Our Union Bargaining Team: Linnea Ellis, Patient Access Representative; Nicole Peschon, Coding Specialist

On Wednesday, January 1, after negotiating from 9am to 7pm, our Bargaining Team came to a Tentative Agreement with Conifer’s Management team. In this, our 10th bargaining session since August, after many hours of work and passing a total of 18 economic package proposals to Management, we were able to secure:

• Across-the-board wage increases each year of the contract.

• Ratification bonuses for full-time, part-time, and per diem Employees.

• One more day of paid bereavement leave, should a family member pass away.

• Language that allows us to request to begin bargaining ninety days from expiration of the contract instead sixty days. We hope to be able to begin bargaining as soon as possible three years from now!

• Language that clearly states Management may pay more than the contractual minimums in our Union contract. While our contract has never prevented Conifer from giving Employees wage increases above the rates in the hire-in wage grid or what we win in bargaining, we are aware that some managers have told people it does.

Additionally, we were successful in preserving benefits Management initially proposed to eliminate! These included:

• Two recognized holidays in the contract.

• Holiday pay plus time-and-a-half for hours worked on holidays (preserved for Employees hired prior to ratification vote of the new contract).

Our Bargaining Team is recommending a “Yes” vote on this offer!

We will have online voting notification with the details of date and time, and process as well as our our pre-vote Zoom meeting to explain the details of the offer out to everyone very soon.

Should you have any questions Union Representative Aimee Oien can be reached at 360-662 1981.