Wildfire and Smoke Information for Workers

As our state 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

L&I Emergency Rule for 2022 Wildfire Season

L&I has adopted an emergency rule again this year, effective June 15 through September 29, 2022, to protect workers who may be exposed to wildfire smoke on the job.

This rule requires covered employers to:

• Have a written wildfire smoke response plan.

• Determine employee smoke exposure levels before work and periodically during each shift when smoke is present.

• Train employees on wildfire smoke hazards.

• Train supervisors on how to respond to health issues caused by wildfire smoke.

• Inform employees of available protective measures against wildfire smoke.

Further requirements will depend on the level of smoke in the air, or the Air Quality Index (AQI)—read the summary or full emergency rules above for information, or talk with your Shop Steward or Union Rep.

Your employer may or may not be covered by the emergency rule depending on the potential for exposure to smoke in your workplace. But you should still report smoke-related safety concerns to your employer and alert your Shop Steward or Union Rep if your concerns are not addressed. The state L&I website reminds us:

“Employers are never allowed to retaliate against an employee for reporting an air quality hazard, an adverse health effect, or for seeking medical treatment due to a work-related illness or injury.”

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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-19 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. More information on respirators from L&I >>

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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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)

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General 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)

UFCW 3000 Stands in Solidarity with the Members of Local 555 in Bend, Oregon After Safeway Shooting

The 50,000 members of UFCW 3000 stand in solidarity with the members of UFCW local 555 who are mourning the killing of grocery store workers in Bend. All workers, including those of us in grocery stores, deserve a safe place to do our jobs.

We urge all who would like to learn more to read the statement issued by UFCW local 555.

UFCW 3000 Stands with Starbucks Workers United

UFCW 3000 is disappointed to learn of the latest union-busting activity by the Starbucks Corporation, which has announced closures at ten locations which either organized or were engaged in the process of organizing with Starbucks Workers United. The company’s blatant disregard for workers’ free and fair choice to form a union is disgusting and we condemn the union-busting behavior by Howard Schultz and Starbucks management.

At UFCW 3000 we stand with the more than 200 Starbucks stores which have organized with Starbucks Workers United and will do anything we can to support the courageous workers who have stood up to this greedy corporation. We continue to wholeheartedly back these workers in their efforts to achieve a fair contract with Starbucks management. Our members and staff have walked the picket lines alongside striking Starbucks workers in Washington state and we will continue to aid them however we can.

We understand the most recent store closure in Seattle, at the Holman Road location, is slated to become a licensed location operated by the Kroger Corporation. As a result of our hard-fought victories against Kroger over the years, all workers hired into QFC stores become union members. As such, workers in the reopened location will receive the pay increases, contract, health care, pension, just cause, and other rights and benefits of a UFCW 3000 union contract. We demand that Starbucks work with Kroger to provide the Holman Road workers a just transition to the QFC-operated store and insist that any currently employed Starbucks worker be offered continued and uninterrupted employment and full credit for all time worked for Starbucks.

Furthermore, UFCW 3000 calls on Howard Schulz and Starbucks management to cease and desist from any further store closures and bargain fairly with the organized workers of Starbucks Workers United. We will continue to connect our own member leaders who work at the licensed Starbucks stores with the worker leaders of Starbucks Workers United, because when we fight together, we win. These member leaders of UFCW 3000 working inside our Starbucks union grocery stores have some of the best union contract language in the nation and it shows that a Starbucks store and a quality union contract can work just fine together.

Safety and Workers' Rights in Extreme Heat Situations

More and more, we face hazardous weather events like extreme heat that can affect us at work and at home. In dangerously hot conditions you can take action to stay safe and healthy, like drinking plenty of fluids, staying out of the sun, checking on vulnerable people, and taking extra precautions when outside.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), employers have a duty to protect workers from recognized serious hazards in the workplace, including heat-related hazards. Especially if you work outside, be aware of your health and safety during any Excessive Heat Warning, and check in with your coworkers. If your workplace doesn’t feel safe, tell management and contact your Shop Steward or Union Rep as soon as you can. Find our FAQ on refusing unsafe work assignments here.

This kind of extreme weather is dangerous in our workplaces and our communities, which is why UFCW 3000 members work for climate policies that will help protect us and our future health.

Contact Us:

• Find your Union Rep (call 1-866-210-3000 to be connected)

• File a safety report by emailing safetyreport@ufcw21.org with your name, work location, contact information, and a description of the safety issue

• Not a union member? Get in touch if you want to organize your workplace.

Check National Weather Service Excessive Heat Warnings in Washington:

Extreme Heat at Work

OSHA has three basic recommendations for safety in extreme heat are: 💧 water, 🪑 rest, and ⛱️ shade.

Under OSHA law, employers are responsible for providing workplaces free of known safety hazards. This includes protecting workers from extreme heat. An employer with workers exposed to high temperatures should establish a complete heat illness prevention program.

• Provide workers with water, rest, and shade.

• Allow new or returning workers to gradually increase workloads and take more frequent breaks as they acclimatize, or build a tolerance for working in the heat.

• Plan for emergencies and train workers on prevention.

• Monitor workers for signs of illness.

If you perform work outdoors for more than 15 minutes in a 60-minute period, you may be considered an Outdoor Worker in Washington, and your employer may have responsibilities to you under Washington State’s emergency heat exposure rules effective through June 15, 2022. When temperatures are at or above 89 degrees, employers must provide outdoor workers with cool water and additional paid cool-down rest time, and when the temperature is at or above 100 degrees, employers must also provide other ways to cool down like a shaded area and ensure you have a paid cool-down rest period of at least 10 minutes every two hours.

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Safety & Heat-Related Illnesses Information

View fullsize

Heat illness can be very serious. Learn the symptoms of heat illness and basic safety recommendations so you can stay safe at work and home.

Information from Washington State Dept. of Health:

Information from King County Public Health:

Basic HEAT Safety Tips:

• Spend more time in air-conditioned places if possible

• Dress in lightweight clothing

• Drink plenty of water and avoid drinks with caffeine, alcohol, and large amounts of sugar—sip frequently, don’t wait until you’re thirsty

• Do not leave children or pets unattended in vehicles under any circumstances

• Reduce activities that are tiring or take a lot of energy

• When outside, limit the time you’re in direct sunlight

• Do outdoor activities in the cooler morning and evening hours

• During outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments

• Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 11.

Learn the signs of heat-related illnesses:

Heat Stroke

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

• High body temperature (103°F or higher)

• Hot, red, dry, or damp skin

• Fast, strong pulse

• Headache

• Dizziness

• Nausea

• Confusion

• Losing consciousness (passing out)

WHAT TO DO

• Call 911 right away—heat stroke is a medical emergency

• Move the person to a cooler place

• Help lower the person’s temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath

• Do not give the person anything to drink

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Heat Exhaustion

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

• Heavy sweating

• Cold, pale, and clammy skin

• Fast, weak pulse

• Nausea or vomiting

• Muscle cramps

• Tiredness or weakness

• Dizziness

• Headache

• Fainting (passing out)

WHAT TO DO:

• Move to a cool place

• Loosen your clothes

• Put cool, wet cloths on your body or take a cool bath

• Sip water

• Get medical help right away if:

  • You are throwing up

  • Your symptoms get worse

  • Your symptoms last longer than 1 hour

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Heat Cramps

WHAT TO DO:

• Stop physical activity and move to a cool place

• Drink water or a sports drink

• Wait for cramps to go away before you do any more physical activity

• Get medical help right away if:

  • Cramps last longer than 1 hour

  • You’re on a low-sodium diet

  • You have heart problems

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

• Heavy sweating during intense exercise

• Muscle pain or spasms

Save the Date: UFCW 3000 5th Annual Member Discount Day is Monday, August 8!

UFCW 3000’s 5th Annual Member Discount Day is Monday, August 8! Come join your fellow Union members and our families for a day of rides, water, lunch, and fun at Silverwood Theme Park & Boulder Bash Water Park!

Tickets include: all day admission to Silverwood Theme Park and Boulder Bash Water Park, Monday, August 8, from 11 AM to CLOSE with unlimited rides, all you can eat lunch, and all you can drink Pepsi-wristband.

Tickets are on sale now and will remain on sale until Thursday, 7/28 at 5 PM or until sold out. Click here to purchase tickets.

Children ages 3-7 and those over 65 years old: $17. Folks ages 8 - 65: $30. Tickets are first come, first serve. Tickets and wristbands will be held at will call day of. No refunds post purchase. This event is for UFCW 3000 members and their families only; Union work location will be required.

If you have any questions, please contact Annie Puskarcik at (206) 436-6572 or apuskarcik@ufcw3000.org.

UFCW 3000 is Committed to Fighting for Reproductive Justice

UFCW 3000 is committed to fighting for Reproductive Justice.

As Union members, we know that our right to control our labor hinges on our right to control our bodies. And now, more than ever, workers and our bodily autonomy are under attack.

Health Care Workers, including UFCW 3000 members at Planned Parenthood in Washington State, are at the forefront of providing vital reproductive health care services.

However, since the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights are no longer protected for everyone in the U.S.

Washington State law guarantees the right to choose, protecting access to reproductive healthcare and abortion services. However, unless healthcare workers have a voice on the job to advocate for themselves, their patients, and their communities, these vital reproductive health services could become inaccessible to many.  

Now is the time to take action in support of reproductive justice, health care workers, and those impacted disproportionately by the SCOTUS decision: women, people of marginalized genders, trans and non-binary people, Black and brown people, the disabled, and the poor.

How can you get involved? Take Action with Planned Parenthood Workers. 

Take Action with your Union.

Here, UFCW 3000 members speak out for Reproductive Justice:

Planned Parenthood workers are UFCW 3000 Members

“Navigating the for-profit healthcare system as a Planned Parenthood clinic worker has been hard enough. The overturning of Roe v. Wade will now make our patients suffer with longer wait times, fewer resources, and expensive travel costs. It's time for the Labor movement to rise and join women’s rights organizations and others and say enough is enough. We need to lay the groundwork to push back against these attacks on our basic rights. They are being taken away before our very eyes - voting rights, women’s rights, civil rights. It goes on and on. Roe v. Wade was won in the first place because the people rose, and with women leading the charge, demanded a change to the laws that put us in danger and threatened our health, threatened our freedom and threatened our economic future. Only a fighting approach can save our rights to protect equitable and affordable access to women’s health care and abortion on demand, without apology.” — Natalie Snitzer, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky*

How can my patients lose a right we’ve had for 50 years?

"I’ve been working in health care for 39 years; most of that time has been in maternity and caring for new-born babies at Tacoma General Hospital. For that entire time and long before, women have had the right under federal law to make decisions about our own bodies, our health, our reproductive rights, and whether or not we are pregnant. That has been the law for 50 years. Now these rights have been taken away by those who want to push our nation backward. Our country should be going forward, not backward. We should be giving all women more access to health care, not adding restrictions that harm women, especially women who may be of lower income or women of color. That is how we better protect new-born children." — Patricia Brown, LPN, MultiCare* 

We’re all at risk.

"I have raised my daughters to understand that they control their own bodies. They are responsible for their actions. That is one way that they stay safe, and all moms want their kids to be safe. As a mom, I don’t want the Supreme Court or Congress – most of whom are men – telling our daughters that they cannot make decisions for their own health, their future. This is 100% a woman’s right and should be made by women. If that right can be taken away, that’s not only a problem today for our reproductive rights, but it’s also a slippery slope for tomorrow and could lead to other rights taken away. As a gay woman, I fear this can easily lead to removing other rights we have won like marriage equality." — Amy Dayley Angell, Front End Checker, QFC*

We need to protect our privacy

"Our Right to Privacy must be protected. It’s one of the most important rights we have in the United States. I have read the opinion released from the Supreme Court and I feel it is actually about so much more than a women’s right to choose if she has an abortion. If the government can invade our privacy so much that they can tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body around something so private as her own health, her reproductive health, where does it stop? Then we’re all vulnerable to having our privacy taken away by elected officials who feel differently than we do. Then what’s next? Freedom of speech? Freedom to vote? Freedom to be part of a Union? Freedom of religion? That’s not what our country is about. Our freedoms should not be taken away. But let’s not fool ourselves, that is exactly what is happening here and that is wrong." — Shannon Corrick, File Maintenance, Safeway*

Unfair and not right

"I am so enraged by the fact that we as a country are going backwards on women’s rights to access reproductive health care and control of our bodies. These rights are a baseline for establishing a life and living with the freedom to control your future. I believe Health Care is a human right -- and it’s private -- it’s between a person and their doctor. It’s hard because, as workers, we want to do what’s right for our patients, but changes to the law could tie our hands. I’m concerned that some states like Kentucky have passed heartbeat legislation requiring ultrasound technicians, like me, to make women hear the heartbeat before making any reproductive health decisions. That is unfair and simply not right. It puts health care workers in a position of shaming and guilting patients, instead of treating our patients with the respect and privacy they deserve in moments that are very personal." — Bryana Kolppa, Sonographer, Kaiser Permanente*

It’s about our future

"This is not just a question of reproductive rights. This is a question about will women have a say on own health, our own financial future. One of the biggest causes of poverty for women in our country is having a child as a single mom. If that is something a person decides to do, that is fine. But a person should not be forced by our government to become impoverished just because they become pregnant. We need to invest in family planning, we need to invest in access to health care. We need to push back against the Supreme Court’s decision to strip away our most basic rights and pass a new law to put these protections in place for all women in our country. It is not right that just because of your income or the zip code you happen to live in, that you have different rights than someone else." — Liisa Luick, Sales Associate, Macy’s*

This should worry everybody

"It makes me angry. This is the 21st century in America. How can half the population be told she can’t control her own body? How can a bunch of old white men – and that is mostly who makes up the US Senate that has confirmed these Supreme Court Justices – how do they get to choose what a woman does with her body when so many men can’t seem to control their own. Let’s be honest with each other. If men were more responsible with their bodies, most unwanted pregnancies would not happen in the first place. This right should not be determined by what state a woman happens to live in. When I was younger, I’d go to Planned Parenthood to get birth control because that’s what I could afford. Next they will want to take away the right to contraception. We need more education, more access, and more care. Not less. And if they can take this away, this right after 50 years, as a Naturalized Citizen, I fear that my right to vote may be next. This should worry everybody who holds our democracy dear." — Kyong Barry, Front End Supervisor, Albertsons

My body. My choice.

“Forcing our healthcare system to go backward in the regard to our rights is unacceptable. The simple statement of “My body, my choice” should be reason enough to stop allowing our government control of our bodies and life choices. Birth control is never 100% effective. And there are reasons we have advanced our healthcare system to include safe abortion options; not all pregnancies are viable or safe to carry to term, some are a result of rape, some may cause a family to become financially unstable. We have the right to consider and act on all of those complicated factors for ourselves, without the government’s input. We have the right to choose our own future, no one else gets to decide that for us. We need to stand together and fight for our rights. Hopefully, this will be the last time we have to state the obvious: “My body. My choice!” — Michaela Roberts, Respiratory Therapist, Providence*

*Disclaimer: These statements are those of the union member listed and don’t represent the companies they work for. The employer's name is listed only for showing where the union member works.

2022 Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to our 2022 Scholarship Recipients!

KAMORA MCMILLIAN

4,000/year for 4 years
Kamora McMillian
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Kimberly Fraser McMillian of St Michael Medical Center

Marilyn Savage, RN Memorial Scholarship: $3,000
Kathryn Hoppins
of QFC

Health Care Profession Scholarship: $3,000
Mary Contreras
of Fred Meyer

Health Care Profession Scholarship: $3,000
Billy Connelly
of Auburn Medical Center

Full-time Student Scholarship: $2,000
Arvin Thyagarajan
of Haggen

Full-time Student Scholarship: $2,000
Shaakym Humphrey
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Kimberly Fraser McMillian of St Michael Medical Center 

Full-time Student Scholarship: $2,000
Emma Lawrence
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Jennifer Slown of Northwest Administrators

Full-time Student Scholarship: $2,000
Kaleb Sapien
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Maria Goodall of Providence

Full-time Student Scholarship: $2,000
Lily Drozynski
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Jenny Drozynski of Kaiser Permanente

Full-time Student Scholarship: $2,000
Shayan Shahrabdi
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Setareh Soltani of Sacred Heart Medical Center

Full-time Student Scholarship: $2,000
Beemnet Yimam
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Erku Gessesse of Providence Sacred Heart

Full-time Student Scholarship: $2,000
Soleil Wieland
of QFC (Kroger)

First in Family Scholarship: $2,000
Anna Croissant
of St Peter Hospital

First in Family Scholarship: $2,000
Narateena Dowding
of Kroger/QFC

$500 Scholarship:
Sarah Knight
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Brian Budravage of Safeway

$500 Scholarship:
Citlalli Judith-Cruz
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Maria Judith-Cruz of Washington Beef

$500 Scholarship:
Peyton Schimmels
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Julie Schimmels of United Way

$500 Scholarship:
Areyana Cervantes
on behalf of UFCW 3000 member Cecilia Cervantes of Washington Beef

$1,000 Scholarship:
Jensen Hill
of Safeway

$1,000 Scholarship:
Sierra Straub
of Safeway

Release: Unions File for Temporary Restraining Order Against MultiCare

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Seattle— The Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 3000 filed for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to prevent MultiCare Health System from garnishing wages without employees’ consent to recover alleged overpayments related to an extended outage of the employer’s timekeeping system.

Unions assert that MultiCare's plan violates WAC 296-126-030, which states that private employers can only recover overpayments by deducting money from paychecks without consent if the overpayment is discovered and the employer “implements a plan” to recover it within 90 days. Crucially, the overpayment must have been “infrequent,” “inadvertent,” and the employer must provide “documentation” of the disputed amount.

The unions are further requesting a declaratory judgment that the deductions would violate the WAC rule, and separately have filed unfair labor practice charges and requested a 10(j) injunction from the NLRB, as MultiCare did not notify WSNA, SEIU or UFCW or bargain over its repayment plans before implementing them.

These legal actions are intended to ensure that employees have a fair, transparent and collaborative process for establishing repayment plans, including an opportunity to challenge MultiCare’s accounting and a say in their individual repayment plans.

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BACKGROUND 

In December 2021, timekeeping software provider Kronos was hit by a ransomware attack, shutting the system down for many employers that use it. During the time Kronos was offline, MultiCare chose to duplicate employees’ last accurate timesheet for payroll purposes. Employees continued to track hours separately outside of Kronos, but paychecks for four pay periods were based on the first pay period in December.

MultiCare knew from the start that this would result in inaccurate paychecks during the outage, as health care worker hours vary, sometimes significantly, week to week. Notably, the period of outage covered the worst months of the Omicron surge, during which employees saw significant upheaval in their schedules. 

Following Kronos’ recovery, MultiCare announced that it would begin deducting up to $500 per paycheck without employee consent beginning March 18. MultiCare gave workers a March 9 deadline to request alternate payment plans, but did not offer an option to repay by any means other than paycheck deductions, and the lowest amount offered was 10% of the amount allegedly owed per pay period. At the same time, MultiCare has not provided transparent accounting for its claimed overpayments (or underpayments), and numerous workers have reported inaccuracies in the accounting provided to them.

Join our first Telephone Town Hall call as UFCW 3000

Join our first Telephone Town Hall call as UFCW 3000, your union from work.

On Tuesday March 8th at 4pm. You will receive a phone call where you can jump right into the Town Hall Call. This is a great opportunity to get the updates on our new local - UFCW 3000, and ask questions with over 50,000 grocery store, health care, retail, food processing, cannabis, and other workers.

If for some reason you do not receive a call at 4pm on Tuesday, you can call in to join us by dialing: 888-652-0383 and enter meeting ID 6628. Make sure your personal contact information is up-to-date with our union UFCW 3000 >>

This merger brings together the #EssentialWorkers of UFCW 1439 across eastern Washington, northeast Oregon, and northern Idaho with the workers in grocery, healthcare, retail, cannabis, meat processing and many other industries represented by UFCW 21 across Washington State.

We are over 50,000 workers strong!

By joining forces, we are strengthening our ability to win better contracts and to organize more workplaces where workers want a union. Ultimately, this merger will help us build power with workers across many industries who do not yet have a voice.

As Shannon Corrick, who works at Cheney Safeway, says: "The corporations we work for are getting bigger all the time and they treated us very poorly during COVID. This merger makes us a much bigger union so we can take them on, and win better wages and safer workplaces."

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In the coming weeks and months we’ll be updating member resources to reflect our new name and improving our website to serve all members across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Union Members of Approve Historic Merger – Creating the new UFCW 3000

Union Members of UFCW 1439 and UFCW 21 Vote to Approve Historic Merger – Building Power for Essential Workers and Creating the New UFCW 3000

In December, the Boards of Directors of UFCW 21 and UFCW 1439 voted to approve a merger agreement and to send this question of a merger to the overall membership. In January the members of UFCW 1439, who work largely in grocery stores, food processing and other industries in eastern Washington, northeast Oregon and northern Idaho, held their merger votes. Then in February, the membership of UFCW 21, made up of grocery and retail store workers in western Washington as well as health care workers and others all across the state, held their merger votes. The merger was approved by both memberships by at least 95%.
 
“Now that we are united, we have over 50,000 workers’ voices across the state coming together as one, we have more resources to win better contracts and enforce those contracts. We also have over $33 million in our Strike and Defense Fund and over 110 staff to bargain and enforce our contracts,” said Kyong Barry, a Front End Supervisor at Albertsons in South Auburn, and Derek Roybal, a Cardiac Cath-Lab Technologist at Providence Sacred Heart in Spokane. They are both leaders in UFCW 21.
 
Their enthusiasm was shared by Shannon Corrick, a UFCW 1439 member who works in the Cheney Safeway doing File Maintenance. She summed up the sentiment of many members when stating, “The corporations we work for are getting bigger all the time and they treated us very poorly during COVID. This merger makes us a much bigger union so we can take them on, and win better wages and safer workplaces. Get more control over our lives.”
 
Benefits of the merger include:

• Building power across industries like grocery stores, meatcutters, retail, healthcare, packing and processing, and others to help win better contracts, and organize more workplaces where workers want a union but don’t yet have one.

• Doubling the size of our collective membership in Eastern and Central Washington Counties.

• UFCW health care members and retail grocery store members acting together in counties in western Washington have already made great strides together – in places like Kitsap and Snohomish counties. The merger will expand that kind of solidarity to Spokane, Tri-Cities, Wenatchee and many other areas in the central and eastern parts of the state.

• The newly merged union will have an expanding Member Resource Center hotline where members can call to get quick answers to questions including on weekends and late-night hours. We will also have a new Member Education Department and invest in Workforce Development and Training.

• The newly created UFCW 3000 will be the largest UFCW local in the country.

The merger will go into effect on March 1, 2022.

UFCW 1439 and UFCW 21 Members in Shock Over Shooting in Richland, WA Fred Meyer Store

For Immediate Release: February 7, 2022 1:30 PM
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

UFCW 1439 and UFCW 21 Members in Shock Over Shooting in Richland, WA Fred Meyer Store

Richland, WA – UFCW 1439 and UFCW 21 expressed deep concern for victims and survivors of a shooting that took place earlier today at a Fred Meyer store in Richland, WA. UFCW 1439 represents workers in this store, as well as other grocery stores in eastern Washington, food processing, and other industries. UFCW 21 represents workers at grocery stores in western Washington and many other industries across the state including health care workers in Richland, Washington.

“Our communities are standing together in support of our co-workers and others in the Richland community who have been impacted by this shooting. Workers in our local grocery stores have experienced many safety concerns over the last two years under COVID. This tragic shooting is another shock to all of us. No one should have to worry about their safety when going into a store to get groceries for their family. We stand together with everyone in our community against this violence.” said Eric Renner, President of UFCW 1439.

“Today, and in the coming weeks, we will do whatever we can to get support to the workers from this store and the local community,” added Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 21.

# # #

Combined, UFCW 1439 and UFCW 21 represent over 50,000 workers in grocery stores, health care, food processing and many other industries across Washington, northeast Oregon, and northern Idaho

Building our power as the largest UFCW Local in the nation

On Tuesday December 14, our member-led executive board discussed and unanimously approved a Merger Agreement between our Union, UFCW 21 and the members of UFCW 1439! The same day the board members of UFCW local 1439 also approved the merger. This is exciting news and both boards feel strongly that together we will increase our ability to continue the fight for improved wages, working conditions and benefits as well as improve our staffing, schedules and workplace safety. Members will have the opportunity to vote to approve this powerful merger during our upcoming in-person Winter General Membership Meetings in February 2022. A formal notice for the meetings with times and locations will be sent to all members in advance of the meetings once we have locations confirmed. 

“When we are united, with thousands more worker voices across the state coming together as one, we have more resources to win better contracts and enforce those contracts. The new local will have over 33 million dollars in the strike and defense fund and over 110 staff to bargain and enforce our contracts.”

Kyong Barry, Front End Supervisor, Albertsons, South Auburn, E-Board Member
Derek Roybal, Cardiac Cath-Lab Technologist, Providence Sacred Heart, Spokane, E-Board Member

“This is huge! This merger unites over 50,000 workers in health care, grocery stores, food packing and processing plants, along with many other industries in Idaho, Washington and Oregon. This will help us all win higher wages, better benefits and safer workplaces.” 

Cindy Kirkpatrick-Cockett, Pharmacy Technician, Kaiser-Permanente, Tacoma South Medical, E-Board Member
Jeff Smith, Home Clerk, Fred Meyer, Snohomish, E-Board Member

Advantages of joining our Locals together

• Together our locals will form UFCW 3000, the largest UFCW local in the country!

• Members’ dues will not increase as a result of this merger.

• When we unite, we win. It’s that simple. Building power across industries like grocery stores, meat-cutters, retail, health care, packing and processing, and others—helps us win better contracts and organize more workplaces where workers want a union but don’t yet have one.

• Both our unions represent thousands of workers in Eastern Washington— this will double the size of our collective membership in Eastern and Central Washington Counties.

• UFCW health care members and retail grocery store members acting together in counties in western Washington have already made great strides together— in places like Kitsap and Snohomish counties. The merger will expand that kind of solidarity to Spokane, Tri-Cities, Wenatchee and many other areas in the central and eastern parts of the state.

• Our newly united union will have an expanded Member Resource Center, where members can call to get quick answers to questions including on weekends and late-night hours. We will also have a new Member Education Department and invest in Workforce Development and Training.

Telephone Town Hall Call on Protecting our Pension and Retirement

Town Hall Discusses Protecting our Pension for Retirement

UFCW 21 and Teamsters 38 members joined together in 2019 to ratify a new contract and reform the pension. This is the second in a series of member educational calls, where we are joined by national pension experts, to answer member questions. Partly as a result of this successful work to secure our pension, we can focus more on the goal of raising wages in the upcoming 2022 Grocery Store Worker Contract Negotiations.

Monday, December 6 at 4PM

To join the Telephone Town Hall
call 888-652-0380
and enter meeting ID: 6491

Sound Retirement Plan Update: Pension Plan Benefits Secured

Great news for your retirement benefits. We wanted to share some fabulous news: after more than a decade of work, as of July 1, 2021, we have secured our retirement plans and their future funding is more solid than it has been in a very long time.

What is a retirement pension? We all hope to retire after a lifetime of work with enough income to live with dignity and some degree of independence. While relatively few people these days have a monthly pension that is paid for life, it is something that we have been able to keep in place for our union grocery store workers. A solid retirement plan is made up of many sources: personal savings, Social Security and retirement/pensions and investments. Your retirement pension from your work at the grocery store is one of these sources.

This path to secure our retirement benefits under the Sound Retirement Trust (SRT) required many steps for the employers and the unions and over the last year we have continued to push forward along that path. Some of you may be near retirement after decades of work while others may have started at the grocery store in just the last few years. Whatever your situation, your pension is one of the most important ways to have income when you retire. Your employer begins making payments into your pension when you are hired, and you become vested in the pension plan typically after just 5 years of work in the stores.

While grocery store workers have successfully fought to keep our pensions under the SRT, for nearly twenty years it has had funding problems caused by two large economic crashes (in 2000 and 2008) and long-term changes in the industry. In 2019 our union bargaining team secured a tentative agreement to turn that around and members approved that plan at vote meetings. We have been working hard ever since to move through all the steps to implement this approved agreement. On July 1, 2021, we completed the final step to secure the pension funding.

How the Sound Retirement Trust Becomes Fully Funded:

As a result of our pension agreements and the changes described below, the SRT will become what is called “Green Zone” status and will stay in the green zone for the foreseeable future.

Under the 2019 bargaining, three changes were made to help secure your retirement benefits:

For Kroger Employees:

• All the benefit liabilities for all benefits earned for your work before July 1, 2021, under the SRT will be transferred to the UFCW Consolidated Fund. Kroger will contribute to the Consolidated Fund to pay for all of these liabilities within 7 years.

• When you retire, your pension benefits for your work before July 1, 2021, will be paid by the UFCW Consolidated Pension Fund.

For Other Employees:

• The current SRT will remain in place and continue to be funded for your work before July 1, 2021. The SRT will continue to get a regular contribution from your employer for every hour you work in the future.

• When you retire, your pension benefits for your work before July 1, 2021, will be paid by the SRT.

• For All Employees under 2019 Bargain:

• Future retirement benefits for your work on and after July 1, 2021 will be in one new fund called the Sound Variable Annuity Pension Plan (VAP).

• The Sound VAP will continue to get a regular contribution from your employer for every hour you work. The Sound VAP is sending you a notice about how the VAP works. Below are some basic rules about the VAP. When you retire, your will receive one check for your work before July 1, 2021 (from SRT or Consolidated Fund) and one check from the VAP.

Finally, all of your service credited and covered employment under the SRT and the VAP are counted under the other plan for all eligibility provisions. This ensures that you do not lose vesting or become ineligible for benefits under the SRT as a result of these changes. This includes eligibility for benefit options and the time periods for applying and determining qualification for a pension or disability benefit, participation and vesting purposes.

How the VAP System Works:

In the past, large or drastic declines in the stock market where the pension investments were made, resulted in reductions in the value of the SRT’s funding and reduction to the early retirement and other benefits. To help insulate grocery store workers’ future benefits from these drastic swings, the Variable Annuity Plan (VAP) is structured with a built-in safety mechanism so the benefits provided will track the VAP funding levels.

When the VAP’s investments in the stock market are doing well, and there are returns of over 8.5%, that extra money is required to go into the rainy-day fund reserve account, called a stabilization reserve. In a year where the returns from the pension plan’s investment drops below 2%, the benefits paid under the VAP are shored up with money from this stabilization reserve. The stabilization reserve also will be funded with an additional $15 million in 2022.

The “variable” part of the plan comes into effect with the returns are between 2% and 8.5%. For returns that are between 2 % to 5.5%, there can be adjustments downward in benefits. For years with returns greater than 5.5% up to 8.5%, there can be adjustment upwards. With these safeguards and adjustments, the VAP should stay fully funded in all market conditions and the benefits increase over time as wages increase. Long term, returns are expected to be at or over 5.5%.

Freeing Up Time and Money to Negotiate Wage Increases:

In 2019 and prior contract negotiations, months of time and effort were spent to negotiate agreements for tens of millions of dollars to try to address pension funding. While we will still need to negotiate contribution rates from the employer each bargain, with a healthy SRT and the security of the VAP, it is anticipated that the SRT and the VAP should not be underfunded again. And because we continue to manage our Health and Wellness Plan so well, we hope to maintain the Health Plan with no changes and no increased costs.

Now that we have successfully addressed the pension and health benefits, we can take the time and energy of the bargaining team with the employer representatives and focus on the member’s top priorities: 1st and foremost increased wages, and also look to other improvements in the contract for training, staffing and additional ways to improve the workplace.

The amount someone gets at retirement depends on many things. If you have a question about your specific pension benefits, when you are vested, or other topics, please call our grocery store workers’ retirement plan administrator, Zenith, at 206-282-4500 or 800-225-7620, press option 2, then press option 3.

RELEASE: WA Health Care Workers Call On Hospitals To Mitigate the Staffing Crisis

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 19, 2021

WA Health Care Workers Call On Hospitals To Mitigate the Staffing Crisis

Short-sighted and costly stopgap measures are only a bandaid; Hospitals have the tools and resources to alleviate burnout nightmare

SEATTLE -- With increasing volume, hospital administrators across Washington have joined health care workers and the unions that represent them in calling attention to the unprecedented staffing crisis. But today, nurses and other frontline workers are calling on hospitals to use the tools and resources they have available to finally begin mitigating this crisis for workers and patients.

“We’ve heard near-unanimous agreement around the problem,” said Julia Barcott, a critical care nurse in Toppenish and WSNA union leader. “That’s great. But only one voice in this conversation has the ability to immediately begin fixing this problem, and that’s the hospitals. It’s past time we saw meaningful action and policy changes from them, for the sake of our frontline workers and for patients and families across the state.”

There are a number of policies hospital administrations could immediately enact that would help begin to alleviate some of the burnout on nurses and improve conditions for workers and patients, including:

Ending mandatory overtime policies and ensuring workers can safely take rest breaks to return to compliance with already-existing state law

• Retention bonuses for frontline workers who have stayed on the job, which would ostensibly help offset hospitals’ apparent need for massive signing bonuses for new staff

• Incentive pay for burned-out workers who take on additional shifts

• Incentive pay and appropriate orientation for workers who take on extra work or shifts in a department they don’t work in

• Posting enough positions in all job categories to achieve safe staffing levels

• Actively working to fill all open positions

“We’re asking for just compensation and recognition for the work we’ve all been doing and the fact we’ve stayed on the job,” said Tracy Mullen, a nurse in the emergency department at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and member of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “Imagine spending the entirety of this pandemic at the bedside, and the person next to you is a traveling nurse making upwards of three- to four-times as much while the hospital apparently can’t find resources for retention bonuses or incentive pay.”

To understand the magnitude of the current staffing crisis, it’s critical to understand that a staffing shortage in Washington hospitals persisted long before the pandemic. For years, health care workers and their unions have warned our state’s hospitals about short-staffing and the potentially dire consequences. Had hospitals taken action to address adequate staffing years ago, we wouldn’t be facing such an extreme shortage now while we battle this pandemic. COVID exacerbated this already strained infrastructure, and hospitals’ response to the pandemic — including slowly filling open positions, falling back on mandatory overtime, and spending resources on signing bonuses and traveling positions rather than existing staff retention — has only worsened this preexisting shortage and led to massive burnout among workers.

“Large signing bonuses, filling positions with traveling staff, asking the federal government for emergency staff capacity — all of these are stopgap measures,” said Faye Guenther, president of UFCW 21. “You won’t reduce the need for these expensive, short-term fixes until you address the underlying problems causing burned-out health care workers to leave the bedside. In the long run the only way we’re going to see this crisis start to get better for workers and patients is for hospitals to step up and apply even a portion of that energy and those resources towards making the day-to-day working conditions of their nurses and other staff manageable.”

###

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 19,000 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.

telephone town hall call - introduction to the 2022 grocery negotiation

As a union grocery store member if UFCW 21 you get to have a voice about your wages, benefits, workplace safety, scheduling and more. We have a contract, a signed and legally binding document with your employer that governs most of this. And every three years we get to renegotiate that contract and have the opportunity to make improvements.

On Monday, October 4th we will be holding a live Telephone Town Hall to update everyone on the basics of this process that will be happening in 2022 but has already begun with many thousands of you filling out surveys to say what is most important to you.

Hope you can join us on Monday at 7 pm to find out more. Informed and active members in the workplace allow our union to negotiate for protecting our high quality, low cost health care, secure our retirement pension, and push for improved wages and workplace safety training, adequate staffing on the schedule and more.

The call is at 7 pm Monday 10/4

We will call you, all you need to do is answer to join the Town Hall call

if for some reason we miss you or call does not come through, you can call in at: 1-888-652-0386 and enter Meeting ID: 6333

Fired Amazon Workers Reach Settlement with Amazon

For Immediate Release: September 29, 2001, 4:30 PM PST
Contact: Tom Geiger, Special Projects Director, UFCW 21, 206-604-3421

Fired Amazon Workers Reach Settlement with Amazon

In the early stages of the COVID pandemic, in the late spring of 2020, two Amazon workers, Emily Cunnigham and Maren Costa, were fired from their jobs at Amazon. They were told it was due, in essence, to a violation of policies. They however believed it was in response to, and in retaliation for their protected and concerted activities in support of Amazon’s warehouse workers. These two workers approached UFCW 21 to request assistance in filing an Unfair Labor Charge against Amazon. After consideration, that case was filed by UFCW 21 and the local Union assigned the case to our legal counsel.

One aspect of the National Labor Relations Act is that it protects workers’ concerted and collective action – regardless of whether that worker is in a union. The law also allows a union to file a case on behalf of non-represented workers if those workers seek that representation. That is what happened in this case.

The Settlement Agreement on Case No 19-CA-266977 was reached earlier this afternoon. The Settlement includes a requirement that Amazon make a posting notifying Tech and Warehouse workers of the settlement notice and that they have the right under the law to express themselves in collective and concerted activity. This posting is required to be done nationwide. Amazon must also document their compliance with the Posting Notice and then provide evidence of that documentation of compliance directly to UFCW 21.

“Being able to assist not-yet-unionized workers who were acting in accordance with the law and who were fired has been an honor and responsibility we took very seriously. We felt that the workers had a strong case from the beginning and we want to encourage all workers to speak out in a collective and constructive way to improve their workplaces if they so choose,” said Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 21.

UFCW 21 is a strong believer in workers’ voices being heard. As such, we would request that all requests for interviews go to Emily and Maren and not to our attorney or staff. These workers can and will speak for themselves.

# - # - #

UFCW 21 represents over 46,000 workers in grocery stores, health care, retail and other industries across Washington State.

Do you have questions about forming a union?

UFCW 21 has a strong record of organizing new members by the thousands - more than 11,500 workers have joined our union in the last 10 years. Learn more about forming a union or contact an organizer! >>

UFCW 21 Member FAQ on Washington's New Public Long-Term Care Insurance Program

What is WA Cares, and what is long-term care insurance? 

The WA Cares Fund is a new public benefit in Washington State to help people pay for long-term care, a type of care you may need when experiencing an injury, disability, or other health issue that makes it difficult to care for yourself. People with cancer, dementia, diabetes, heart attacks or strokes, broken bones, and many other injuries and illnesses may need help bathing, dressing, moving around, meal preparation, managing medications, and other basic daily tasks. In fact, 7 out of 10 Washingtonians will need long-term care at some point in their lives. 

WA Cares is public long-term care insurance, so that everyone working in Washington State has access to affordable long-term care services when they need it and can get this support where it’s most appropriate for them—whether that’s their home, an assisted living facility, an adult family home or a nursing home. 

What exactly does this benefit cover for me and my family? 

Beginning in January 2025, an eligible person in Washington can access services and support up to a maximum of $36,500. You and your family can decide how, when, and where to spend this benefit, including paying a trained family caregiver so that someone who cuts back on work to care for a family member doesn’t lose as much income. A benefit of $36,500 is enough to pay for: 

• 25 hours per week of in-home care for a year 

• 9 to 18 months in a residential care such as an adult family home or assisted living 

• Five to six months in a nursing home 

• Five years of family caregiver support that includes respite, caregiver counseling and education, home modification 

For about half of families who need long-term care, this benefit will cover all the long-term care they will require. For those who end up needing more or longer care, this benefit allows people time and resources to figure out further solutions. 

There is private long-term care insurance available, but WA Cares is a public benefit, like Social Security or Medicare, and has advantages over corporate insurance. If you have or want to get private insurance as well, you are still allowed to use WA Cares along with your private insurance. You have a one-time choice to opt out of WA Cares if you prefer to only use private insurance, but that is a permanent choice and you will not have a chance to opt back into WA Cares if you need it in the future. To opt out of WA Cares, you must have purchased a qualifying private long-term care insurance plan before November 1, 2021. 

What does it cost? 

Starting in 2022, people working in Washington State will pay 0.58% of their earnings into the WA Cares Fund only when they are working. Unlike private insurance, you do not have to pay this when between jobs, out of the workforce, or after retirement, but your coverage under the benefit will still continue. This a pre-tax benefit, so you will not pay taxes on the portion of your paycheck that goes to the WA Cares fund, and your WA Cares benefit will not be taxed as income when or if you use it. 

Here’s what this means for some average income levels in Washington: 

Annual Income	WA Cares cost annually	WA Cares cost per week
$26,000	$150.80	$2.90
$52,075	$302	$5.80
$107,023	$620.73	$11.93

You are eligible for this benefit once you have contributed to the fund for ten years with a minimum of 500 hours per year and without a break of more than 5 years within those ten years, or if you have contributed three of the last six years at the time you apply for the benefit. 

Why does WA Cares exist, and why do essential worker unions support it? 

Long-term care costs can strain family budgets and savings at a time when you want to focus on staying healthy and getting the care you need. Private long-term care insurance exists, but it’s expensive, the premiums can be higher for people based on their gender and age, and you can be denied coverage due to preexisting conditions. In Washington, we’ve seen the number of companies offering long-term care shrink dramatically in the last decade: 

• In 2001: 137 companies offering long term care insurance coverage in WA 

• In 2021: 10 companies offering long-term care insurance coverage in WA 

Some people will need more care than WA Cares can cover, but having an existing benefit in place means your family has time to receive all the care they need while making plans for the future. Some workers have long-term care insurance through a job, but that insurance may end if you leave your job, or the expensive premiums may fall on you to keep paying. Unlike WA Cares, private insurance requires you to keep paying your premiums even after you retire. 

For more information on the WA Cares program, visit wacaresfund.wa.gov or walongtermcareoptions.info

Town Hall Call on Monday - Good News on Your Pension

How will you retire?

You’re invited to our educational Town Hall – Monday at 4 PM. We will be joined by our retirement pension experts and take your questions live. Just answer your phone when we call on Monday at 4 PM.

If for some reason, you don’t get a call, you can dial into the Town Hall. On Monday September 27 at 4 PM just dial 1-888-231-5462 and enter meeting ID 6308. Hope to talk with you then.

Background:

It’s Your Retirement
We all hope to retire, after a lifetime of work, with enough income to live with some dignity and independence. A solid retirement plan will help. It has many sources: personal savings, Social Security, and retirement/pensions and investments. Your retirement pension from work at the grocery store is one of these sources.

While some of you may be near retirement after decades of work, others may have just started at the grocery store in just the last few years. Whatever your situation, your pension is one of the most important ways to have income when you retire. Your employer begins making payments into your pension when you are hired, and you become vested in the pension plan typically after just 5 years of work in the stores.

Good News

1 – A Solid Plan, a Brighter Future – In the Summer of 2021 our Pension made a very positive announcement – we were able to complete the final step to secure the pension funding after many years of effort. This includes a new plan that: is more resilient to the ups and downs in the stock market; creates a Stabilization Fund for years when the investment returns drop below 2%; and, connects your employer’s retirement contributions to your wage instead of a fixed amount so that as you get paid more, your retirement value goes up as well.

2 – Solution Allows for Shifting Focus to Higher Wages – Every three years our union members get the right to negotiate with the employers over the terms of employment – wages, benefits, working conditions and more. This includes Health Care and Retirement benefits. Because we have successfully addressed the pension and health benefits over the last decade, our hope is that as we go into contract negotiation in early 2022, we can now take the time and energy with the employer representatives to focus on members’ other top priorities: first and foremost is increased wages. We are also looking forward to trying to make improvements in the contract for training, staffing and additional ways to improve safety and respect in the workplace.

Need to Know Details About Your Pension
The amount someone gets at retirement depends on many things. If you have a question about your specific pension benefits, when you are vested, or other topics, please call our grocery store workers’ retirement plan administrator, Zenith, at 206-282-4500 or 800-225-7620, press option 2, then press 3.

UFCW 21 Mourns with Our Fellow UFCW Members in Tennessee

At UFCW 21, we are standing with our UFCW siblings in Tennessee who experienced a shooting in their Kroger workplace this afternoon that injured at least a dozen people. We don’t have all the information, but we are in touch with UFCW Local 1529 to offer solidarity and support as they deal with the impacts of this heinous incident of workplace violence.

This is at least the second mass shooting in a grocery store this year, and we know many grocery store workers and other workers are concerned about workplace violence. Everyone deserves a safe workplace, and we are committed to addressing workplace safety so everyone can work without fear of injury or violence.

If there are ways to offer direct mutual aid to our fellow union members in Tennessee, we will share that information as soon as we have it. If you are interested in organizing around workplace safety, please get in touch.