On Friday, October 10 and Thursday, October 16 or union Bargaining Team representing the Pharmacists at St. Joseph Medical Center joined Management at the table for our first two sessions of contract negotiations.
Read MoreRN Case Managers will have the opportunity to vote on Friday, October 24, from 12pm to 1pm at the Cascade Room (in the cafeteria) on joining the new RN contract.
The full contract document will be available to review during the voting period and the new RN contract is available online on the UFCW 3000 Capital Medical RN contract page. To participate, you must complete a union membership application and vote in person.
If you have any questions, please contact your Union Representative, Kimberly Starkweather, at (206) 436-6515.
October 24
12pm - 1pm
Cascade Room
In the cafeteria
The following National Alliance of Healthcare Workers Unions are holding a five-day strike October 14-18:
UNAC/UHCP (California)
HNHP Hawaii Nurses & Healthcare Professionals (Hawaii)
UNITE HERE Local 5 (Hawaii)
USW United Steelworkers 7600 (California)
OFNHP AFT Local 5017 (Oregon and Southern Washington/Vancouver)
These contracts have all expired and workers are striking for better staffing, wages, and retirement benefits.
Our local contracts include Pro Tech Optical and Pharmacy. The Pro Tech Optical contract expired on October 1. The Pharmacy contract will expire July 31, 2026.
We have continued to bargain local contracts. Last week we met with management for several days. We are working on local economics including market increases (getting KPWA positions closer to other area healthcare).
September 15-17 we emailed and texted asking you to let Kaiser know: NO PROGRESS NO PULSE! Thank you for sending Kaiser this message!
Last week we sent a letter to Greg Adams notifying him that we are putting a pause on partnership activities, notably:
Regional and Local Labor Management Partnership Councils
Workplace Safety Committees
Attendance Committees and Reviews
Unit-Based Teams (UBTs) and UBT Projects
Steward Training Sessions
Alliance-Partnership Representatives
Workforce of the Future Initiatives
We are continuing to ask all KPWA UFCW workers: Will you do what it takes for this contract?
If you need a pledge card, reach out and we will make sure you get one.
You are invited to attend a virtual Contract Action Meeting. Find out what's happening in local bargaining, national bargaining, and next steps.
We are disappointed to share that management has canceled our upcoming bargaining session—which was scheduled for tomorrow, October 15—stating that their reason for doing so is a proposal which they felt was incomplete or missing information.
Specifically, management referenced our proposed "Caseload" language, which was intended to outline the anticipated workload of the various positions represented in our union contract, and includes factors like whether an employee is serving as a mentor, if they're a specialty coordinator for CHERISH, and so on. The proposed article we shared with the employer on October 3 outlines how different patient requirements are to be calculated together to ensure these are all considered in our overall workload.
After clarifying the language to the employer to show how the calculations would be completed based on the article—our bargaining team came together and drafted an example of a caseload document, which we then shared with the employer.
In summary, we shared that cancelling a session due to questions they have on certain proposal(s) feels counter intuitive to our bargaining team. We are hopeful that we have signaled our willingness to work with the employer and look forward to engaging in discussion and exchange of proposals at our next session on October 28.
Tonight, we have a Contract Action Team committee meeting, the details of which have been emailed out. This will be held with your representative Ian Jacobson and will help clarify any questions you might have.
October 14, 2025
7pm
After four meetings with the Employer, we have made progress and moved forward with the non-economic aspects that will ensure an improved contract for everyone in SRH. In this last bargaining section, we tentatively agreed on items that were part of the committee’s goals; these are bolded below. We all stay together, demonstrating unity and a willingness to stand up to the Employer, letting them know that our Bargaining Team has our trust and unquestionable support. We are about to start the economic conversations with SRH, and we feel that this could be a historic contract for us and our families. Today, more than ever, you need to stay alert and ready to engage in our contract fight.
Read MoreAs we are preparing for upcoming contract negotiations with PCC, it’s time to elect our Bargaining Team!
Read MoreAll Alliance locals have sent notifications to Greg Adams, letting him know that we are immediately pausing participation in Labor Management Partnership (LMP) activities found in the National Agreement.
This action comes after a consistent pattern of disregard for partnership principles—delays, scripted responses, and a lack of genuine engagement. The LMP was created to solve problems together and improve care, not to serve as a formality. When leadership stops listening, partnership stops working.
Therefore, the following LMP structures and activities are paused, effective noon PST on October 8, 2025:
Regional and Local Labor Management Partnership Councils
Workplace Safety Committees
Attendance Committees and Reviews
Unit-Based Teams (UBTs) and UBT Projects
Steward Training Sessions
Alliance-Partnership Representatives
Workforce of the Future Initiatives
For additional information reach out to Contract Specialist JJ Benson 425-306-1357 or Union Representative Aisha Womack 206-436-6584.
We overwhelmingly ratified a new agreement at Fred Meyer Richland! Our combined strength with fellow grocery workers across the state established a unified expiration timeline in 2027 for tens of thousands of UFCW 3000 grocery workers bargaining at the same time.
Read MoreOn October 8, nurses overwhelmingly voted to approve our new contract! This agreement makes us competitive with St. Peter and provides meaningful wage increases that will strengthen retention and recruitment.
From the beginning, our goal was clear: secure a contract that keeps us competitive with nearby hospitals and addresses workplace issues through stronger language. We believe this agreement does just that—supporting better staffing and giving management a clear framework to provide incentive pay when short-staffing occurs.
Nurses will see their wage increases reflected on the October 24 payday. Our next step is to finalize and post the blackline version of the contract online. In the meantime, you can review the redline version here: >>
Remember: a contract only matters if we enforce it. We encourage you to get involved in your workplace—join the Labor Management Committee, the Hospital Staffing Committee, or become a workplace leader in your department. An active and informed bargaining unit will ensure an even stronger contract in 2028.
If you're interested in getting more involved, please reach out to Kimberly Starkweather at 206-436-6515.
Our bargaining team met with the employer on October 1 and 2 and received the employer's economic proposal. The employer's proposal shows they are hearing our concerns regarding equity. We will be back at the bargaining table on October 22 with our response.
Intro Shop Steward Training >>
October 15
10:00am or 6:00pm
Steward Training: How to Represent Co-Workers in Investigatory Meetings >>
October 22
10:00am or 6:00pm
Bargaining Team: Martin Hernandez; Sarah Edwards; Cirri Cornelus
"Many hours have been put into the negotiations with the employer, and they have listened. We are almost there. A good employer supported by unions recognizes that providing a good wage elevates the dignity of labor."
— Martin Hernandez
"We appreciate our employer's attention to our concerns. Through collaboration we are building a stronger, more equitable workplace. We are working diligently towards a fair agreement that meets our needs."
— Sarah Edwards
"It has been a process, but it feels good to see things progressing. The employer seems to be hearing our concerns and working with us. I know things have felt slow, but they are ramping up, and progress is occurring."
— Cirri Cornelus
Our union Bargaining Team representing the Professionals at MultiCare Capital Medical Center is excited to announce that we have our first bargaining date on the books, scheduled for October 21, to kick-off negotiations for our first union contract!
Read MoreAfter six months of tough negotiations and a powerful, newsworthy informational picket, our determination paid off — we’ve reached a tentative agreement! After seventeen hours of bargaining, we were finally able to reach a settlement agreement around 3am on Tuesday, October 7!
Read MoreWe have been bargaining for five months and have several tentative agreements, mostly for non-economic contract language. We continue to argue with Kaiser about competitive wages. Kaiser seems unconcerned that wages are not aligned with other local healthcare employers. They seem only interested in the positions that are hard to fill.
The Pro Tech Optical and the National Alliance agreements both expired last week. Management has continued to push back on our proposal to align all contract expiration dates across the country. Our local Pharmacy contract expires July 31, 2026.
This is a priority for all contracts and we will continue to fight!
Nationally, Kaiser has made no substantial movement and there are a number of outstanding issues that need to be resolved.
Some other bargaining units that fall under the Alliance National Agreement have taken strike authorization votes and have notified Kaiser that they are planning to strike on or around October 13. Since the local Pharmacy contract has not expired, we cannot strike at this time but there are things we can do.
We can voice our concerns to management in solidarity with our Alliance National partners whose contracts have expired.
We can work together and push back against Kaiser's refusal to acknowledge that wages need to be sustainable and staffing needs to be safe.
We can support our local contract fight by filling out the card being circulated. If you need a card contact your steward or Contract Specialist JJ Benson 425-306-1357.
It's time to turn up the volume on our message and our collective power.
We met with Fresenius management again on Friday to bargain over the wages and working conditions we need to be able to continue providing safe, high-quality care for our dialysis patients. We reached tentative agreements on language for Precepting and PCT IIIs, Discrimination & Harassment-Free Workplace, and Low Census Rotation. Management rejected our proposed improvements to PTO accruals and ESL usage. Fresenius continues to offer substandard wage increases and no contractual commitments to help address staffing and patient scheduling concerns. Union Techs say enough is enough.
Read More
Bargaining Team: Dan Howes, Produce - Crown Hill; Alej Gallardo, Meat Cutter - Sammamish; Devin Kjolso, Meat Cutter - Uptown; Maggie Baze, Mercer Island; Tori Nakamatsu-Figaroa, Bakery - Uptown; Bill Graves, Maintenance Clerk - Crown Hill; Felicity, Sand Point; Kelly Shaffer, Bakery - Uptown (not pictured)
Our bargaining team met with Metropolitan Market again after nearly two months since our last bargaining session. Although there was significant time between bargaining sessions, we continued to organize—wearing buttons and organizing leaflets at our stores until we reach a deal.
At the bargaining table on October 2, we made significant progress on aligning our interests with Metropolitan Market with key issues—apprentice wage scale progression, training & development investments, department head premiums, and other contract improvements. While many of the concepts our employer discussed were benefit improvements, some of our key issues still need to be addressed—guaranteed hours and wages.
A significant part of our discussion was Metropolitan Market's desire to merge the seafood clerk and meat wrapper classifications into one. While this would significantly raise wages for seafood clerks and provide more flexibility in the department, our bargaining team raised concerns regarding our wrapper's right to daily seniority, labor hours and staffing, and workload. We will continue this discussion at our next bargaining session which will be scheduled soon.
If you're interested in hearing more about negotiations or want to share your thoughts on existing proposal discussion, please reach out to your union representative or bargaining team member.
On Friday, October 3, our bargaining team met with management for our second day of negotiations on our first union contract.
We began our second bargaining day putting the finishing touches on what we would later present to the employer as the final few new proposals we expect to make towards our union contract. These primarily consist of the economic sections, some of which we have highlighted below:
Scheduling: A proposal to memorialize existing practices when it comes to our work schedules, particularly our day-to-day flexibility.
Caseloads: We proposed a framework to outline the appropriate day-to-day caseloads for each job classification and proposed earning an hourly premium when maximum caseloads are exceeded for a prolonged period of time.
Premiums: We proposed additional compensation if you hold specialty certifications, train or mentor new employees, are qualified to care for patients who are deaf/hard of hearing or require medically complex feeding, and more!
Health Insurance: Proposed that the employer pay more towards the cost of our health insurance premiums.
Continuing Education: We proposed to increase the amount of money available to employees for continuing education related expenses, as well as an increase to the paid education time we can utilize.
Wages and Placement on the Wage Scale: We proposed union wage scales which outline set increases for both continued years of experience and future cost-of-living adjustments. Furthermore, our bargaining team proposed a pathway for current employees to be placed onto these wage scales, incorporating credit for our relevant experience in our positions.
After presenting our initial proposals to the employer, they asked a couple of clarifying questions and went back to their caucus room to continue reviewing/discussing. Overall, our team were encouraged that the employer indicated that our proposals were thorough and straightforward. We are eager to get back to the bargaining table and remain hopeful that we will get responses to our proposals from the employer at our session scheduled for October 15.
Join our Contract Action Team Meeting to ask members of our bargaining team questions about our progress so far, and discuss next steps as first contract negotiations continue!
Bargaining Team: Lindsey Gilbert, Family Resource Coordinator; Ronda Duluoz, Infant Mental Health; Megan Rupert, Special Educator
"We're feeling great about the progress so far! Two sessions down, and all of our proposals are on the table!"
— Megan Rupert, Special Educato
On Wednesday, October 1, our union Professionals Bargaining Team met with Providence for our fourth (4) session of first contract negotiations. At the session prior to today (September 4) our team had officially gotten the last of our new proposals on the table- which means now our bargaining days would primarily consist of exchanging counterproposals back and forth with Providence- until we reach mutually agreed upon language (also known as tentative agreements)- & to date we have already reached more than thirty (30!) tentative agreements on individual contract articles.
Read MoreSince our first meetings five months ago, our bargaining team has worked to reach agreement on a strong contract. This week we reached tentative agreements on:
Establishment of a Joint Committee on Eyecare
Occasional Floating improvements
Establishment of a Joint Committee on Job Roles and Career Development
New language in Article 8 creating a True-Up process
Updated Experience language (addresses wage scale placement)
This is in addition to other tentative agreements reached previously including increases to premiums and differentials. We continue to work to ensure that Kaiser understands the extremely competitive wages offered by other employers in Washington.
Kaiser has made no substantial movement on raising wages at National Bargaining. This week we are continuing to fight for sustainable wages and also aligning contract expiration dates across all Alliance contracts.
It's time to raise our voices and let Kaiser know we are united in our collective power.
Both the local and the national contracts have expired. We are asking you and your coworkers to fill out a card letting us know what you can do to help. If you or a coworker needs a card, contact a steward or JJ Benson (425) 306-1357.
What can we do to help? Fill out a card and be ready for next steps.
Has our contract expired? Yes, both the local Pro Tech Optical and the National Alliance Agreement expired this week.
Is striking an option? Yes. Pro Tech Optical Union members can vote to authorize a strike. At this time no strike votes have been scheduled here.
If I check the box on the card saying I am willing to strike, is that a vote to strike? No. The card is to determine your interest in participating. You will be notified if and when a strike authorization vote is happening and have the opportunity to vote.
Are other Alliance Unions voting to authorize a strike? Yes, some Alliance Unions have already voted to authorize a strike, including a different union in Oregon, which represents union members in Vancouver, Washington.
Start the dialogue. Talk to your coworkers about the importance of standing together for our contract!
We have reached several tentative agreements with the hospital and have just a few open issues that we are trying to resolve.
Read MoreAfter three meetings with the Employer, we have made progress and moved forward with the non-economic aspects that will ensure an improved contract for everyone in SRH. It is also imperative to understand that the Employer continues trying to limit our access to the employees by making us the only union at SRH that needs to be “accompanied”—and refusing to allow us to bargain over changes to job descriptions.
Read MoreWe are the Union. The members of UFCW 3000 are over 50,000 members working in grocery, retail, health care, meat packing, cannabis, & other industries across Washington state, north-east Oregon, and northern Idaho. UFCW 3000 is a chartered member of UFCW International with over 1.4 million workers in North America.
To build a powerful Union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and in our communities.
