CHI Virtual Health - Bargaining Team Update

Our Virtual Health bargaining team met with management on November 7, 2024 for our sixth negotiation session to continue work towards a 2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement. While there are still a number of outstanding contract articles we are negotiating, we are also finalizing many tentative agreements with the Employer, meaning we are now primarily negotiating over some of our highest priorities we had for this round of bargaining.

On the 7th we exchanged proposals regarding:

• The training, onboarding, and mentoring process of new hires

• Expansion of our rights to bereavement leave

• An extended equal opportunity article, which aims to provide a supportive process for our coworkers should they face discrimination or harassment in the workplace

• And of course: premiums, differentials, and the wages we are paid for the hard work we do

We are continuing to review regional market wages and working hard to ensure that our pay at Virtual Health doesn't just reach the competitive rates in the first year of our contract, but that it stays competitive throughout the next few years. Furthermore, we are also working on some of the "formatting" of our wage scales - such as efforts to uniform the scales to the same number of total steps, and removing "ghost" steps (years where you do not receive a wage increase for another year of employment).

"We're making progress to ensure a fair contract is reached. We're dedicated to making sure we're compensated fairly, and that our union contract provides the support we all need to continue the hard work we do every day."

—Rayann La Madeleine, Monitor Tech

Your bargaining team: Faith Couch, Central Monitoring Telemetry; Chelan Henley, Virtual Companion; Rayann La Madeleine, Central Monitoring Telemetry; Francine Toves (guest), Virtual Companion
 

St. Michael Medical Center (RN) - Nurses vote to authorize a strike

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

On Thursday June 9, Nurses at St. Michael Medical Center overwhelmingly voted YES to authorize a strike and NO on the Employer’s latest contract offer.

Our Bargaining Team will return to bargain with the Employer next week, now with the authority to call a strike.

We hope the results of the vote will force the Employer to improve their offer in a meaningful way and, therefore, avert a strike. However, if the Employer continues to drag their feet then our Bargaining Team will initiate the 10-day strike countdown. Nurses have sent a strong message to the Employer; NOW IT’S TIME FOR MANAGEMENT TO LISTEN!

Next Steps:
Monday, June 13
Bargaining with Employer

Wednesday, June 15
Contract Action Team Meetings
9AM // 6PM // 8:30PM

Thursday June 16
Bargaining with Employer

Wednesday Jun 22
Contract Action Team Meetings
9AM // 8:30PM

Wednesday Jun 22
Telephone Townhall
6PM

For questions and meeting details please contact a Bargaining Team member or Union Rep Aimee Oien @ (360) 662-1981.

St. Michael Medical Center RN - ULP Strike Authorization Vote Notice

Your Bargaining Team met with Management on May 31 to continue negotiations for the St. Michael Medical Center RN contract. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach an agreement.

We focused our proposals on addressing the staffing crisis at St. Michael Medical Center, demanding that the Employer implement safe staffing standards on every unit and raise wages to help retain and recruit nurses. Management has failed to seriously address these issues, refusing to be held accountable for our chronic staffing issues.

The Employer has made matters worse by committing several unfair labor practices (ULPs) in an attempt to intimidate nurses from engaging in union activity. We have filed unfair labor practice charges against the Employer when Management (1) threatened discipline to nurses wearing union stickers, (2) prevented nurses from distributing strike pledge cards, and (3) threatened discipline to nurses leafleting to patients during the picket.

Given the Employer’s serious ongoing unfair labor practices that are negatively impacting the bargaining process, our Bargaining Team has announced a ULP strike authorization vote. To go out on strike, two-thirds of voters must approve the strike. Going out on strike is always our last resort, but it is clear to our Bargaining Team that Management will not listen unless we take serious action. Authorizing a strike will empower our Bargaining Team to call a ULP strike if the Employer continues to drag their feet at the bargaining table.

It's imperative that everyone participate in the vote to show management that we stand in solidarity for a fair contract and against their unfair labor practice charges.

Voting Process:
DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE
Links to the vote documents are now available and and will be emailed out to nurses who have an accurate email on file with the Union.

www.ufcw21.org/s/SMMC-RN-Strike-Vote-Highlight.pdf
www.ufcw21.org/s/SMMC-RN-22-25-Proposed-Contract-Redline.pdf

ONLINE MEETINGS
Wednesday June 8
9AM // 6PM // 8:30PM
Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Rep for details. Details will also be emailed.
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 9
6AM-9AM // 12PM-2PM // 4PM-9PM
Best Western Plus Silverdale Beach Hotel 3073 NW Bucklin Hill 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.

St. Michael Medical Center RN - SAVE THE DATE – INFORMATIONAL PICKET

“The Employer made very little movement and has requested federal mediation. RSVP to our May 26 Informational Picket to show management that we stand in solidarity for a fair contract!”

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

Our Bargaining Team met with management again on May 3 to continue negotiations for the St. Michael Medical Center RN contract. 

Your Bargaining Team worked hours on crafting a comprehensive proposal for the employer on wages, staffing, and other important issues. However, the Employer only responded with a small package proposal regarding charge nurses and holiday call but nothing else. They failed to even provide an economic counteroffer!

Then at the end of our bargaining session the employer surprised the Bargaining Team by requesting that the parties bring in a federal mediator to help work through the remaining issues on the table.

We are very disappointed with the progress of negotiations and the lack of proposals from the employer at this session only furthered the Bargaining Team’s frustration. Therefore, we have agreed to begin the process of federal mediation.

Unfortunately, we must also report that we believe the employer has violated nurses’ rights on at least two occasions, forcing the Union to file Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges against the employer with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). 

These incidents occurred when management asked for members to remove their “Hello Staffing Crisis” stickers in early April, then again when nurses handing out strike pledge cards at an employee entrance were told they were in violation of company policy and must leave. In addition to filing charges, we are reviewing other actions that we can take to ensure the employer will cease violating the rights of bargaining unit nurses. 

We are scheduled to meet with the Employer again on May 6, which will be our first session with the federal mediator. We’ve also signed a contract extension agreement through the end of the month, meaning that all protections of your contract remain fully intact.  

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What is mediation? 

When the Union and Employer have reached a point when little progress is being made, the parties have the option to bring in a neutral third-party mediator to help move things along. The federal government provides a free mediation service (Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service) that works exclusively on union-employer disputes and has assigned a mediator to help us reach a deal with management. The role of the mediator is to help the parties better understand the other’s point of view and to push both sides towards an agreement. However, the mediator has no power to force either side to make any changes to their proposals.

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RSVP to the Info Picket!

After months of bargaining, our Bargaining Team has announced that nurses at St. Michael Medical Center will be holding an informational picket on Thursday May 26 from 3:00PM to 5:00PM. We invite bargaining unit nurses who are off-the-clock, their families, and any member of the community to RSVP for the event. RSVP through the code or link below!

Thursday, May 26 • 3PM - 5PM
1800 NW Myhre Road, Silverdale, WA 98383

St. Michael Medical Center RN - NO DEAL – INFORMATIONAL PICKET ANNOUNCED

“We’re severely disappointed that management did not come to the table with a serious proposal to address our concerns.”

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

Our Bargaining Team met with management again on April 27 to continue negotiations for the St. Michael Medical Center RN contract. After working late into the afternoon, we were unable to reach an agreement with management because of serious differences of opinion on what St. Michael Medical Center needs to address the current staffing crisis. 

Management sent over two economic proposals during this meeting, which only included minor changes such as increasing their wage proposal by just 2.5% over the life of the contract when compared to their April 5 proposal. We are extremely frustrated that management continues to make wage proposals that would keep our wages below what nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center are paid and then somehow expect that nurses at St. Michael Medical Center would be happy to accept their offer.

Management also continued to reject our proposal to create safe staffing standards in every department, claiming that staffing ratios wouldn’t help address our staffing crisis. They took particular issue with our proposal’s hourly premium that would be paid to nurses as a penalty when staffed outside of safe staffing standards, which was included as an enforcement measure to encourage compliance. 

Management instead countered with a new staffing proposal that outlined “staffing and scheduling principles” that they promised to adhere to. They claimed their proposal outlined a collaborative effort that would create space to talk more about possible solutions to the crisis, which they believe is better than the Union’s well defined and enforceable staffing ratios. 

Our Bargaining Team pointed out that their proposal does not include any firm deadlines, no substantive guarantees, and no efficient enforcement mechanism if they fail to follow through on their promises. And quite frankly, we don’t trust management to follow through. We will continue to review their proposal and determine if we could counter with changes that would appease our concerns, but the bottom line is that we need staffing language that commits to more than “the employer will make every reasonable effort” to address the staffing crisis. 

Our Bargaining Team presented the results of the strike pledge card as evidence that nurses are not satisfied with the progress of negotiations and management was clearly surprised that a majority of nurses signed the card. With over 435 nurses signing the strike pledge card, members have made clear that what’s on the table is unacceptable and we’re ready to do whatever is necessary to win a fair contract. 

Now is the time to put our words into action! After months of bargaining, our Bargaining Team has announced that nurses at St. Michael Medical Center will be holding an informational picket on Thursday, May 26 from 3:00PM to 5:00PM. We invite bargaining unit nurses, their families, and any member of the community to RSVP for the event.  

We are scheduled to meet with the Employer again on May 3 and 6 with our contract scheduled to expire after April 30. We are working with the employer on a possible one-month extension of our contract that would cover nurses as we continue negotiations. 

Contract Action Team (CAT) Meeting

You don’t want to miss our next meeting as our Bargaining Team is hosting picket captain training to prepare for our upcoming informational picket! We’ll also spend time talking about what to expect as we move closer to announcing a strike vote.

Wednesday, May 4

9:00AM & 6:00PM

https://zoom.us/join

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

CHI St. Michael Medical Center RN - Bargaining Continues

“Management’s initial economic offer misses the mark, failing to come close to St. Joseph Medical Center’s recent wage increase.”

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

Our Bargaining Team met with Management again on April 5 to continue negotiations for the St. Michael Medical Center RN contract.

Before sending over their economic offer, Management gave our Bargaining Team a speech about the financial health of the medical center. Management outlined that the medical center is $45 million behind budget this year because of issues with patient length of stay, non-emergent procedure moratoriums, and the high number of travelers.

We countered by pointing out that if they agree to competitive wage increases for bargaining unit nurses, then they could retain and attract staff nurses and significantly cut down on the number of expensive travelers. We also noticed that they never mentioned that they are going into debt just not making as much money as they anticipated, which does not really concern our Bargaining Team. Management even admitted that they’ve noticed positive financial trends in March as the pandemic continues to abate.

Management’s Economic Proposal
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
8.00% 3.50% 3.50%

While we would have likely been excited about their initial offer in previous contract cycles, we are now in different times with historic inflation and a hyper-competitive labor market. In fact, their proposal is far behind the 11% wage increase that nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center recently won, even worse when you consider that they will receive an additional 4% increase later this year.

We also reminded Management that St. Michael Medical Center is in a unique geographic location, meaning that we need to pay a higher wage to attract nurses into Silverdale or, more importantly, stop nurses from commuting into Seattle.

Management also continued to REJECT our enhanced charge nurse language, guarantees that nurses won’t be responsible for EVS or billing work, permanent pandemic language that ensures nurses will be protected during the next public health emergency, and our addition of staffing ratios into the contract.

We are scheduled to meet with the employer on Monday, April 11 and then again on Wednesday, April 27.

Next Steps:

Our Bargaining Team invites you to join our official Facebook page to get the latest news regarding contract negotiations at: facebook.com/SMMCNURSES

Contract Action Team Meeting: Attend regular Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings to hear the latest updates regarding negotiations, plan actions to pressure Management, and learn how to get our co-workers involved. We’ve also started holding a separate Emergency Department meeting focused on discussing the serious issues faced by nurses working in the department.

Sticker Action! Reach out to our workplace leader or Union Rep Aimee Oien to get a stack of our “Hello Staffing Crisis” or “Hello Missed Breaks” stickers to wear in the workplace. The stickers are launching on April 7, so make sure to get yours soon!

QUESTIONS? Join your coworkers and hear from the Bargaining Team! Zoom links are in the text below.

Wednesday, April 6 @ 6 PM
Contract Action Team (CAT) Meeting

Tuesday, April 12 @ 6 PM
Emergency Department Meeting

CHI St. Michael Medical Center RN - Bargaining Continues

“We are focusing on improvements to our safety and staffing language while preparing to present our first economic proposal. Be sure to attend our next Contract Action Team meeting to learn more!”

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

Our Bargaining Team met with Management again on March 3, continuing contract negotiations for nurses at St. Michael Medical Center.

We are pleased to report that some progress was made as we successfully convinced the Employer to withdraw their proposals to increase both the required resignation notice as well as the minimum work requirements of per diems. The Employer also showed a willingness to still agree with our demand that the per diem differential revert back to 15%, even without the increased work requirements.

However, we are still far apart on our safety and staffing proposals. Management has continued to reject our minimum staffing ratios, language regarding the refusal of hazardous assignments, and our new public health emergency language that would help better prepare the medical center for the next pandemic.

Despite the outstanding issues, our Bargaining Team feels that enough progress has been made for us to finally make our initial economic proposal at our next meeting with the Employer. After months of market research, we have crafted an economic proposal that would raise our wages and differentials to rates that would be hyper-competitive with our neighbors in both Tacoma and Seattle.

We are scheduled to meet with the Employer again on Wednesday, March 9 with dates scheduled through April.

Our Bargaining Team invites you to join our official Facebook page to get the latest news regarding contract negotiations at: facebook.com/SMMCNURSES

You’re Invited! Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Rep for Zoom meeting details!

Contract Action Team (CAT) Meeting
Wednesday, March 9 @ 6 PM
Attend regular Contract Action Team (CAT) meetings to hear the latest updates regarding negotiations, plan actions to pressure Management, and learn how to get your co-workers involved

Emergency Dept. Meeting
Tuesday, March 15 @ 6 PM
Meeting is focused on discussing the serious issues faced by nurses working in the Emergency Department and working on solutions that can be achieved through contract negotiations.

St. Michael Medical Center RN - You’re Invited!

What is a Contract Action Team?

It’s a group of bargaining unit members who regularly gather (usually monthly) to hear the latest updates regarding negotiations, plan actions to pressure management into a fair contract, and learn how to get their co-workers involved. Commonly referred to as CAT meetings, they are a great opportunity to stay involved and provide feedback to your bargaining team as they work to negotiate your contract.

Who is invited to CAT meetings? 

Any St. Michael Medical Center nurse who is part of the UFCW Local 21 bargaining unit is welcome to join CAT meetings! Having high involvement within your Contract Action Team is crucial in winning a strong contract, so we encourage everyone to attend if your schedule permits. Because of the sensitive nature about what we discuss, non-union management is not permitted to join our meetings.

See you there!

Your bargaining team: Anne Burns, Brett Moore, Cindy Franck, Kimberly Fraser McMillan, Michael Nord, Tammy Olson

St. Michael’s Medical Center (RN) February CAT Meeting

Monday, February 7

6:00PM

https://zoom.us/join

St. Michael’s Medical Center (RN) March CAT Meeting

Wednesday, March 9 

6:00PM

https://zoom.us/join

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

CHI General Update - WAGES OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVED

We are pleased to announce that members across CHI overwhelmingly voted to approve the proposed amendments to their contracts, which included earlier raises for all members along with a number of additional market increases! The approved wage increases will become effective on February 6, 2022.

These changes will affect the following units:

St. Anne Hospital (Pro-Tech)

St. Joseph Medical Center (Pro-Tech)

St. Michael Medical Center (Pro-Tech)

St. Michael Medical Center (Service & Dietary)

 Keep in mind that these changes are considered a mid-cycle amendment, meaning that we are still scheduled to start contract negotiations early next year. Stay tuned for more information as your contract nears its expiration.  

CHI General Update - Vote Scheduled on Wages

We are pleased to announce that, given today’s hyper-competitive labor market, we’ve come to an agreement with your employer to implement our 2022 wage increase months ahead of schedule along with some additional wage adjustments for select classifications that have fallen behind market. 

These changes will affect the following units:

• St. Anne Hospital (Pro-Tech)

• St. Joseph Medical Center (Pro-Tech)

• St. Michael Medical Center (Pro-Tech)

• St. Michael Medical Center (Service & Dietary)

While we are not scheduled to begin contract negotiations for these units until next year, immediate action on wages was deemed necessary in order to retain and recruit staff.

However, the proposed wage increases must first be approved by a vote of membership before they can be implemented. We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Thursday, January 20 from 6:00AM to 8:00PM. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information, along with all the details about the proposed changes to your contract.

In order to vote, everyone needs to make sure their personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please visit ufcw21.org/update-your-information and update your information. If you do not receive an email to vote on Thursday, January 20, then please reach out to your Union Representative no later than 5PM on the day of the vote to provide an updated email address.  

Have Questions? 

There will be virtual meetings the day prior to the vote to explain the proposed changes and answer questions. You can also reach out to your Union Representative to learn more about the proposed wage increases.

St. Joseph Medical Center

Wednesday, January 19

5PM – 6PM

St. Michael Medical Center

Wednesday, January 19

6PM – 7PM

St. Anne Hospital

Wednesday, January 19

7PM – 8PM

Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

CHI Virtual Health Services CONTRACT RATIFIED!

We excited to announce that members at CHI Virtual Health Services voted to ratify their new contract on Friday October 1! This historic contract includes a new wage scale that is competitive with neighboring employers, including MultiCare, which will help attract and retain staff.

We’ve informed the Employer of this news and they’ve said the new wages should go into effect no later than two pay periods after ratification. If you have any questions about your contract, please contact Union Representative Kent Tse at (206) 436-6512.

CHI Virtual Health Services - Tentative Agreement Reached, Contract Vote Scheduled

Your Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement with Management on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement for Virtual Health Services. This agreement includes:

>> Historic wage increases that are competitive with MultiCare,

>> Significant changes in the wage scale, increasing the raises you’ll get as you advance on the wage scale,

>> Shortened wage scale, meaning that you’ll reach the top wage years earlier,

>> Improved staffing language with a pathway to report your concerns to administration,

>> Stronger seniority/layoff language,

>> And much more!

The full details of the offer will be made available during our online vote meeting on Thursday, September 30. It’s extremely important that members attend the zoom meeting to get a full understanding of the employer’s offer and have your questions answered. However, voting will not take place at this meeting.

We will be voting online via “SimplyVoting” on Friday, October 1. You will be receiving an email from UFCW 21 via “SimplyVoting” with your unique login information.

In order to vote, everyone needs to make sure their personal email is up to date in our records. If you did not receive this announcement via email, please update your information HERE.

If you do not receive an email to vote on Friday, October 1, then please reach out to Union Representative Kent Tse at (206) 436-6512 no later than 5PM on the day of the vote to provide an updated email address.

Join your coworkers on these important dates!

Online Vote Meeting via Zoom
Thursday, September 30
5:30 PM
Contact your Bargaining Team or Union Rep for details. Direct link to join will also be emailed.

Contract Vote via SimplyVoting
Friday, October 1
6 AM - 8 PM

Harrison/St Michael Agrees to Meet with UFCW 21 Leadership

UFCW 21 sent a letter to management detailing our demands during this outbreak, and have received a response from management that they would like to meet with UFCW 21 leadership as soon as this week. We will update everyone with whatever we learn.

We also wanted to report back some of the results of safety surveys many Harrison/St. Michael workers took last week. The surveys showed:

• 78% of survey takers have had an issue with damaged, untested, or inadequate supply of PPE

• 60% believe they had an exposure to a COVID-positive patient or coworker since Aug 4

• 50% of quarantined respondents were put on paid admin leave while quarantined

• 18% were quarantined while waiting for test results

• 43% learned of the outbreak from a coworker

• 30% learned of the outbreak from news media

• 21% learned of it from hospital management

In many departments, large amounts of new PPE showed up almost overnight last week, and while we are frustrated that it took this much hard work from union hospital staff to get protective equipment on the floor, we’re glad it has now been made available. If you continue to have issues with unsafe PPE, you can always send us a safety report at safetyreport@ufcw21.org.

Updates on August COVID-19 Outbreak for CHI Harrison / St Michael Members

UFCW 21 has been tracking the COVID-19 outbreak at CHI Harrison/St Michael very closely. The hospital says they learned of the first case and notified Kitsap County Health Department on August 4. The outbreak was not made public until August 21.

This week we had an emergency online meeting with hospital workers to discuss the outbreak, our demands from CHI, and our next steps. We talked in the meeting about a way for workers to report our experiences before and during this outbreak, and there was a lot of interest in a meeting with state officials to report issues directly to relevant agencies.

LISTENING SESSION WITH STATE HEALTH & LABOR OFFICIALS & GOVERNORS OFFICE

MONDAY AUGUST 31

7:30 PM

ONLINE MEETING

We immediately scheduled a listening session meeting with top officials at all relevant state agencies. This is an online meeting over Zoom and all Harrison/St Michael workers are invited. We will be joined by officials from:

• WA State Dept. of Health

• Kitsap County Public Health

• Labor & Industries

• Office of the Governor

You will have a chance in this meeting to ask questions, report safety concerns, and let them know what is really happening on the ground. These agencies want to hear from you about your experiences and what you need. Please register as soon as possible, and share this important opportunity with your coworkers.

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We also created a COVID outbreak safety survey and reporting tool. Members said they would appreciate a place to share experience with testing, exposure, notification, safety protocols, PPE, and other issues surrounding this outbreak. That survey is here:

We encourage all Harrison/St Michael workers to spend 5 - 10 minutes this week to go through these questions and help us track as much information as possible about this outbreak and your safety. There is an option to upload pictures or documents in that survey as well, and a place you can request support if you are in quarantine and would like to be connected to any union or community support. Other members and our community across Kitsap is reaching out to ask how they can help support you at this time.

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NOTES FROM OUR EMERGENCY MEETING

Our current demands for CHI:

• Rapid testing for all workers

• Complying with our existing agreement for 8-hour notification of any exposure

• Paid administrative leave during the full length of any quarantine and while waiting for test results

• Adequate PPE for all workers

• Maintaining safe staffing levels even during this outbreak

• Hazard pay

Existing right to paid leave: The first piece of our existing agreement with CHI says:

“A nurse or healthcare worker who the Employer does not permit to work due to exposure to Covid-19 disease while at work shall be placed in paid leave status during any required quarantine period. Paid leave status may be a combination of L&I Workers Compensation and employer paid administrative leave. The combination of which will ensure the employee will experience no loss of pay or accrued time off until such time as the Employer permits the employee to return to work. An employer representative will be available to assist employee with coordination of federal, state and employer benefits as may be applicable.”

The state has ruled that there is an automatic presumption that if a health care worker acquires COVID, it was acquired at work and you are eligible for workers comp. If you have any questions or issues with paid leave during this time, please contact your Union Rep as soon as possible.

Community support: Fellow UFCW 21 members and the larger Kitsap community are springing into action and asking what they can do to help, especially for workers who are in quarantine. We will be organizing whatever support workers need, be it meals, wellness checks, financial support, or anything else, and encourage all Harrison/St Michael workers to contact your Union Rep for whatever you or coworkers need so we can connect you with your community support.

​Union actions: We are planning for public actions that are safe but can put pressure on Harrison/St Michael management to meet our demands, keep workers and patients safe, and prevent the next outbreak crisis. We will be updating everyone as these plans solidify, but if you are interested in participating or have ideas for safe actions that make a point, please connect with your Shop Steward or Union Rep.

Ongoing safety issues: We received many helpful and specific reports of safety issues and workplace concerns during the emergency meeting. We will be addressing these individually and collectively in the coming days. Examples of issues discussed include: the safety of floating right now; worries about the upcoming flu season; inadequate PPE supplies, training, and fit-testing; short staffing in many departments including EVS; nurses being asked to clean COVID rooms; special issues facing procedural care staff, cath lab, and high-risk workers; problems with testing and notification; concern around new CDC guidelines; and much more.

As always, we encourage you to report safety concerns to your Union Rep, or to use our COVID safety report email:

safetyreport@ufcw21.org

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PRESS COVERAGE OF HARRISON/ST MICHAEL WORKERS SPEAKING OUT

On Tuesday August 25, we held a press conference responding to CHI’s public statements that they are handling this outbreak as well as possible, that they notified everyone involved in a timely way, and that their PPE supplies now and throughout the COVID pandemic have been totally adequate.

You can watch the full press conference at this link

And find some of the press coverage below:

• KING 5: Hospital staff at St. Michael in Bremerton release list of demands after COVID-19 outbreak

• Kitsap Sun: ‘I’m surprised it took this long’: Hospital workers fault St. Michael leaders over handling of COVID-19 outbreak

• KUOW radio: Workers at Bremerton hospital say they are not being protected

• Seattle Times: Bremerton hospital’s union asking for more to be done to control COVID-19 outbreak

• KOMO News: Bremerton hospital workers speak out after COVID-19 outbreak

• Spokesman-Review: COVID outbreak at Bremerton hospital worries workers

St. Michael Medical Center - Bargaining Continues

“We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

OUR PRO-TECH BARGAINING TEAM: Judy Shoesmith, Kain Mcleod, Connie Baker, Rob Shauger, Don Szabo, Ona Burkett, Sonja Hammes

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Your Bargaining Team met with Management again on August 12 and, thanks to further community support during last week’s action, we were able to once again make significant progress towards an agreement.

The most notable movement was Management’s willingness to withdraw their new healthcare proposal, which would allow new hires onto the terrible CHI Franciscan plan. While the employer hasn’t officially withdrawn the proposal, they have agreed to withdraw it when we finalize updated language regarding the Sound Health & Wellness Trust. We’re pleased with this development as the Employer’s plan to force new hires onto the CHI Franciscan plan was a serious threat to our affordable healthcare, as it would give the Management leverage to take away our healthcare when we renegotiate in 2023.

Additionally, we have made progress on a new member lead pandemic safety committee, we continue to fight against an attack to the per diem premium and are much closer to an agreement on wage increases. We are still working against some equity issues with the Employer latest wage proposal but are hopeful those issue can be resolved soon. 

Your Bargaining Team is looking forward to resuming negotiations on August 19 and 28.

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Update your Information with the Union!

Due to the current health crisis, contract votes are being conducted through mail-in ballots. We’ll need an updated address to ensure you get a ballot when it’s time to vote your contract.

Harrison Medical Center Service & Dietary - Contract Vote Scheduled

Your Bargaining Team reached a tentative agreement with the Medical Center that won substantial wage increases, new short-term personal leave, improved schedule posting language, as well as many other improvements. 

We will be holding drop-in virtual vote meetings on Friday, June 19 at 8AM and 4PM to answer any questions about the tentative agreement. Details for joining will be mailed out with the vote instructions.

We will send out information soon with more details of the changes in your new contract and how the mail-in voting process works. To review a copy of the full legal document with all proposed changes please visit the link provided in the body of the email below.

View Document

Health Care Unions and CHI Franciscan reach agreement on worker safety and compensation

UFCW 21 is working hard with our partners at SEIU 1199NW Healthcare and WNSA to keep our members safe. Thanks to the many submissions to safetyreport@ufcw21.org we are able to take members’ concerns directly to the employers. We hope to reach similar resolutions like this one with other employers across the state to ensure the safety and well being of workers on the front lines. We need to take care of the workers that take care of us.

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DATED this 15th day of March, 2020:

The Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU 1199NW Healthcare Union, and United Food and Commercial Workers Union (Unions) and CHI Franciscan (Employer) hereby enter into the following Memorandum of Agreement in response to ongoing health concerns presented by the COVID-19 virus.

PRINCIPLES:

A.      The parties share a mutual interest in assuring the health and safety of patients, clients, families, staff and the community.

B.      Nurses and other healthcare workers are on the front lines in the delivery of essential health services to patients in need.

C.      The decisions of all parties should be guided by the Center for Disease Control and other public health agencies.

D.     The parties wish to work together to take reasonable steps to protect patients, clients, families and staff from unnecessary exposure to communicable diseases including COVID-19.

AGREEMENT:

1. A nurse or healthcare worker who the Employer does not permit to work due to exposure to Covid -19 disease while at work shall be placed in paid leave status during any required quarantine period.  Paid leave status may be a combination of L&I Workers Compensation and employer paid administrative leave.  The combination of which will ensure the employee will experience no loss of pay or accrued time off until such time as the Employer permits the employee to return to work. An employer representative will be available to assist employee with coordination of federal, state and employer benefits as may be applicable.

2. A nurse or healthcare worker who self-quarantines based on concern of social exposure to COVID-19 shall have access to extended illness bank on day 1 until the employee is able to return to work.

3. During the quarantine period described in both situations above, the healthcare worker is required to participate in the Employer’s monitoring process. If criteria is met to return the employee to work, in accordance with CDC guidelines, and the employee nonetheless refuses to return to work, the rights set forth in paragraphs 1 and 2 will no longer apply.

4. A nurse or healthcare worker who travels to a foreign country on the CDC’s high risk list, will need to be quarantined for 14 days when they return. EIB would not be applicable and the nurse or healthcare worker would need to use PTO or other benefits available under statutory rights.

5. A nurse or healthcare worker who is unable to work due to being part of the CDC’s at-risk group (older than 60 or with an underlying medical condition) may request an accommodation.  If a workplace accommodation cannot be granted, the employee will be granted a leave of absence and have access to accrued time off benefits. If the employee's paid time off accruals exhaust during the leave, Employer will work on a case by case basis with the employee to ensure appropriate continuation of medical benefits until the employee is deemed eligible to return to work by the Employer.

6. When possible, telework or alternative assignments may be provided as an accommodation for nurses or healthcare workers who are in an at-risk group identified by CDC guidelines.

7. The Employer will provide all nurses or healthcare workers who have been exposed, such as treating a patient who was not confirmed, but later is to have COVID-19 with written notice within eight (8) hours of known exposure. The written notice will include: the date of exposure, assessment of exposure risk and Employer decision on whether to permit the nurse or healthcare worker to work or placed on paid leave.

8. Nothing in this agreement is intended to prevent employees from accessing other state benefits for which they may qualify, including but not limited to unemployment compensation insurance, paid family and medical leave, or workers compensation.

9. No less than weekly, the Employer will provide the Union with the number of its represented nurses or healthcare workers who have been exposed and the leave status of the employee.

10. Duration of this agreement is no later than when the Franciscan Regional Disaster Plan is inactivated.

Temporary Assignment Incentive - System-wide Labor Pool

March 15, 2020

In response to the developing COVID-19 situation across the south Sound, an incentive (“Temporary Assignment Incentive”) has been created to encourage employees in defined job classifications to volunteer for temporary assignments at other acute care CHI Franciscan locations experiencing staffing shortages (“Secondary Hospital”).  The incentive will be in place through no later than when the Franciscan Regional Disaster Plan is inactivated.

An employee in an eligible position who volunteers and is assigned to a Secondary Hospital will be leased to the entity. Associated labor costs incurred while working at the Secondary Hospital will be paid by the hospital where the employee is employed (“Employer Hospital”) and charged back to the Secondary Hospital through a lease agreement process. The charge back will be invisible to the employee, who will experience no change in employer status, base pay, service credit, or other related terms of employment. Employees who volunteer for reassignment as described above will receive their regular rate of pay, plus Temporary Assignment Incentive, for all hours worked at the Secondary Hospital.  All policies and CBA requirements relating to pay, premiums, and benefits covering the employee at the Employer Hospital remain in effect for the employee during their temporary assignment at the Secondary Hospital.

Unit manager approval from Employer Hospital is required before an employee is authorized to participate.  The employee will be required to commit to a full week assignment at the Secondary Employer and will be removed from their regular schedule at Employer Hospital for the duration of the commitment.  Employee will be guaranteed hours at no less than their regular FTE at the Secondary Hospital. The employee will receive mileage reimbursement for the number of miles traveled between their facility of employment and the Secondary Hospital where assigned. In the event the need for work at the Secondary Hospital diminishes during the commitment period, the employee will be returned to the schedule at their Employer Hospital without loss in hours. 

Defined job classifications:

• ED RN

• PCU RN

• ICU RN

• Pharmacist

• CT Technologist

• Respiratory Therapist

• Telemetry Tech

• Certified Nursing Assistant

Assignment Incentive – paid in addition to base, regular rate of pay:

• RN - $10.00 per hour

• CT Tech - $10.00 per hour

• Respiratory Tech - $10.00 per hour

• Per diem RN; CT Tech or Respiratory Tech:  1.5x pay

• Telemetry Tech - $5.00 per hour

• CNA  - $5.00 per hour

Pay Process for Temporary Incentive Payment:

1. An employee temporarily assigned to a Secondary Hospital will be unable to use the timeclock at the Secondary Hospital and must manually document all shifts worked on the Kronos paper Exception Log. 

2. The KRONOS Exception Log entry must include shift date, in punch time, out punch time, number of hours for the applicable shift, and “Temporary Assignment Incentive” noted in the explanation/comments section. 

3. The employee must send, scan or fax the exception log to their regular manager at their Employer Hospital by the Sunday immediately following their temporary assignment.

4. The local HR timekeeping department is responsible for processing all Temporary Assignment Incentives.  The Temporary Assignment Incentive for FTE employees will be paid using the Shift Bonus $ pay code and will be visible in Kronos.  For per diem RN’s the overtime pay will be processed in Kronos to generate the appropriate pay.

a.      In departments that perform their own timekeeping, the manager and/or department editor will not have access to the pay code for Temporary Assignment Incentive.  They must enter applicable shift and relevant edits for the on-loan employee and fax the approved Exception log to the local HR Timekeeper, who will apply the pay code and process the timecard. 

b.     In departments that utilize local HR Timekeeping services, the manager must approve/sign the exception log and fax it to the local HR department timekeeper for processing of all exception log entries.

About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a union of nurses and healthcare workers with over 30,000 caregivers throughout hospitals, clinics, mental health, skilled home health and hospice programs in Washington state and Montana. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW’s mission is to advocate for quality care and good jobs for all.

About WSNA 
WSNA is the leading voice and advocate for nurses in Washington state, providing representation, education and resources that allow nurses to reach their full professional potential and focus on caring for patients. WSNA represents more than 17,000 registered nurses for collective bargaining who provide care in hospitals, clinics, schools and community and public health settings across the state. 

About UFCW 21 
UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 45,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, and other industries in Washington state. 

CHI Regional Hospital - Hospital Closure Bargaining