Multicare Capital Medical Center Service/Office/Technical - Bargaining Update!

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Wednesday, October 2 marks our fourth bargaining date with MultiCare since we began negotiations for a 2024 contract for the Service, Office, & Technical union members at Capital Medical Center.

Transparently, our day began a bit slow in terms of meeting with management, with our Union team providing MultiCare with any remaining contract proposals we had in our court in the morning, and then waiting until just before the end of our scheduled time to receive proposals back from management.

Upon hearing back from management later that afternoon, we were presented with a number of responses on a few of the contract articles we’ve been exchanging back and forth with the employer; most importantly, wages.

Overall, it’s fair to say that we were shocked by MultiCare’s initial offer, not because it undercut our value and ignored regional competitors’ wage rates (as one can typically expect from an Employer’s first wage counter...), but instead, their proposal seemed to consider the rates of pay that competitors are paying in the greater South-Puget-Sound region, as well as the significant increases MultiCare workers in Pierce and King County won in union negotiations earlier this year.

There are varying increases throughout the numerous job classifications—mainly due to the varying market fluctuations for those classifications—but our bargaining team can say that while the wage proposal we received from Capital is not quite ready for us to agree to yet, it will serve to move market-based wage discussions much faster than we have seen at other bargaining tables!

We are looking forward to meeting with MultiCare for our next session on October 10 to continue working towards a strong contract for Capital Medical Center employees!

“We’re not all the way there yet, but we are cautiously optimistic!”
—Julie Hinchcliffe, HUC/Monitor Tech @ CapMC

Your Bargaining Team: Julie Hinchcliffe, HUC/Monitor Tech; Beatrix Sales, CS Tech; Lindsey Moorhead, Cath Lab Tech

Multicare Health System - ULP Strike Authorization Vote Scheduled!

After months of negotiations, and in the face of unfair labor practices (ULP) committed by MultiCare, the time has come to either secure a fair contract or take more decisive action.

To that end, our Bargaining Team has scheduled a vote after our July 12 bargaining date on whether to ratify or reject the proposed contract and authorize a ULP Strike. The bargaining team hopes MultiCare will cease its unfair labor practices and make an offer the committee can recommend be ratified. If not, then our Bargaining Team will recommend that workers vote to authorize a ULP strike.

Our Union Bargaining Team does not take the decision to call for a ULP Strike authorization vote lightly, but we cannot continue bargaining indefinitely while the employer engages in unfair labor practices. We hope that MultiCare will come to the bargaining table prepared to negotiate in good faith when we meet next.

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

• KING COUNTY
  • 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM
  • 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  • 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
• Best Western Plus Mountain View Auburn Inn
  ​401 8th St SW, Auburn, WA 98001

Thursday, July 18, 2024

• PIERCE COUNTY
  • 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM
  • 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  • 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
• Marriott Tacoma Downtown, 3rd Floor Pt. Defiance Room
  1538 Commerce St, Tacoma, WA 98402

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What is an Unfair Labor Practice Strike?

An Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike is called in response to MultiCare’s unfair labor practices, which are illegal actions that undermine the bargaining process. This type of strike aims to compel the employer to cease unlawful activities and engage in fair negotiations.

MultiCare Auburn Medical Center Professionals - First Contract Update - June 26, 2024

THINGS ARE HEATING UP!

Our Union bargaining committee met with the Employer, albeit virtually, for our first round of negotiations since May 22. After our previous bargaining date scheduled for May 29 was canceled by the Employer—we were beginning to feel very frustrated that any momentum we’d built up toward achieving our first ever union contract was going to be weakened. However—we spent the downtime digging into our priorities on things like:

• Safeguarding the protections afforded by union membership
• Articles on Medical, Family, and Military Leaves of Absence
• And most significantly, wages and health insurance benefits.

When we began our day at the bargaining table, we were curious what the exchange of proposals between parties would look like, especially because management has shown limited interest in many of our key priorities. Considering all of this, we left today’s bargaining session feeling cautiously optimistic that the momentum behind reaching an agreement with the Employer was better than ever! Management also clued us into their feelings about the highly attended informational picket your union held at Tacoma General Hospital, acknowledging its impact as loud and disruptive (just how we like it!). Ultimately, we’re glad to announce that we reached agreements with management on some long-outstanding contract articles and engaged in what we felt was productive dialogue about where the parties are at in this process.

With all of that said, we do want to make it clear that despite our agreements on various provisions of our contract with MultiCare, we are beginning to narrow down to our highest priorities, likely to be the most challenging part of our bargain so far…

For instance, our bargaining team was deeply concerned to hear MultiCare's proposal to introduce employees into our Union Wage Scale at a pay rate that closely mirrors their current one (with no pay decrease), rather than aligning compensation with our years of experience. Our experience as healthcare professionals not only defines our skill but also enables us to deliver the quality of care our patients deserve. Moreover, we strongly believe that this approach could adversely affect retention in our departments, especially when many other employers recognize and reward years of experience.

As we dig into health insurance benefits, wages, years of experience, and more; it is more important now than ever that we are showing our solidarity and strength TOGETHER to win a STRONG first union contract!

Join us at our next round of Contract Action meetings to learn how to stay involved and support your Union Bargaining Team!

July 10 (In-Person & via ZOOM)

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Auburn Medical Center – MOB Classroom

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Auburn Medical Center – Cascade Training Room

Multicare Health System - The Power Of Solidarity

For those of you who joined our Telephone Town Hall on the evening of June 27, you know that after our recent meeting with MultiCare to bargain our nine union contracts, we don’t have much to say other than we are fed up, and our patience is nearly exhausted.

We have spent months putting together proposals that we strongly believe address the workplace issues that matter most to us. We have communicated to MultiCare why competitive market wages and changes to the health insurance plan are so important, yet we feel that the Employer has failed to address the root of these issues.

However, following our informational picket earlier this month, it is evident that our collective power is beginning to shift the dynamic at the bargaining table. MultiCare has come to negotiations more willing to address some of the other issues, including an agreement to expand our bereavement leave, which management had previously shown little interest in. Nevertheless, we must apply additional pressure to secure the improvements we need on wages and benefits.

We are scheduled to continue negotiations with the Employer on July 8 and July 12. In the very near future, your Union Bargaining Committee will be announcing vote meetings to be scheduled after our bargaining date on the 12th.

Stay tuned for updates, and remember that it is our collective power that will win us strong contracts.

“It’s coming down to the wire, and we need your support. Wear your Union buttons & keep your solidarity strong.”

— Karen Towne, Medical Assistant @ Tacoma Family Medicine

MultiCare is bargaining in bad faith

On Thursday, May 16, our Union Negotiating Committee met with MultiCare to continue contract negotiations, however, we’re not sure MultiCare showed up for the same reason. We do not believe that Management are bargaining in good faith. They are not taking this process seriously, nor do we feel that concerns about our staffing, our wages, and the well-being of ourselves and our families are being considered in Management’s proposals.

“Three percent is BS. That’s not even enough to cover inflation for this year.” —Rafael Diaz

We feel that MultiCare is trying to drag this out, perhaps to exhaust us, and defeat us, but we are not giving in. We will show MultiCare that we will stand together to win a fair contract.

WE ARE: 2000 WORKERS, 9 CONTRACTS & ONE FIGHT!

SAVE THE DATE: picket sign making party Wednesday, June 5 from 5PM—7PM at IBEW Local 76, 3049 S 36th Street. Tacoma, 98409

RSVP to the Informational Picket here >>

MultiCare Time to turn up the pressure

On Thursday, May 9, our Union Bargaining Committee was eager to meet with MultiCare Management to continue negotiations on our nine contracts. We kicked the day off feeling refreshed & confident from the overwhelming support we’ve seen from our coworkers over the last week —a highly attended Union Family Day on May 4, and outstanding participation in Union Solidarity Day on May 8 (we gave out around 1,000 MultiCare Workers United buttons!)

And it seems that we may not be the only ones who noticed the growing solidarity in our workplaces…

At Thursday’s bargaining session, MultiCare came to the table and moved closer to our positions on a few of the proposals we’ve been passing back and forth- for example, discussions on Extra Shifts, and making a very reasonable counter proposal on Changing Time (donning/doffing)- which we later agreed to add to the contract!

While this exchange of proposals with MultiCare was encouraging (and felt like we were really bargaining!), it did not extend to many of the items that matter most to us, such as our wages and our health insurance benefits. In fact, we agreed that it is nessessary to remind Management, once again, why the proposals we’ve continued to put forward on the Health Insurance Plan are so important. We made it as clear as we could by breaking down the issues we’re facing into “categories” like affordability, access, and network. We broke down these categories further by sharing personal stories about how MultiCare’s benefit plans have negatively impacted us and our families.

Management’s movement on Thursday was a good start, but to win the wages, benefits, and workplace protections we need, we have to turn up the heat!

Mark your calendars:

INFORMATIONAL PICKET: Wednesday, June 12 4PM—6PM at Tacoma General Hospital (on MLK Jr. Way) >>

Join our next Contract Action Team Meetings: Wednesday, June 5 9AM (via Zoom), 12PM (at Tacoma General Hospital Bunker Conference Room), and 5PM (via Zoom) >>

Continue to stay up to date! on our contract bargain, future union actions, & more on our MultiCare Linktree. >>

Multicare Auburn Medical Center (Professional) - Bargaining Continues

Our Union Bargaining Team (L-R): Marci Pindi. Social Worker; Ramona Strassburg,Mental Health Technician; (Not Pictured: Brent Kirshenbaum,Pharmacist)

“It was a nice change to be able to pass proposals back & forth today, it felt productive! However- I didn’t like hearing that they’re not planning to move much on their wage proposal…” —Marci Pindi, Social Worker, Bargaining Team member

Our Bargaining Team met with MultiCare Management on May 8, to continue negotiations on our first Union Contract.

Throughout this process, we have felt increasingly frustrated about Management’s approach to working towards a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with us; for the most part, rejecting our proposals time and time again, or holding their position with little to no change for weeks (or even months) at a time.

While we’re not sure we can confidently say that this pattern has changed entirely, we are feeling very positive about the work achieved at the bargaining table on May 8. We’ve come to agreements with Management on some issues like shift differentials (evening & nights), the minimum guaranteed hours we’re paid when we’re called into work (On-Call), and memorializing our participation in the MHS Gainsharing Plan.

This progress is encouraging, but we still have a fight ahead of us on some of our highest priorities, considering management confirmed that they have not increased their wage scale proposal at all.

Are MultiCare feeling the pressure? We think so! However, we need to stand together now more than ever to make sure management understand that our wages need to reflect the life-saving care we provide every day.

Join our next Contract Action Team meeting:
Thursday, May 16 @ 11:30am—12:30pm
MultiCare Auburn Medical Center, Cascade Training Room