Telephone Town Hall Call: Stop the Mega-Merger Update

On Monday, September 9 please join us at 5:30PM for a live telephone town hall on the topic of Kroger and Albertsons’ proposed mega merger and our ongoing efforts to stop it.

Despite what the companies are saying, this proposed merger threatens lay-offs, store closures, and higher prices as well as undercuts our strength in collective bargaining negotiations.

During the call, we will take members’ questions live on the topic of the proposed merger, discuss the ongoing federal court trial taking place in Portland regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit to block it, as well as prepare for a rally in Seattle the first day of the trail by our Attorney General to block the merger on September 16.

We will plan to call you at 5:30PM on Monday, just answer the phone and you will join us.

If, for some reason you don’t receive a call by 5:35pm, or get disconnected during the call, you can join us by dialing directly: 888-652-0384 And enter meeting ID 8143.

The UFCW 3000 Racial Justice Advisory Board

The Racial Justice Advisory Board was created to set priorities for UFCW 3000 around fighting to build racial justice at every worksite and in every community where UFCW 3000 members live and work. We know to build a unified labor movement all members must be treated with dignity and respect and racism must be eradicated from the institutions and worksites that surround us. We know that to grow our political, community and organizing power we all must be united..

Purpose of the Racial Justice Advisory Board

Our core purpose is to build power for UFCW 3000 members and our communities so that we have safe workplaces, good jobs, and strong, resilient communities. We will identify key policies to move in local, state and federal bodies and meet with key decision makers to ensure our voices are heard. Our member leaders within UFCW 3000 know that what divides us hurts us at the bargaining table. Thus, we must dedicate ourselves to justice for all. We know the issue of racism and race can be a difficult conversation and we commit to navigate with confidence and care. We will focus on educating ourselves about all policies that are tainted by racism and work to eradicate these policies.

Some questions we will take up:

1. How can we build anti-racist, pro-democracy worksites that make all of our jobs better? We focus on solutions.

2. What policies and practices perpetuate racism, and how can we as individuals, and as an organization, counteract these practices?

3. What can we do to gain a deeper understanding of racism and its root causes?

4. How can the Racial Justice Advisory Board address racial discrimination as a safety issue in our workplaces?

5. The Racial Justice Advisory Board will make specific recommendations for bargaining and negotiating.

6. The Racial Justice Advisory Board will make specific recommendations to UFCW 3000 regarding UFCW 3000 policies and practices as an institution, to live as an anti-racist organization.

7. The Racial Justice Advisory Board will make specific policy recommendations for local, state and federal policies and work to recruit and endorse candidates that will commit to moving and passing said policies.

8. The Racial Justice Advisory Board will work to link our racial equity work with the broader labor community and the broader equity community.

How the Racial Justice Advisory Board works

The Racial Justice Advisory Board meets three times a year to review our priorities and determine the steps that we need to take, in order to move toward the goal of equity at work and in our community. The committee welcomes participation from every worksite represented by UFCW 3000, including any worksite where workers are trying to form a union with UFCW 3000.

At meetings we aim to:

• Build trust with each other and build unity around what it means to become anti-racist.

• Deepen our understanding of institutional racism and how that impacts us at work and in our communities.

• Discuss both individual and collective actions we can take to build an anti-racist UFCW 3000.

• Educate each other about racism and the long fight for justice.

“We must build alliances within labor and the community to take on issues of affordable housing, workplace safety, racial and gender discrimination, climate justice, and the future of work.” —Ana Alvarez, Washington Beef; Jeff Smith, Fred Meyer; Patricia Brown, Multicare

While the Racial Justice Board has a very long way to go and many years of work ahead of us, we wanted to let you, as a member of our union, know that this Board is up and running and beginning to do the important work necessary to make an impact. Since the board was created, we have accomplished much including: member trainings on how to incorporate these ideas into our collective bargaining; developed and helped pass resolutions at the 2023 UFCW International Convention on these topics; and, partnered more deeply with some of our closest community partners who are leaders on racial justice work.

Getting More Members Involved

We are confident that among the more than 50,000 members of our union – from Bellingham to northeast Oregon, from Aberdeen to northern Idaho – in hundreds of workplaces, there are additional members, maybe you, who would like to find out more and maybe get involved yourselves.

We need more members to join the dozens of other members who have already become involved in this Advisory Board. You don’t need to be an expert to participate, just be interested in the issues, committed to being a thoughtful and respectful partner with others, and willing to dedicate an hour or so a month to the effort. Meetings are held usually about every two to three months and are made to be as accessible as possible for members.  

If you’d be interested in finding out more about getting involved, email: RacialJustice@UFCW3000.org

The UFCW 3000 Climate Justice Advisory Board

Climate Justice Advisory Board Statement of Purpose:

Our core purpose is to build power for UFCW 3000 members and our communities so that we have safe workplaces, good jobs, and strong, resilient communities.  We also want to ensure that the natural world that we all depend on for our lives, our health, our food, and our well-being, is protected. We will identify key policies and practices that best engage our membership and move our employers, and our elected officials at the local, state and federal levels to forward changes that both respect the voices of working people and ensure that climate policies reflect our principles as adopted by the Climate Justice Advisory Board.

For decades UFCW 3000, and our preceding local unions, have been involved in working on issues that directly impact our workplaces, and go beyond those workplaces. These have ranged from positions against the Apartheid regime in South Africa in the 1980s, demonstrating against the Iraq war in the 1990s, and fighting to protect voting rights that were increasingly under attack in the late 2010’s. It has become increasingly clear that climate change is not only a threat to our planet's health and all the natural systems that support life on earth, but that workers, and in particular workers of lower and middle incomes and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities are disproportionately impacted by the various side effects of climate change as well. These impacts include extreme temperatures, wildfires, increasing air pollution, rising sea levels and flooding, crop failures, the hazards of extraction and processing of fossil fuels, and on and on.

In 2015 UFCW 3000 helped found the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy with many leading environmental protection, BIPOC Climate Justice, labor, faith, public health, and many other organizations. We helped develop the Climate Initiative I-1631, gathered signatures, and eventually helped get it on the ballot in the fall of 2018 with the support of over 75 organizations statewide. Unfortunately, after a record-setting $30 million anti campaign of lies funded by Big Oil, the initiative was defeated. But the process for how that initiative was developed, and the policy content itself are both still recognized as ground-breaking models.

After a series of problems within the Alliance and a breakdown of trust and violation of the Guiding Principles (see below), in 2021 UFCW 3000 realized our members’ interests would be best served by leaving the Alliance and partnering more directly with BIPOC Climate justice groups. At the same time, throughout 2021 our Executive Board began discussions on how to best work on this critical issue within the union. After significant conversation and deliberation, the Executive Board decided in January of 2022 to launch the UFCW 3000 Climate Justice Advisory Board – a member-led effort to help guide our organization’s work in this area as well as to develop ways to best engage the membership of our union.

Principles of the UFCW 3000 Climate Justice Advisory Board

These are intended as a package of principles that stay connected with each other as a united set of values. They were reviewed, edited and approved by the Advisory Board at our inaugural 5/9/22 meeting.

• Passing policies and making investments that effectively and deeply reduce climate pollution;

• Ensuring that communities hardest hit by pollution and climate change have equitable representation at the decision-making table, receive an equitable share of investments and benefits, and see a tangible reduction of carbon emissions in their communities;

• Ensuring that policies to reduce pollution do not increase costs for people with lower incomes and providing financial assistance and options to families with lower incomes to make low-carbon options available and accessible to all;

• Ensuring a truly just transition for workers and impacted communities during the transition to a clean energy economy, including through the creation of family sustaining jobs;

• Keeping energy intensive and trade exposed industries in our state, rather than driving their business and pollution offshore;

• Making sure every community – urban and rural – has a stake in the benefits of a clean energy future;

• Recognizing tribal sovereignty and abiding by the law of free, prior, and informed consent for projects impacting tribal lands; and,

• Advocating for changes in our workplaces, by our employers and in our communities to pursue actions for individual members, our employers, industries and communities.

  How the Climate Justice Advisory Board works: During our first two years – 2022 and 2023.

The work of the Climate Justice Advisory Board is evolving as the nature of member-led leadership models require involvement, deliberation, and time. We had our 1st meeting in May of 2022. We set a goal at that time to create an understanding for our work in this area, develop a core leadership team of members to drive the process forward, set up a framework for our efforts, and communicate this basic information out to the membership. In 2023 our goal was to begin the deep work of beginning to take actions to achieve our overall goals.

We meet at least three times a year and send updated information to Advisory Board members in between meetings. Given the Board’s focus on, and belief in the values of equity, and the historic and present-day disproportionate impacts of climate change on BIPOC communities, the participation of BIPOC members in the Board will be prioritized although an expressed effort will be made to assure the Advisory Board is reflective of the membership as a whole.

At meetings of the Climate Justice Advisory Board we aim to:

1. Build trust with each other and build unity around what it means to work for Climate Justice.

2. Deepen our understanding of the breadth of issues covered by Climate Justice and listen to each other as well as our BIPOC community partners and others who we partner with on Climate Justice.

3. Discuss both individual and collective actions we can take to combat climate change and effectively engage members to help build a broader movement for change on this issue.

4. Consider support of certain specific policy proposals, and possibly recommend taking a position in favor of these proposals to the Executive Board.

5. Develop member Leaders for Climate Justice to go out and speak to members in worksites, with elected officials, with partnering organizations, and other entities as we decide makes sense, and as time and resources allow.

“We must build alliances within labor and the community to take on issues of affordable housing, workplace safety, racial and gender discrimination, climate justice, and the future of work.” —Ana Alvarez, Washington Beef; Jeff Smith, Fred Meyer; Patricia Brown, Multicare

While the Climate Justice Advisory Board has a very long way to go and many years of work ahead of us, we wanted to let you, as a member of our union, know that this Board is up and running and beginning to do the important work necessary to make an impact. Since the Advisory Board was created, we have accomplished much including: member trainings on how to incorporate these ideas into our collective bargaining; developed and helped pass resolutions at the 2023 UFCW International Convention on these topics; and, partnered more deeply with some of our closest community partners who are leaders on climate justice work.

Getting More Members Involved

We are confident that among the more than 50,000 members of our union – from Bellingham to northeast Oregon, from Aberdeen to northern Idaho – in hundreds of workplaces, there are additional members, maybe you, who would like to find out more and maybe get involved yourselves.

We need more members to join the dozens of other members who have already become involved in this Advisory Board. You don’t need to be an expert to participate, just be interested in the issues, committed to being a thoughtful and respectful partner with others, and willing to dedicate an hour or so a month to the effort. Meetings are held usually about every two to three months and are made to be as accessible as possible for members.  

If you’d be interested in finding out more about getting involved, email: ClimateJustice@UFCW3000.org.

Know your Rights! Providence Meal Waiver

UFCW 3000 is working with Providence to address the Meal Waiver situation. We consider the language in the meal waiver to be a direct negotiation with employees since Providence is asking you to waive rights outlined in our contracts. We want to ensure that you receive appropriate compensation for missed or late meal periods and that your contract is not negatively impacted.

For shifts of 11 hours or more: If your shift length is 11 hours or more, you are entitled to two 30-minute meal periods. If you are currently only receiving one 30-minute meal period and have not waived your second meal period, you may be entitled to compensation. Additionally, the employer may extend your shift based on the language in the CBA and past practices in order to accommodate your second meal period.

It is your right to waive the second meal period, but you may miss out on overtime pay for missing your second meal period if you choose to waive it. While we recommend not waiving your second meal period, the decision to do so is ultimately yours.

We will be holding a Zoom meeting on Monday, February 5, from 6 - 7 pm for all Providence members to ask questions about the meal waiver. Join the meeting at that time by clicking here:

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to your union rep:

• Anthony Cantu (Providence Everett RNs): 206-436-6566

• Jack Crow (Providence Everett Pros and Techs): 206-436-6614

• Madison Derksema (Providence St. Peter, Providence Radiant Care, and Providence Centralia): 206-436-6603

• Lenaya Wilhelm (Providence Holy Family and Sacred Heart): 509-340-7369

• Juanita Quezada (Providence Sacred Heart Techs and Providence St. Mary): 509-340-7407

• Amy Radcliff (Providence Mt. Carmel and St. Joseph): 509-340-7370

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Health Care Rest Breaks & Meal Periods: Know Your Rights and Your Contract

Shift Length	Rest Breaks	Meal Period
4-5 hour shift	10 min* x1	0
8-hour shift	10 min* x2	30 min x1
10-hour shift	10 min* x2	30 min x1
12-hour shift	10 min* x3	30 min x2
16-hour shift	10 min* x4	30 min x2

*10 minutes is the WA State minimum. If your contract bargaining agreement (CBA) states 15 minutes, you should receive 15-minute rest breaks

• You must receive a paid rest break for every four (4) hours worked.

• You cannot waive your right to a rest break.

Meal Period: Your right to a meal period

A meal period cannot be substituted for breaks: Any employee who works more than four (4) hours gets their breaks as outlined above, and any scheduled meal period.

You are entitled to a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period when working more than five hours. The first meal period must be between the second and fifth hour worked. If you work 11 hours or more during the day, you must receive a second meal period no later than five (5) hours after the end of your first meal period.

Interrupted Mealtime: If you are required to stay on duty during a meal break you are still entitled to 30 total minutes of mealtime, excluding interruptions, plus 30 minutes of pay. Time spent performing the work task is not considered part of the meal period. The entire meal period must be paid no matter the number of interruptions. For example, if you received a 30-minute meal break but had to answer your work phone throughout then you should be paid 30 minutes for your meal period and receive a total of 30 minutes (non-consecutive) mealtime. 

Late Mealtime: If you are not given time to have a 30-minute mealtime, you must be paid for your time worked plus 30 minutes. Paying employees 30 minutes for the meal period does not absolve the employer’s responsibility to give you a late 30-minute unpaid mealtime when practicable.

The above is a general guideline to meal periods and rest breaks. For more in-depth information please contact your union representative OR download the Health Care Guide to Meal and Rest Breaks >>

Relevant Laws:

• WAC 296-126-092

• RCW 49.12.480

UFCW 3000 Podcast Episode 11: Our Union and Politics

How and why does a union engage with politics? What's the "people power" we talk about in "people-powered politics"? Michaela talks with UFCW 3000 political organizer Derrick about the power of union members taking an active role in local and state elections and in politics beyond elections. Washington State legislature is now in session, and while this was recorded before the recent elections, it's also about all the work that UFCW 3000 members will now be doing to hold those elected lawmakers accountable! They discuss the potential corporate grocery mega-merger that our local is fighting against, and at the end of the episode you'll hear from longtime grocery worker and UFCW 3000 member Naomi speaking out at a press conference about that merger. Learn more about our political advocacy work, our 2024 legislative agenda, how to register to vote, and more at our website: https://ufcw3000.org/people-powered-politics Our Winter General Membership Meetings, also discussed here, are also coming up! Find your local quarterly meeting at: https://ufcw3000.org/gmmcall

UFCW 3000 union shop steward Michaela is always ready to answer fellow members’ questions about their union. She’s also a devoted murder podcast listener. Put those interests together, and she decided to start a union podcast to get all her coworkers’ questions and her own questions answered, and to meet as many people as possible who could share what it means to be a part of UFCW 3000. (No murder on this podcast, only solidarity!)

*The information shared on this podcast is offered by rank and file union member leaders of UFCW 3000. There may be inaccuracies or misstatements shared, as members will be speaking from the lenses of their perspectives and life experiences. While members are doing their best to share good information, we can make no claims to 100% accuracy and this podcast should not be construed as legal advice.

Congratulations 2023 Essential Workers Organizing Academy Graduates!

In April 2023, we began our first Essential Workers Organizing Academy (EWOA) cohort, hiring eight full-time and one-half time “apprentice organizers.” Candidates were drawn from UFCW 3000 members in healthcare and grocery, as well as from external organizing campaigns and a general applicant pool.​

The program was broken up into three distinct phases: training, internal organizing, and external organizing/preparing for strikes. ​Training included exercises and readings about how to conduct organizing conversations and campaigns, learning about the history of unionization and organizing workers, presentations from guest speakers, and visits to both union and non-union worksites. Apprentice organizers supported on campaigns that included Macy’s, Bartell Drugs, Fred Meyer(s), PCC, Providence-Everett, as well as political and community projects. ​

Congratulations to the EWOA class of 2023!

Post-EWOA, our goal is to help every apprentice organizer who wants to continue in the labor movement to find a job either with this union or another movement organization. 

WeTrain Washington is seeking a qualified Fishmonger Apprenticeship Instructor!

WeTrain Washington is seeking a qualified Fishmonger Apprenticeship Instructor! 

The Seattle Puget Sound Meatcutters and Fishmongers Apprenticeship Program is a partnership between UFCW 3000, the State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), retail grocery employers, and South Seattle College. The goal of the Seattle Puget Sound Meatcutters and Fishmongers Apprenticeship Program is to share industry knowledge, skills, and techniques to develop Apprentices into highly skilled Journey Meatcutters and Fishmongers. This Fishmonger Apprenticeship program is the first of it's kind in the U.S.

The Fishmonger Apprenticeship Instructor will teach aspiring Fishmongers in the Seattle Puget Sound Region, specifically in Snohomish and Kitsap Counties. The new instructor will need to work approximately one day per week between January and August of 2024. The application deadline is November 10, 2023. 

Learn more about, and apply to the open Fishmonger Apprenticeship Instructor position here! >>

Why we strike: Q and A

A strike isn't just a halt in our work; it's a collective stand for our rights and the well-being of our patients. According to federal law, we have the right to strike, but we must give the hospital a 10-day notice to ensure patient care isn't compromised.

The prospect of a strike isn't just a last resort; it's a powerful tool that can drive change. It forces Providence to reconsider its stance and acknowledge our proposals. The mere threat of a strike can be as influential as the strike itself, but for it to be effective, we must show that we are united and ready to take action.

The initial step involves voting for strike authorization, allowing our nurse bargaining team to initiate a strike. Throughout negotiations, our team assesses the strike's potential impact. There might be instances where a strike is averted as our team deems a ratifiable contract agreement achievable. Strikes fall into two categories: economic and unfair labor practice (ULP). Economic strikes center around concerns like wage increases proposed by the Employer. In contrast, ULP strikes address issues such as the Employer's involvement in unfair labor practices, such as bargaining in bad faith.

The strike's main goal is to pressure the Employer to accept our proposals. In an economic strike, we stay on strike until a tentative contract agreement is achieved. Then, we resume work and vote on the agreement. During a ULP strike, we strike for a designated period. In both situations we will ask to engage in ongoing contract negotiations with the aim of securing a tentative agreement, and subsequently resume work and then hold a vote on the agreement.

Having an updated email, cell phone, and address is vital to making sure you receive updates and vote notices. Your address on file is where the Union will mail Strike benefit checks.

Make sure your contact information is updated with the Union! >>

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WILL I RECEIVE PAY WHILE ON STRIKE?

The Executive Board of UFCW 3000 will vote on strike benefits for nurses who take part in strike duty. Strike benefits will not fully replace our wages but will help. They have approved strike benefits of $500 for nurses, members and non-members, who picket a minimum 20 hours a week. Our Union also has a hardship fund to assist members whose families face particularly difficult financial situations. Additionally, food assistance and other financial assistance may be available through community organizations and other unions. Notify your creditors prior to falling behind. Communicate your situation and explore options for reduced payments or refinancing. Prioritize your expenses, placing essentials like mortgage/ rent, utilities, insurance, car payments, gas, child support, and alimony at the top.

WHAT IF THE EMPLOYER LOCKS US OUT?

If the employer chooses to lockout nurses they have to lockout all nurses including non-union members. Workers locked out by their employers are generally eligible for unemployment benefits. The Employment Security Department will determine eligibility for unemployment benefits on a case by case basis.

WILL I STILL HAVE HEALTHCARE BENEFITS DURING THE STRIKE?

There is a lag month under your insurance plan that would keep your insurance through the end of the month.

HOW LONG WOULD A STRIKE LAST?

The duration of a strike is a strategic decision made by the bargaining team. The 10-day notice given to the Employer would likely be for a 3 or 5 day ULP Strike. The key to a successful strike is a united work force and support from our allies and the patients in the community.

I AM A REPRESENTED BY UFCW 3000, DO I HAVE TO STRIKE? HOW MANY WORKERS WILL IT TAKE FOR A STRIKE TO BE EFFECTIVE?

A large active picket line is vital to a successful strike. Every nurse needs to participate—members of UFCW 3000 or not—to prevent the facility from operating as usual. The more nurses we have out on the line, the harder it is for people to cross it. Being at the picket is also the best way to get the latest information on how the strike is going and to show the community that healthcare workers are united in the strike.

WHAT IF I CHOOSE NOT TO STRIKE? WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF CROSSING THE PICKET LINE?

There are no sanctions imposed on nurses who cross the picket line or choose not to strike. Crossing a picket line will undermine our attempts as nurses to provide a better framework for the future growth of our profession and achieve our negotiating goals. It also erodes the camaraderie in the workplace, prolongs the strike, and negatively impacts our efforts to work as a team once the strike is settled.

WILL I BE REQUIRED TO NOTIFY MY MANIGER IF I DECIDE TO STRIKE?

No, you will not be required to individually notify your manager. Our Union will be providing strike notice to the Hospital if our bargaining committee decides to invoke a strike. If you feel compelled to give them an answer tell them, “Yes I will be striking and standing with my bargaining team’s decision to strike.”

UFCW 3000 Podcast Episode 8: So what's a union rep anyway?

I know I have a Union Rep, but who are they? What do they do? And what are my "Weingarten Rights" again? Michaela sits down with her Union Rep, Brandan, to hear more about his role and discuss rights on the job, meetings with management, and the many ways members can be involved in enforcing their contract and supporting each other. || UFCW 3000 members: you can look up your union contract and your Union Rep at https://ufcw3000.org/find-a-contract

UFCW 3000 union shop steward Michaela is always ready to answer fellow members’ questions about their union. She’s also a devoted murder podcast listener. Put those interests together, and she decided to start a union podcast to get all her coworkers’ questions and her own questions answered, and to meet as many people as possible who could share what it means to be a part of UFCW 3000. (No murder on this podcast, only solidarity!)

*The information shared on this podcast is offered by rank and file union member leaders of UFCW 3000. There may be inaccuracies or misstatements shared, as members will be speaking from the lenses of their perspectives and life experiences. While members are doing their best to share good information, we can make no claims to 100% accuracy and this podcast should not be construed as legal advice.

September 2023 Update: Upcoming Trainings on Our New State Staffing Law – JOIN US!

Union health care workers fought hard for a new staffing law in Washington, and we celebrated together when it passed. Now we’re preparing for the first stages of successful implementation. To get the most out of this statute and hold hospital management accountable for safer staffing, it’s going to require knowledgeable and empowered nurses and other health care workers in every department, on every shift, at every hospital. Here’s how we’re going to get there, together:​

• September 1, 2023: 

  The state Hospital Staffing Advisory Committee has been established and will meet monthly. Among its first tasks is development of a uniform hospital staffing plan form. This committee comprises health care workers and hospital representatives.

• January 1, 2024

  Staffing committees must be established under the new law. These will include RNs, LPNs, CNAs,and other direct patient care staff. 50% of the voting members must be nursing staff.

• July 1, 2024

  New staffing committee charters—covering processes for meetings, attendance, electing co-chairs, reviewing complaints, etc.—must be filed with Dept of Health (DOH). Proposed staffing plans are due to hospital management.

• January 1, 2025:

  Every hospital must submit a final staffing plan to DOH.

• July 1, 2025:

  Hospitals must implement the new approved staffing plans by this date, and begin reporting noncompliance to DOH whenever they fail to meet at least 80% compliance that month.

GET EDUCATED – GET INVOLVED!

Joint SEIU 1199NW / UFCW 3000 / WSNA Trainings in 2023-24:
All trainings will be online, relevant to where we are in the statewide rollout of the staffing law, and whenever possible will be recorded and shared for those who cannot attend live. Contact a representative or organizer from your union to learn more about signing up!

• October 19, 2023: In-depth training for current staffing committee co-chairs and members. Current staffing committee members! RSVP for this training here:

• December 2023: Training for all interested members on everything you need to know about staffing committees and the new staffing law

• February 2024: Training on negotiating your best possible staffing plan

• Late 2024: Training on compliance and accountability through your staffing committee

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MEMBERS ARE SAYING:

“The safe staffing bill has many tools we can use to help immensely with safe staffing. I am deeply passionate and excited to learn more and to get to work, and I invite all my fellow healthcare workers to join me.”

—Craig M. White, RN/PCCN, Providence Everett

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“My coworkers and I spent a lot of energy advocating for this law to pass, so we’re certainly going to learn how to enforce it to the fullest. The big hospitals have a lot of money and a lot of resources to figure out the staffing models they think are best, and we’ll need to match that with knowledge of the law and union power.”

—Edna P. Cortez, RN, Seattle Children’s

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“We know that our unity is our strength in every challenge we face, and the work it will take to successfully implement our safe staffing bill is no exception. Working together across all three of our healthcare unions is how we’re going to kickstart a culture of safety in our hospitals and hold our employers accountable to ensure compliance. As a member of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, I’m proud to continue working collaboratively with my WSNA and UFCW 3000 siblings to create a united front and tackle the next piece of our implementation plan: healthcare workers’ education.”

—Callie Allen, RN, MultiCare Valley Hospital, Spokane Valley

UFCW 3000 Podcast Episode 6: Honey, Listen! …To the Rest of Kristina’s Story

Kristina was Michaela’s first interview here on the podcast, but they didn’t get to the full story of Kristina’s union journey. What happens when you become a full-time union rep? And what if it doesn’t work out like you planned? Kristina talks about her time as a union rep, why it was not actually a great fit for her, and how it impacted her returning to work as an even more educated and empowered shop steward.

UFCW 3000 union shop steward Michaela is always ready to answer fellow members’ questions about their union. She’s also a devoted murder podcast listener. Put those interests together, and she decided to start a union podcast to get all her coworkers’ questions and her own questions answered, and to meet as many people as possible who could share what it means to be a part of UFCW 3000. (No murder on this podcast, only solidarity!)

*The information shared on this podcast is offered by rank and file union member leaders of UFCW 3000. There may be inaccuracies or misstatements shared, as members will be speaking from the lenses of their perspectives and life experiences. While members are doing their best to share good information, we can make no claims to 100% accuracy and this podcast should not be construed as legal advice.

2023 Wildfire and Smoke Information for Workers

As our region again faces wildfire season, wildfires and wildfire smoke may affect us in the workplace and at home. Below are important things to know to stay safe and enforce your rights at work. Here are the most important actions to care for yourself and your coworkers during wildfire season:

1. Report any safety concerns to your worksite safety committee & management right away, and get support from your Shop Steward and/or Union Rep if your concerns are not addressed.

2. Get accommodations if needed and exercise your rights—use your sick leave if you become unwell; speak with a health care provider and use FMLA or exercise your disability rights under the ADA if you have a health condition that makes you vulnerable to wildfire smoke.

3. If your home or work is affected by wildfire and financial assistance would help, speak with your Union Rep about the UFCW 3000 Membership Assistance Fund.

Your Rights During Wildfires

If your workplace, home, or family are evacuated, burned, or otherwise affected by active 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

• Make sure to invoke your right to union representation if you are called into a meeting that could lead to discipline (we call these “Weingarten Rights” — read more here)

Workplace Safety for Wildfire Smoke

You have the right to a safe workplace, and if wildfire smoke makes your workplace unhealthy for you, 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.

• Most masks we wear to protect against COVID do not actually protect against wildfire smoke. The right mask to protect against wildfire smoke is an N95 mask or other respirator with the same or higher level of protection. These respirator masks 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—that 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 illness

• You may also be able to use your Paid Sick & Safe Leave if your child’s school or place of care, or your worksite has been shut down by a public official due to health-related reasons resulting from exposure to wildfire smoke

• If you are vulnerable to smoky air due to an existing medical condition, talk to your health care provider about your workplace and 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 ADA.

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General Wildfire and Smoke Information and Resources

• Airnow.gov Federal Air Quality Information

• Washington State Air Quality Map

• L&I Information on Worker Health and Smoke/Air Quality

• Department of Health Information & FAQ on Smoke from Wildfires

• How to Keep Indoor Air Clean at Home on Smoky Days (King County Public Health)

• Spokane Regional Health District: Get the Facts About Wildfire Smoke

• Washington Smoke Blog

UFCW 3000 Episode 5: A Personal History of UFCW 3000 Organizing, Bargaining, and Community Activism with John Warring

From organizing a union to bargaining a contract to enforcing it as a shop steward, John Warring has done it all. Michaela sits down with this retired member and activist in her community to hear about the history of the local hospital in Grays Harbor, WA. Michaela and John get real about the value of being a union worker and the many different ways to be involved in your union. For John it went far beyond ensuring fair wages and enforcing job security, and included things like protecting departments from outsourcing and advocating for workers alongside fellow unions in a labor council. He also shares his experience and perspective on 40 years of UFCW 3000 history!

UFCW 3000 union shop steward Michaela is always ready to answer fellow members’ questions about their union. She’s also a devoted murder podcast listener. Put those interests together, and she decided to start a union podcast to get all her coworkers’ questions and her own questions answered, and to meet as many people as possible who could share what it means to be a part of UFCW 3000. (No murder on this podcast, only solidarity!)

*The information shared on this podcast is offered by rank and file union member leaders of UFCW 3000. There may be inaccuracies or misstatements shared, as members will be speaking from the lenses of their perspectives and life experiences. While members are doing their best to share good information, we can make no claims to 100% accuracy and this podcast should not be construed as legal advice.

UFCW 3000 Podcast Episode 4: Apprenticeships—or, WeTrain You on How to Pick Your Steak and Advance Your Career

How can your union further your career? What is a union apprenticeship? What's our union doing to create more high-paying and safer jobs in our industries? Michaela talks to fellow UFCW 3000 member Indy about his experience with the union meat cutting apprenticeship program, and then talks to Evan and Andy about the apprenticeship and the new WeTrain workforce development organization.

UFCW 3000 union shop steward Michaela is always ready to answer fellow members’ questions about their union. She’s also a devoted murder podcast listener. Put those interests together, and she decided to start a union podcast to get all her coworkers’ questions and her own questions answered, and to meet as many people as possible who could share what it means to be a part of UFCW 3000. (No murder on this podcast, only solidarity!)

*The information shared on this podcast is offered by rank and file union member leaders of UFCW 3000. There may be inaccuracies or misstatements shared, as members will be speaking from the lenses of their perspectives and life experiences. While members are doing their best to share good information, we can make no claims to 100% accuracy and this podcast should not be construed as legal advice.

UFCW 3000 Podcast Episode 3: More to Know, More to Learn, More to Teach: UFCW 3000’s Education Department

How do you become a shop steward, anyway? Why should you bother getting training on your union rights? Why does a union workplace feel different than non-union ones? Michaela meets with UFCW 3000’s Education Director Marc to discuss all the ways members can get more involved in their union, take on leadership roles in the workplace, and get training and education that makes our union stronger.

 UFCW 3000 union shop steward Michaela is always ready to answer fellow members’ questions about their union. She’s also a devoted murder podcast listener. Put those interests together, and she decided to start a union podcast to get all her coworkers’ questions and her own questions answered, and to meet as many people as possible who could share what it means to be a part of UFCW 3000. (No murder on this podcast, only solidarity!)

*The information shared on this podcast is offered by rank and file union member leaders of UFCW 3000. There may be inaccuracies or misstatements shared, as members will be speaking from the lenses of their perspectives and life experiences. While members are doing their best to share good information, we can make no claims to 100% accuracy and this podcast should not be construed as legal advice.