Ferry County - Bargaining Begins: Making Progress at the Table

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On August 21, our Bargaining Team met with the Employer to kick off our bargaining process. We are encouraged by the progress we made at the bargaining table and feel that the Employer is hearing and sharing our concerns.

We reached several tentative agreements and left the Employer with both our non-economic and economic proposals. We are hopeful that the Employer will provide a full response by our next bargaining session on September 2.

“Negotiations foster collaboration and cooperation between employers and workers, leading to a more harmonious and productive working environment.”

— Bargaining Team

Sticker Up Event - Tues, Sept 1

Please join our Bargaining Team for a Sticker Up event! Reach out to a Bargaining Team member to get your sticker or to assist with handing them out.

Next Bargaining Session - Wed, Sept 2

Our Bargaining Team will meet with the Employer for our next bargaining session. We will keep members informed as negotiations continue.

How You Can Help

Keep Your Information Up to Date: Update Your Information >>

Join Your Union: UFCW Join Application >>

Want to Become a Union Leader? Consider attending an upcoming online training:

Questions or Concerns?

If you have questions or concerns about the contract or bargaining process, please reach out to a member of the Bargaining Team or Becky Latzel, Union Rep, at (866) 210-3000.

Bargaining Team: Rebecca Thompson, UC and CNA; Michael Hughes, Cook; Chris Torres, Lab Tech Non-Certified.

Yakima Wildfires: Fire and Smoke Resources for UFCW 3000 Members  

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Yakima Wildfires: Fire and Smoke Resources for UFCW 3000 Members  

As wildfires continue to impact the Yakima Valley, UFCW 3000 members, their families, and communities may face evacuations and disruptions to their homes and livelihoods.  

As we navigate these emergencies, please review important information below that can help keep you safe and enforce your rights at work.  

Your Rights During Wildfires  

With a union contract, you have “just cause” protection, meaning you should not be disciplined at work for reasonably having to deal with a circumstance outside of your control like a wildfire that affects your home, work, or commute to work.  

Workplace Safety for Wildfire Smoke  

You have the right to a safe workplace. If wildfire smoke makes your workplace unhealthy for you, then you should be able to address that with your employer and get support from your Shop Steward and/or Union Rep.  

Masks  

  • You can wear a respirator mask at work that helps protect you against wildfire smoke.  

  • To protect against wildfire smoke, wear an N95 mask or another respirator with the same or higher level of protection. The respirator mask should have two straps and the word “NIOSH” and/or “N95” or “N100” printed on it.  

Exposure to Smoke  

  • When the air is smoky, your employer should allow workers to follow basic steps that will help prevent excessive exposure to wildfire smoke.  

  • Those steps could include things like reassigning workers to less smoky areas, or allowing for extra rest and water breaks away from smoky work areas.  

Medical Leave and Accommodations   

  • If you or a family member gets sick because of wildfire smoke, you have the right to use Paid Sick & Safe Leave for the illness.   

  • You may also be able to use your Paid Sick & Safe Leave if wildfire smoke exposure causes public health officials to shut down your child’s school, your child’s place of care, or your worksite.   

  • If you are vulnerable to smoky air due to an existing medical condition, then talk to your health care provider about your workplace to see if they have recommendations for how to keep you safe from smoke exposure. Use FMLA if needed or exercise your disability rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  

General Wildfire and Smoke Information and Resources  

 

Incendios en Yakima: Recursos sobre incendios y humo para los miembros de UFCW 3000

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Como los incendios siguen afectando al Valle de Yakima, los miembros de UFCW 3000, sus familias y comunidades podrían enfrentar evacuaciones y dificultades en sus hogares y modos de vida.

Para afrontar estas emergencias, te invitamos a revisar esta información importante que te puede ayudar a mantenerte a salvo y a hacer valer tus derechos en el trabajo.

Tus derechos durante los incendios

Con un contrato de unión, tienes protección por “causa justificada”, lo que significa que no deben castigarte por tener que hacerte cargo, de manera razonable, de una situación fuera de tu control, como un incendio que afecta tu casa, tu trabajo o tu camino al trabajo.

Seguridad en el trabajo ante el humo de los incendios

Tienes derecho a un lugar de trabajo seguro. Si el humo de los incendios hace que tu lugar sea poco saludable para ti, deberías poder decirle a tu empresa y recibir apoyo de tu Delegado o Representante de Unión.

Mascarillas

  • En el trabajo puedes usar mascarilla respiratoria que ayude a protegerte del humo de los incendios.

  • Para protegerse del humo de los incendios, usa una mascarilla N95 u otra con el mismo nivel de protección o superior. La mascarilla debe tener dos tiras y llevar impresas las palabras "NIOSH" y/o "N95" o "N100".

Exposición al humo

  • Cuando el aire tenga humo, tu empresa debe permitir que los trabajadores sigan las medidas básicas que ayuden a prevenir una exposición excesiva al humo de los incendios.

  • Esas medidas pueden incluir, por ejemplo, reubicar a los trabajadores a áreas con menos humo o darles descansos adicionales y tiempo para tomar agua lejos de las áreas de trabajo con humo.

Bajas médicas y ajustes

  • Si tú o alguien de tu familia se enferma por el humo de un incendio, tienes derecho a usar tu Permiso Pagado por Enfermedad y Seguridad para ese caso.

  • También puedes tener derecho a usar tu Permiso Pagado por Enfermedad y Seguridad si la exposición al humo de los incendios hace que las autoridades de salud pública cierren la escuela de tu hijo, la guardería a la que va o tu lugar de trabajo.

  • Si eres vulnerable al humo debido a una condición médica preexistente, habla con tu proveedor de servicios médicos sobre tu lugar de trabajo para ver si tiene alguna recomendación de cómo protegerte del humo. Aprovecha la Ley de Licencia Familiar y Médica (FMLA) si es necesario o ejerce tus derechos como persona con discapacidad según la Ley para Estadounidenses con Discapacidades (ADA).

Información y recursos generales sobre incendios y humo

St. Michael Medical Center Professional-Technical-Clinical Support - Long Day—Disappointing Ending

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Tuesday, August 25

We came into bargaining on Tuesday, August 25, hopeful that we could make real progress toward a deal. The Employer had indicated that it was ready to get serious and work toward an agreement. Unfortunately, by the end of the day, we were disappointed by how little movement we saw on the issues that matter most to us.

Because we are currently in FMCS mediation, the discussions at the table are confidential since neither side passed a formal proposal. Instead, we exchanged “supposals”—nonbinding, hypothetical ideas used to test possible paths toward an agreement. Because of the confidentiality rules of mediation, we cannot share the specific details of those discussions.

What we can say is that the Employer’s wage position continues to fall short of what is needed. We did not see the movement we were hoping for on wages, premium pay, and important concerns around safety in the Family Birth Center. We entered the day expecting the Employer’s actions at the table to reflect its stated desire to reach a deal. Unfortunately, we ended the day still waiting to see that level of movement.

Our Bargaining Team continued working throughout the day, reviewing wage proposals classification by classification and reassessing our priorities to make sure we remain focused on the improvements that matter most to us.

We were also grateful to have one of our Union siblings from the St. Joseph Medical Center technical Bargaining Team join us at the table, share perspective from their own negotiations, and show management that we are united in our fight for a fair contract.

We started the day hopeful that we could make significant progress. We ended it disappointed, but still committed to doing everything we can to win the fair contract we deserve.

Sign the Strike Pledge Card Today! >>

We meet with management again next week on September 3, which we anticipate will be an important bargaining session as we work to determine whether the Employer is prepared to make the movement necessary to reach a fair agreement.

“Started with high hopes, ended totally disappointed.”

— Merry Brandt-MacFann, CT Technologist

Bargaining Team: Robel Haile, Clinical Pharmacist; Bryson Andrews, ED Tech; Olivia Almeida, Respiratory Therapist; Merry Brandt-MacFann, CT Technologist; Lara Williams-Graham, Certified Surgical Technologist; Angela Roberson, EP Technologist; Rob Shauger, CNA.

BDA, Inc. (Retail Workers at Climate Pledge Arena) - Meet Your Bargaining Team!

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BDA, Inc. (Retail Workers at Climate Pledge Arena)
Meet Your Bargaining Team!

Bargaining Team: Thomas Tumbokon, Alejandra Garcia Martinez (not pictured), Kota Owens.

We are excited to represent our coworkers at Climate Pledge Arena as we negotiate a fair contract for us all. The Bargaining Team is made up of workplace leaders who have been selected to represent you during negotiations with BDA. The team is responsible for creating and responding to proposals, planning campaigns, and ultimately deciding when to recommend a contract or authorize escalating workplace actions.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to represent my coworkers at the table in our effort to make the contract better.”

— Thomas Tumbokon

“We deserve a say in our pay. We deserve more collective fruits from the labor we produce, and when we stand up together, we’ll build a better workplace for each other. Power to us workers!”

— Kota Owens

We will be holding member meetings virtually starting September 9. All members are welcome to get the latest updates and information about your contract and rights as Union workers.

We plan on meeting with the Employer soon and look forward to your input and participation. Please reach out to one of your Bargaining Team members or your Union Rep, Aaron Bailey, at 206-436-6631 if you have any questions about contract negotiations.

Get Involved!

Join our member meetings and stay informed about negotiations.

September 9, 2026
6pm
Virtual

Join Zoom Meeting >>

Haven’t filled out your Union Membership Application yet? Complete your online application below.

Complete Your Union Membership Application >>

We plan on meeting with the Employer soon and look forward to your input and participation. Please reach out to one of your Bargaining Team members or your Union Rep if you have any questions about contract negotiations.

Any questions? Call your Union Rep, Aaron Bailey, at 206-436-6631.

Cognition Escape Rooms - Pre-Bargaining Meeting Update

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Bargaining Team: Ryan Sharbrough, Allyndreth Smyth, Makenna Page

The purpose of the introductory pre-bargaining meeting was to establish rapport, discuss the bargaining process and logistics, and schedule initial bargaining sessions.

The pre-bargaining introductory meeting was held between the Cognition Escape Rooms ownership and the Union bargaining unit. The parties introduced themselves, discussed bargaining expectations, reviewed the collective bargaining process, and outlined how proposals would be exchanged and negotiated.

The Union explained that negotiations would begin with non-economic proposals before moving to economic issues, such as wages and benefits. Both parties expressed a desire to maintain a respectful and productive working relationship and agreed that bargaining sessions would be conducted virtually.

Bargaining Process Overview

  • The initial focus will be on non-economic proposals, including recognition, Union security, definitions, and working conditions.

  • Economic items, including wages, increases, benefits, and other cost-related issues, will be addressed later, once substantial progress has been made on other non-economic language.

  • Proposals will be presented by section or article rather than as an entire contract at once.

  • The first contract is expected to be approximately 35 to 45 pages or more, with only portions reviewed during each bargaining session.

  • A federal mediator may be brought in, if needed, to help the Employer and Union resolve contract disputes, prevent work stoppages, and navigate collective bargaining negotiations. A mediator is typically brought in once negotiations are close to an overall tentative agreement.

Upcoming Bargaining Dates!

Subsequent bargaining sessions were scheduled for:

  • Wed, Sept 23 @ 3pm - 5pm

  • Fri, Sept 25 @ 12pm - 2pm

Confluence Professionals - Economics Incoming

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Friday 14, we concluded our third bargaining session with management. Although we gave all our noneconomic proposals, management failed to give us a single reply at this session. Our focus in this session was largely on preparing our economic proposals.

Our goal is to ensure a benefits package that protects what everyone is already receiving while bridging the gap and inequities between different departments. Our team is working to ensure that we are building a contract that will improve the conditions of all departments! In order to achieve this, we need your input and your support.

Bargaining Team: Trevor Schultz, Trisha Self, Jessica Schell, Theresa Randolph and Clari Ramos.

Join Our First Contract Action Team Meeting!

Wednesday 26
6pm
330 S King St

This meeting is a great opportunity to get involved in your contract negotiations, where you can hear what is happening at the table and what you can do to help. A good contract isn’t won at the table—it is won in the field!

Puzzle Break and Cognition Escape Rooms - Building Our First Contract Together

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Thank you to everyone who completed the bargaining survey and shared workplace concerns. Your feedback is helping identify the priorities that matter most as we prepare for negotiations.

Where Bargaining Stands

The bargaining process is moving forward. Initial requests to bargain were sent to both Employers on July 12, 2026, with a 14-day response timeline. Both Employers followed up recently, on August 6, 2026.

Bargaining has not started yet. However, Puzzle Break’s Employer has already committed an unfair labor practice (ULP) by shortening the shifts of workers who spoke out about workplace injustices.

Priorities Raised by Members

Your solidarity with one another and participation in the survey have brought forward several key concerns to address at the bargaining table, including:

  • Scheduling

  • Missed breaks

  • Low staffing

  • The threat of AI reducing job security

What Happens Next

You have chosen your Bargaining Team. Next, team members will be trained and briefed on the issues you raised so they can prepare for proposal exchange and negotiations.

Please continue sharing your concerns and workplace issues as the process moves forward. Bargaining updates will be shared periodically to keep the membership informed about what is happening at the table.

Also, watch for opportunities to participate in campaign actions. Information about any actions will be shared in advance.

Bargaining Team Nominees

The following members have been nominated to serve on the Bargaining Team: Ryan Sharbrough, Mason Walsh, Allyndreth Smyth, Dane Hendricks, Makenna Page, and Riley Murphy.

Stay Involved

Your voice matters. Continue sharing workplace concerns, ideas, and priorities with your Union Reps and Bargaining Team members. Together, we can build a strong contract that reflects the needs and priorities of all Puzzle Break and Cognition Escape Rooms workers.

Covington Medical Center - Memorandum of Understanding Vote Scheduled

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“40-Hour” Alternative Work Schedule

This has the potential to allow members to have the option of a flexible workweek schedule. Patient care will still need to be met, and the schedule is available only by mutual agreement.

This is an additional benefit that would be offered in all contracts at Covington Hospital. All changes to existing contracts must be voted on by the affected membership.

The full Memorandum of Understanding will be available at the vote.

Vote Scheduled

  • August 21

  • 11am - 1pm

  • MOB Conference Room 3

You must be a member in good standing to vote.

Please reach out to your Union Rep, Charlie King, at 206-436-6518 with any questions or concerns.

MultiCare Allenmore - A Common Vision

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We all want health care workers and patients to have the best possible support. Better recruitment and retention of quality staff, and improved experiences for caregivers and patients, are good for everyone. Allenmore members, joining with thousands of other UFCW 3000 members across MultiCare, can achieve this vision if we come together and stand united around what we agree is needed to improve our workplaces.

Two Steps Toward Progress

Two necessary steps for us to advance our contracts across the MultiCare system are growing our numbers and standing together. Even though bargaining does not begin at Allenmore until next year, the effort to move forward on these two paths is already underway.

Organizing More Workers Into Our Union

  • Newly organized members at Capital Medical Center ratified a first contract, and their contract expiration date aligns with the Tech contract.

  • Newly organized members at Women’s Clinic are accreting into the current Clinic Contract, and we are bargaining with MultiCare about how these workers will be placed on the wage scale.

  • Newly organized workers at Mary Bridge Therapies will begin bargaining for a first contract soon.

If you know of workers at MultiCare who are not yet Union members but are interested in joining UFCW 3000, please contact a UFCW 3000 Union Organizer by calling or texting 206-414-9601.

Building Unity Across All Locations and Contracts

We are in the midst of conducting a MultiCare-wide pre-bargaining survey to identify members’ concerns and hopes for the next round of bargaining in 2027. If you have not yet filled out your survey, now is the time. Your opinions matter.

Complete the survey >>

Solidarity Sticker Up on Tuesday, August 18!

MultiCare is not treating all the members at Women’s Clinic with respect. Disrespecting one is disrespecting all—that is part of what being in a Union is all about. Women’s Clinic workers held a successful sticker action in early August and need broader support.

We are holding a Solidarity Sticker Up at Allenmore on Tuesday, August 18, to show our support for the Women’s Clinic members. Stickers will be distributed that day by workplace leaders and Union Rep Ondrea Shallbetter.

MultiCare Tacoma Women’s Clinic and Urogynecology - Bargaining Update—Taking Action Together to Reject Wage Cuts

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Our sticker action was a huge success on August 5!

We will make sure everyone has stickers for the next round on August 19.

In bargaining, management continues to take an anti-union position by proposing to cut the wages of some workers who were hired above scale as we bargain to accrete workers into the MultiCare Clinic contract. Their proposal to place workers on the wage scale based on years of experience is generally good, but we have made it clear that this would result in cuts for some workers, and we are pushing back.


Next Contract Action Meeting

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

6pm

Join Zoom Meeting >>

If you have questions or would like to get more involved, please contact Union Rep Ondrea Shallbetter at (206) 436-6525.

“Equality opens the door, equity makes sure everyone can walk through it.”

— Timeka Gist

Bargaining Team: Violet Barkley, Kristina Matushevskaya, Timeka Gist.


The Doctors Clinic - The Contract Is Ratified!

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On August 10, members of The Doctors Clinic came together to review and vote on our new contract. We are excited to share that the contract vote resulted in an overwhelming yes vote and that the contract is now ratified!

Now comes the important work of getting the contract reviewed and signed, as well as enforcing our new collective bargaining agreement. While the fight for a fair contract is over for this cycle, we must now pick up the work of building power in our worksites so that we can continue to improve what happens day to day. This means holding management accountable, training more Stewards, and always looking ahead to the issues we continue to face and how we can resolve them.

What’s Next?

  • Wage increases and retro pay should be reflected in paychecks beginning with the first full pay period after ratification.

  • We will finalize the contract and get it ready for print.

  • We will schedule labor-management meetings with the Employer to make sure that issues are addressed as they come up.

If you are interested in getting involved, reach out to our Union Rep, Ryan DeGouveia, and let him know that you would like to learn how you can get more involved.

Optum Care, Inc. — Everett Oncology Clinic - Bargaining Update—Time for Collective Action!

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Optum Care, Inc. — Everett Oncology Clinic
Bargaining Update—Time for Collective Action!

At our ninth day of negotiations on August 11, our Union Bargaining Team met with Optum after nearly two months since our last session. We spent the day exchanging a few non-economic articles back & forth; primarily speaking to parental leaves of absence & agency/traveler (non-bargaining-unit) employees, and on a positive note, we ended the day with two new tentative agreements, respectively.

However, based on the Employer’s provided timeline of “late July/August,” we started our day optimistic that more comprehensive economic counterproposals would be returned to us. Their initial offering on June 10 essentially said they would continue to pay us according to current practice, provide wage increases according to current practice, and hire new workers within their pay ranges according to current practice—all at their sole discretion. The same sentiment was reflected in their health care benefits proposal: They would simply continue doing what they are already doing, with little to no say from our newly formed Union.

But these reasons are exactly why we organized our Union in the first place! Joining together to bargain for our rights and benefits as dedicated oncology workers is not necessarily a testament to the invalidity of Optum’s practices. Instead, it is about securing a voice at the bargaining table and investing in our workplace to make the Everett Oncology Clinic the best version of itself.

All that said, the Employer let us know first thing in the morning that we would not be receiving any additional economic proposals that day, attributing the delay to new internal review and approval processes. While it is worth noting that, in just eight sessions before this one, we made exceptional progress on the noneconomic sections of our new Collective Bargaining Agreement, we all felt that if management had shown up prepared with reasonable wage and benefits proposals, we might even have been able to reach a final deal.

We took the opportunity during our first joint session on August 11 to express this frustration to management. Frankly, we have grown tired of waiting. We determined that, in order to win a strong contract, we would have to show our collective strength and solidarity to Optum. We decided to launch a strike pledge to show Optum that we are ready to take action, if necessary.

Add Your Name to the Strike Pledge >> 
(Your name will be kept anonymous)

Furthermore, to discuss the plan our team put together to continue building collective power, all Optum Oncology workers are strongly encouraged to attend our weekly Contract Action Team meetings through September 2. Details are below.

Weekly Contract Action Team Meetings

Sticker Up and Union Swag Day - August 26

Our Bargaining Team has newly designed stickers that we plan to distribute throughout the clinic.

Wear your new sticker, Union merchandise, and UFCW 3000 colors—blue and gold—on August 26 to show management that we are all in this together!

“I’m unpleasantly not surprised—but we’re all in, and it’s time to get moving!”

— Molly Hugo, RN

Bargaining Team: Janis Laffin, RN; Molly Hugo, RN; Ashley Seidelman, Patient Care Coordinator.