, Providence proposed taking away some of our benefits, which resulted in us bargaining for almost a year and authorizing a strike. This time around, Providence made no proposals to reduce or eliminate any of our benefits. In fact, we were able to win additional annual leave! We made it clear to Providence that in order to retain and recruit nurses we needed a competitive wage scale.

We were able to win between 3% and 14% wage increases for nurses in the first year of the contract! We believe with the new wage scale, multiple annual increases, increases to premiums and annual leave, and enforceable staffing language, the Hospital will be able to retain and recruit nurses.

We will be holding in-person vote meetings on June 21 from 6AM-9AM, 11AM-2PM, and 4PM-8PM at the Peppermill Inn at 1233 Alder St. Centralia WA 98531. On the day of the vote, we will review the full tentative agreement and answer questions. If you have any questions, please reach out to the bargaining team or your union Rep.

Your bargaining committee is recommending a “YES” vote!

Contract Vote: Tuesday, June 21

6am-9am, 11am-2pm, and 4pm-8pm

Peppermill Inn at 1233 Alder St. Centralia WA 98531

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Gina Noel

Gina Noel, RN at Providence Regional Medical Center and proud UFCW 3000 member

Another week, another #MemberMonday! Today’s spotlight is on Gina Noel, who is a staff RN at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, WA.

Gina is an active leader in her workplace and has been ever since she became a UFCW 3000 member. Gina has participated in multiple Union actions, attended leader trainings, and even joined her fellow members in advocating for safe staffing legislation. She shared her story and the story of her coworkers with lawmakers, helping them better understand the realities of the healthcare staffing crisis and the challenges essential healthcare workers face day in and day out.

Gina recently joined her home floor's staffing committee and is a voice for her unit. While doing this work, Gina identified multiple floors that had no members present to speak on behalf of their particular units. Using social media, Gina and her coworkers organized Zoom meetings to recruit fellow nurses into their med tele & surge staffing committees, resulting in the most RN participation on this committee in years!

Gina — by encouraging your coworkers to get involved in advocating for the changes they need in their own workplaces, you have truly become a role model for leadership and initiative. Thank you for all that you do!