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

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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.

You have the right to enforce your Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

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You have the right to enforce your Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

As a member of UFCW 3000 you have the right to enforce your Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Your CBA is a legally binding agreement between your Union and the Employer.

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2023 Wildfire and Smoke Information for Workers

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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

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.

Alsco Linen - CONTRACT RATIFIED!

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Our Bargaining Team:

Eli Rivera, Terry Truong Nguyen

After 7 months of negotiations, members at ALSCO Linen overwhelmingly voted YES to approve the new contract with ALSCO.

The new contract includes:

  • Historic wage increases

  • Shortened eligibility time for health insurance

  • Improved and secured pension

  • Reinstated seniority and vacation accruals to workers who were affected by covid layoffs

  • Sick leave payout option

  • First ever Union Leave language

  • Increased timelines for grievance process

Questions about the contract? Or want to continue to help build a stronger union?

Join us for an online training on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 where we will review our basic contractual and legal rights as union members and learn about special rights that apply when we are acting as Shop Stewards.

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Use the QR code to register online, or contact your union representative to sign up!

Alsco Linen - Tentative Agreement Reached—Vote Scheduled!

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We have reached a tentative agreement with ALSCO. When we first started bargaining, our goal was to win competitive wage increases, maintain our healthcare, improve our pension and to reinstate seniority and vacation accruals prior to covid layoffs.

We continued pushing the Company and were finally able to settle on competitive wages, maintained our health insurance with improved eligibility, and improved and secured our retirement.

Other wins include:

  • Improved layoff language

  • Reinstated seniority and vacation accruals to those affected by covid layoffs

  • Improved New Employee Orientation language

  • First ever Union Leave language

  • Increased timelines for grievance process

  • Sick leave payout option

  • New improved vacation payout

  • An additional floating holiday for workers hired after 2019

We will be going over the details of the agreement during our in-person vote! Join us:

Tuesday, February 28

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Breakroom at ALSCO

The Bargaining Committee is recommending a YES vote!

UFCW 3000 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. Contact a Bargaining Committee member or your Union Representative for any questions.

ALSCO - Strike Vote - Enough is enough

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ALSCO - STRIKE VOTE
Enough is enough

We have been at the bargaining table since September 2022. During this time, we have told ALSCO that employees must work two jobs to make ends meet and many employees are considering leaving ALSCO for higher paying jobs and jobs with safer working conditions.

ALSCO continues to propose increases to our health insurance, below market wage increases, and refuses to improve our retirement pension. Enough is enough! We are committed to bargaining in good faith, but we believe it is time to take action so ALSCO understands we are unwilling to agree to their current proposals.

On February 23, we will be voting to authorize a strike unless ALSCO proposes a fair contract which we can ratify on February 21, our next bargaining session.

ALSCO, do better by your employees. We deserve a fair and competitive contract.

Strike Vote
Join coworkers and vote to authorize a strike.

Thursday, February 23
1pm-5pm

Hampton Inn Kent - Mt. Rainier Conference Room, 21109 - 66th Ave S., Kent, WA 98032

Aramark - We have reached a tentative agreement! It’s time to vote! ¡Hemos llegado a un acuerdo tentativo! ¡Es hora de votar!

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After months of bargaining, we were able to reach a tentative agreement with Aramark. We were able to win competitive wage increases and slowdown the increase to health insurance premiums. We will be holding a contract vote at all three Aramark plants next week.  UFCW 3000 members in good standing are encouraged to attend a meeting, ask questions, and vote on the contract. Contact a Bargaining Team member or your Union Representative for any questions.

Your bargaining committee is recommending a “YES” vote! 

Wednesday, January 25

  • Aramark Kent breakroom from 9am to 11am 

  • Aramark Tacoma breakroom from 11am to 12pm 

Thursday January 26

  • Aramark Everett breakroom from 9am to 11am 

Después de meses de negociación, pudimos llegar a un acuerdo tentativo con Aramark. Pudimos ganar aumentos salariales competitivos y disminuir el aumento a las deducciones del seguro médico. Tendremos un voto para el contrato en las tres plantas de Aramark la próxima semana. Miembros de UFCW 3000 que están al día con sus cuotas de Unión pueden asistir una reunión, hacer preguntas y votar sobre el contrato. Póngase en contacto con un miembro del Equipo de Negociación o su Representante del Sindicato para cualquier duda.

¡Su comité de negociación está recomendando un voto “SÍ”!

Miércoles 25 de enero

  • Aramark Kent comedor de 9am a 11am

  • Aramark Tacoma comedor de 11am a 12pm

Jueves 26 de enero

  • Aramark Everett comedor de 9am a 11am

ALSCO Linen We believe it is time that ALSCO hears our voice!

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Alsco Linen

We believe it is time that ALSCO hears our voice!

We have been bargaining with ALSCO Linen since September 2022. During that time, we have won improvements to layoff language, access to new employee orientation, extension to the grievance timeline, and reinstatement of seniority to previously laid off employees during COVID.

We have not been able to reach an agreement on several items including wage increases and benefits. ALSCO continues to propose below market wage increases, passing on health insurance premium costs to workers, and refuses to improve the retirement pension.

We believe it is time that ALSCO hears our voice! We want a safe workplace and want management to show their appreciation for our hard work.

We will be voting on ALSCO’s last proposal on January 17.

We are recommending a “NO” vote.

Tuesday, January 17 from 1pm to 5pm

at 21109 66th Ave S, Kent, WA 98032

Chúng tôi tin rằng đã đến lúc ALSCO lắng nghe tiếng nói của chúng tôi!

Chúng tôi đã thương lượng với ALSCO Linen kể từ tháng 9 năm 2022. Trong thời gian đó, chúng tôi đã có được những cải thiện về việc thông báo sa thải, tiếp cận định hướng nhân viên mới, gia hạn thời gian khiếu nại và phục hồi thâm niên cho những nhân viên đã bị sa thải trước đó trong đại dịch COVID.

Chúng tôi đã không thể đạt được thỏa thuận về việc tăng lương, trợ cấp hưu trí hoặc bảo hiểm y tế. ALSCO tiếp tục đề xuất tăng lương dưới mức thị trường, chuyển phí bảo hiểm y tế cho người lao động và từ chối cải thiện mức lương hưu.

Chúng tôi tin rằng đã đến lúc ALSCO lắng nghe tiếng nói của chúng tôi! Chúng tôi sẽ không chấp nhận các đề xuất về tiền lương, lương hưu hoặc bảo hiểm y tế của họ.

Chúng tôi sẽ bỏ phiếu cho đề xuất cuối cùng của ALSCO vào ngày 17 tháng 1. Chúng tôi đề nghị bỏ phiếu “KHÔNG”.

Thứ ba, ngày 17 tháng 1, từ 1:00 đến 5:00

chiều 21109 66th Ave S, Kent, WA 98032