SavMart Wenatchee Contract ratified!

Contract ratified!

• Wage Increases

• Longevity Pay

• Healthcare premium Holidays

REI Workers - Gaining Momentum

Our REI campaign is gaining momentum! At the Democratic National Convention, UFCW 3000’s President Faye Guenther spoke to a crowd of WA state delegates about the anti-union tactics REI has been waging against its workers. Through this, delegates helped hand out our petition to get REI representatives at the bargaining table and have committed to support our campaign through political, community, and workplace fights.

Have your friends and family sign the petition here!

Faye Guenther, our union’s Secretary-Treasurer Joe Mizrahi, and chief of staff Sarah Cherin will start joining our bargaining tables with REI. Their attendance at our sessions on August 28 and 29 has already changed the pace. We achieved another Tentative Agreement—successorship (what happens if REI is sold)—and sent 4 additional proposals for REI to consider. In the next few weeks, our bargaining team will finalize a comprehensive proposal and begin negotiating off of a full contract with REI moving forward. 

This week we filed another Unfair Labor Practice against REI based on two major issues:

• Employer’s Refusal to TA Language

• Regressive Bargaining

If you have questions about our ULPs, reach out to our bargaining team.

UFCW staff will be coming through to grab photos and quotes from us at REI to begin using them in our media campaign. If you’re interested in supporting the digital campaign, let one of our bargaining team members know how to get plugged in. 

Our next membership meeting will be 7:00 PM on September 22 at Goods Local Brews in Bellingham (2620 Northwest Ave, Bellingham, WA).

Forward together, not one step back!

REI Bellingham Bargaining Team:
Alex, Tini, Sue, Dan (not pictured): Sharon

Summit Pacific Medical Center - Bargaining Update

We have been bargaining for several weeks. Summit management has been receptive to our proposals, but we have not reached agreement on wages and other economics. We have reviewed the wages of several local hospitals with management to show them how much workers need to be paid for Summit to be competitive. We have discussed the high cost of living and management is speculating that the cost of living will level out. Although they have acknowledged what other employers are paying for the same jobs, management has not committed to paying competitive wages at Summit. We are continuing to advocate for wages that will be competitive and sustainable.

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for September 9.
 
For more information contact a member of our Bargaining Team: Kim Starkweather Patient Coordinator, Allison Felder RN ED, Monica Ortiz RN ACU, Barb Ford ED Tech, Judea Prouty Medical Assistant, McCleary Clinic, Kurt E Phillips Lead Building Engineer.

Union Representatives: Kiambo White (206) 436-6515, Madison Derksema (206) 436-6603

"Management is hearing our concerns and has been somewhat responsive."

— Barb Ford

"We are collaborating and hope to come to agreement soon."

— Kimberly Starkweather

Update your information!

Grocery East Contracts Ratified!

This week we ratified 10 contracts by an overwhelming majority! 

It was a great week of voting in Lewiston, Clarkston, Walla Walla, Moses Lake, and Ephrata and sharing our new contract that won:

• Strongest journey wage increases in any past Grocery Store negotiation! We increased our Journeyperson wages by $4.00/hr or more over the term of the contract. 

• Won an “All Purpose Clerk” scale with historic pay raises for many departments —some will see an over 25% wage increase over the term of the contract. 

• More than quadrupling our wage escalators —that means strong wage increases throughout the pay scale when minimum wage goes up and when workers are moving through the apprentice rates.  

• Healthcare benefit improvements with NO increases to healthcare premiums or deductibles. Healthcare eligibility will now be based on all compensable hours.  

• Benefits Holiday for healthcare premiums – For Safeway/Albertsons the holiday months are: June, July, August, and September. For Kroger the holiday months of: May, June, July, and August. 

• Major improvements to our vacation banks that will ensure that we get vacation based off of hours worked.  

• Automatic pension funding increases that go up every time wages increase.  

• Dedicated money to fund training and workforce development to ensure that we get the training we need to do our jobs and prepare for the future of the industry.  

• Stronger safety language to address top issues we face in our stores.  

This is our first union negotiations for these contracts since we became UFCW 3000 and our combined strength has helped us win record wage increases and major contract improvements. In the midst of a proposed grocery mega-merger, we’ve sent a clear message —We have power in our communities, we have a voice in our workplace, we have a strong new contract that will be the backbone for our future, and we are going to continue to fight for more! 

If you have any questions about our new contract please reach out to your Union Representative. 

MultiCare Auburn Medical Center Professionals READY TO RALLY!

“Disappointed, but not surprised- now it’s time to take collective action.” -Brent

After more than ten months of negotiations, the patience of our Bargaining Team with MultiCare is wearing thin. While we have come to negotiations ready to work hard and fight for a contract that supports all of us, it increasingly feels that the Employer may not be matching our commitment. August 21 marks the third consecutive session with Management where we have left feeling that despite our earnest efforts and the tough decisions we’ve faced, MultiCare has come unprepared to make tough decisions themselves.

We know that as dedicated hospital workers, our years of experience make us the most valuable asset that MultiCare has, and while we recognize that progress is being made on wages and credit for experience—numerous delays and proposed wage take-aways have us feeling like our work at the bargaining table is not enough to push our Employer to finalizing our first union contract.

We can no longer allow MultiCare’s delays to hold us back from getting the wages and union benefits we deserve. Now is the time to show-off our collective power and make MultiCare hear our voices!

RSVP to the informational picket September 12 from 4:00PM – 6:00PM

All Union Professionals need to stand together and fight for a strong first contract! Signing-up helps our Bargaining Team get updates and details out as early as possible. Talk to your coworkers! https://www.mobilize.us/ufcw3000/event/668217/

*If your collective bargaining agreements do not permit joining our informational picket while your contract is in effect, You can support our Professional co-workers by wearing union swag and showing solidarity in the workplace!

Picket-sign-making-party on September 4 from 5:00PM – 7:00PM

RSVP here to work together before our informational picket to build signs, build solidarity, and get ready to rally! https://www.mobilize.us/ufcw3000/event/674068/

Please reach out to your union representative Ian Jacobson with any questions at 206-436-6550

Northwest Administrators Administrative Employees and Computer Operators/Distribution - Bargaining Update

Our Bargaining Team met with Management this Monday, August 19 to begin exchanging economic proposals. We passed an initial proposal over to Management, got some verbal responses, and revised our proposals slightly.

After our second proposal, Management returned a very sparse one-page response to us just before the end of the day.

We hope to arrange Contract Action Team meetings between now and our next bargaining sessions. The purpose of these meetings will be to discuss with our coworkers how we might best organize to win the strongest contract we can. We will be inviting all of you to join this discussion.

Due to availability issues, Management was not able to schedule any further sessions with us until October. We are currently scheduled for October 3, 4, 16, and 18. We hope something else opens before then, that said.

Please update your contact information here >>

Bargaining Team: Chad Gronsky, Distribution; Sierra Cunningham, Payroll Audit; Grace Tsuchikawa, Health and Welfare; Karolin Lund, Accounting and Eligibility; Lulu Morgan, Pension; Iva Johnson, Contract Review (not pictured)