MultiCare Northwest Community Labs Update

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MultiCare has announced that Laboratories Northwest will move outside of its current facilities and transition to a new business entity called Northwest Community Labs.

There are many questions regarding who will be impacted, where the new facility is located, what jobs are available, and what will happen to those who do not want to work for the new business entity.

UFCW 3000 and our representatives will be holding virtual drop-in meetings to help answer those questions on Thursday, February 15, 2024.

Thursday, February 15

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
>> Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 884 3240 2216
Passcode: 463463

7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
>> Link to Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 840 6069 6405
Passcode: 501945

Know your Rights! Providence Meal Waiver

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UFCW 3000 is working with Providence to address the Meal Waiver situation. We consider the language in the meal waiver to be a direct negotiation with employees since Providence is asking you to waive rights outlined in our contracts. We want to ensure that you receive appropriate compensation for missed or late meal periods and that your contract is not negatively impacted.

For shifts of 11 hours or more: If your shift length is 11 hours or more, you are entitled to two 30-minute meal periods. If you are currently only receiving one 30-minute meal period and have not waived your second meal period, you may be entitled to compensation. Additionally, the employer may extend your shift based on the language in the CBA and past practices in order to accommodate your second meal period.

It is your right to waive the second meal period, but you may miss out on overtime pay for missing your second meal period if you choose to waive it. While we recommend not waiving your second meal period, the decision to do so is ultimately yours.

We will be holding a Zoom meeting on Monday, February 5, from 6 - 7 pm for all Providence members to ask questions about the meal waiver. Join the meeting at that time by clicking here:

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to your union rep:

  • Anthony Cantu (Providence Everett RNs): 206-436-6566

  • Jack Crow (Providence Everett Pros and Techs): 206-436-6614

  • Madison Derksema (Providence St. Peter, Providence Radiant Care, and Providence Centralia): 206-436-6603

  • Lenaya Wilhelm (Providence Holy Family and Sacred Heart): 509-340-7369

  • Juanita Quezada (Providence Sacred Heart Techs and Providence St. Mary): 509-340-7407

  • Amy Radcliff (Providence Mt. Carmel and St. Joseph): 509-340-7370

Health Care Rest Breaks & Meal Periods: Know Your Rights and Your Contract

Shift Length Rest Breaks Meal Period
4-5 hour shift 10 min* x1 0
8-hour shift 10 min* x2 30 min x1
10-hour shift 10 min* x2 30 min x1
12-hour shift 10 min* x3 30 min x2
16-hour shift 10 min* x4 30 min x2

*10 minutes is the WA State minimum. If your contract bargaining agreement (CBA) states 15 minutes, you should receive 15-minute rest breaks

  • You must receive a paid rest break for every four (4) hours worked.

  • You cannot waive your right to a rest break.

Meal Period: Your right to a meal period

A meal period cannot be substituted for breaks: Any employee who works more than four (4) hours gets their breaks as outlined above, and any scheduled meal period.

You are entitled to a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period when working more than five hours. The first meal period must be between the second and fifth hour worked. If you work 11 hours or more during the day, you must receive a second meal period no later than five (5) hours after the end of your first meal period.

Interrupted Mealtime: If you are required to stay on duty during a meal break you are still entitled to 30 total minutes of mealtime, excluding interruptions, plus 30 minutes of pay. Time spent performing the work task is not considered part of the meal period. The entire meal period must be paid no matter the number of interruptions. For example, if you received a 30-minute meal break but had to answer your work phone throughout then you should be paid 30 minutes for your meal period and receive a total of 30 minutes (non-consecutive) mealtime. 

Late Mealtime: If you are not given time to have a 30-minute mealtime, you must be paid for your time worked plus 30 minutes. Paying employees 30 minutes for the meal period does not absolve the employer’s responsibility to give you a late 30-minute unpaid mealtime when practicable.

The above is a general guideline to meal periods and rest breaks. For more in-depth information please contact your union representative OR download the Health Care Guide to Meal and Rest Breaks >>

Relevant Laws:

EvergreenHealth - CONTRACT RATIFIED!

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The Union contract for EvergreenHealth has been ratified by both Union Members and the Board of Commissioners.

Highlights of the agreement include:

  • 6.75% Wage Increase, 2024
  • 5.75% Wage Increase, 2025
  • 3%-10% additional Market Adjustments for many positions
  • New Position: Advanced Procedures Mammography Tech
  • $625-$1250 Ratification Bonus, effective the payroll period beginning February 4, 2024
  • Shift Differential: Evening $2.75 per hour, Night $4.50 per hour
  • Standby Pay: $4.25 per hour, $6.00 per hour for all hours after 50 hours of standby per pay period
  • Paid Education Leave: New language allows for up to $600 to be carried over.

For additional information, contact our Union Representative Jack Crow at (206) 436-6614.

Update on Our Efforts to Protect Workers and Customers from the Proposed Kroger-Albertsons Merger/C&S Divestiture

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We wanted to provide you with an update on our efforts to oppose the proposed merger between The Kroger Company (parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC) and Albertsons Companies, Inc. (parent company of Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen stores) and their proposed divestiture of stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers.

  1. On Monday, January 15, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit in King County, Washington court to block the proposed merger. Our UFCW 3000 endorsement of this legal action and a quote from UFCW 3000 grocery store member Yasmin Ashur who works at the Port Orchard Albertsons was part of the news coverage in the Seattle Times news article linked above and other news stories nationwide.

  2. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is continuing its review of the proposed merger, and we continue to work closely with them. Many analysts feel it is more than likely that the FTC will challenge the merger. Our local union, in coalition with other local unions from across the United States, has provided extensive information about the proposed merger to the FTC. We remain hopeful that the FTC will also challenge the proposed merger. Both the courts and the FTC have the power to potentially block the merger from being completed.

  3. Recently, Kroger and Albertsons have announced a delay to the merger timeline, until potentially as late as August. No doubt this delay is in response to both news of the lawsuit and the pressure campaign mounted by a broad swath of consumer groups, unions, farmers, ranchers, and others committed to preventing the harmful effects of this merger.

JOIN US!

All our grocery store members are invited to join us for a webinar on Tuesday, January 23. Please go to the link below to register for your preferred webinar:

MORNING MEETING:

Tuesday 1/23/24

8 AM

EVENING MEETING:

Tuesday 1/23/24

5 PM

Additional information:

  • This is far from a done deal: Kroger and Albertsons cannot sell stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers unless and until a merger were approved by regulators, and now, because of the Washington State lawsuit, the courts.

  • Contrary to comments made by these companies, this proposed merger is not at all necessary. Nor does their announced divestiture plan remedy our concerns. Both Kroger and Albertsons are doing well financially and making strong profits.

  • The proposed merger is really about greed. These two companies have already profited so much from the labor of grocery store workers all while often under-staffing stores and over-charging customers. Instead of investing in improved working conditions and reduced prices, they have prioritized high CEO pay, large dividends, including an Albertsons $4 Billion give away in early 2023, and massive stock buy backs.

Keeping up the Effort to Protect Workers and Customers

Our efforts over the past year and a half, from actions at the store level, to meeting with regulators, to helping to educate the public and generate hundreds of TV, radio and newspaper stories across the nation, have and continue to have an impact. We can’t let up now. The proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger would no doubt be disastrous for consumers in the form of higher prices, for workers in the form of lost jobs, lower wages, and crippling losses to pension and health benefit plans, for farmers and ranchers who will lose a major buyer of their products,  and for thousands of Americans who would find themselves living in food and drug-store deserts without adequate access to everyday necessities. If you haven’t done so already, please tell the FTC and you can also write to Washington’s Attorney General to thank him for his recent lawsuit and let him know why you oppose the proposed merger.

Providence Meal Waiver Update

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On December 15, Providence rolled out a meal waiver for employees. We sent an information request to all Providence hospitals regarding this meal waiver. We currently recommend that you do not sign the voluntary meal waiver until we better understand the implications of this waiver.

Please refer to the WA meal period law for healthcare workers: Rest Breaks, Meal Periods, and Schedules.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your union rep:

  • Anthony Cantu (Providence Everett RNs)
  • Jack Crow (Providence Pros and Techs and Providence Credena)
  • Brandan Zielinski (Providence St. Peter, Providence Centralia, and Providence Radiant Care)
  • Lenaya Wilhelm (Providence Holy Family and Sacred Heart)
  • Juanita Quezada (Providence Sacred Heart and Providence St. Mary)
  • Amy Radcliff (Providence Mt. Carmel and Providence St. Josephs)
 

Update on Proposed Kroger/Albertsons merger

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To all of our members and #StopTheMerger coalition partners and allies:

We wanted to share a brief update with you on where things stand with the proposed Kroger/Albertsons merger and our collective efforts to stop this harmful deal.
 
First off, we want to clarify where things stand right now. Despiterecent news reports to the contrary,the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) does not need to make a decision this week.
 
The bottom line is this: based on the information we have now, we expect the FTC to make a decision on the proposed merger early in the new year. This is consistent both with our understanding of the process and with public statements made by FTC chair Lina Khan.
 
Once the FTC has completed its investigation of the merger deal, there are three possible outcomes:

  1. The FTC can seek to stop the transaction by filing a preliminary injunction in federal court and the case will go to administrative trial. We believe our campaign has in part made this the most likely outcome and the trial will take many months to conclude.
    or

  2. The FTC can enter into a negotiated consent agreement with the companies and allow the deal to go forward under certain conditions, e.g.divestitures. This is how past mergers of this kind have been treated under previous administrations, but we believe it is unlikely in this case under the Biden administration.
    or

  3. The FTC closes its investigation and allows the deal to move forward unchallenged. We believe this is the least likely scenario.

Secondly, we’d like to draw your attention to some recent activities and developments:

  • A new report was issued by economist MarshallSteinbaum from the University of Utah demonstrating how the deal could dampen labor power and thus lead to devastating outcomes for workers. You can download the report and view our press release highlighting it, which was picked up in a few media stories.

  • This week, our union siblings at the Teamsters International union have come out against the companies’ plans to divest hundreds of stores to C&S. You can read their press release here.

  • Last month, our friends at American Economic Liberties Project hosted a great virtual event on the “disaster in the making” that is this merger, featuring workers, independent grocers, farmers, and consumers that the proposed merger would directly impact. Check out the video on YouTube.

  • Today, UFCW members in Southern California will meet with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and shared their stories about previous mergers in the grocery industry and their concerns with the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons.

Lastly, we’d like tothank all of you for being a part of this effort to protect workers and our communities from the devastating impacts of this proposed mega-merger.As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or suggestions.
 
In solidarity,
#StopTheMergerCoalition
www.nogrocerymerger.com

Learn about safe staffing committees and the new staffing law at our December training

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We’re not done speaking out to hold hospitals accountable!

Our coalition’s WA Safe + Healthy team received great feedback from members who attended our first safe staffing training Oct. 19, where we covered an overview of staffing committees, charters, and a timeline of implementation for our safe staffing legislation.

We are looking forward to the next training in December! We’ll demystify what the staffing committee does and how it does its work. With our new staffing law starting to roll out, it’s our job to hold hospitals accountable and get the most out of this new law. Together in our coalition, members of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 3000 and WSNA are ready to do the work.

Joint Union Training:
Staffing Committees 101

DECEMBER 14
6-8PM

Join fellow union members from UFCW 3000, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, and WSNA all across the state for this virtual training on Staffing Committees under our new Health Care Staffing Law (SB 5236).

By the end of this training, you will be able to discuss the purpose and development of a team charter, understand the key elements of the hospital staffing committee law, and articulate timelines and dates relevant to the hospital staffing committee. This training is open to all members and we hope to see you there!

Speaking out about unsafe staffing

We have been talking to legislators, and members have been fighting hard to raise the alarm about ongoing staffing issues at our facilities. Right now the spotlight’s on:

  • Providence Everett (UFCW 3000) – November 14-19, nurses went on an unfair labor practice strike at the hospital after voting to authorize a strike by 97%, with staffing the top concern at the bargaining table.

  • MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital (SEIU Healthcare 1199NW) – A month after holding a vigil, healthcare workers at MultiCare Yakima Memorial held an informational picket Nov. 15. They are fighting for wages that meet market standards to attract and retain experienced staff.

  • Virginia Mason Hospital (WSNA) – On Oct. 10, hundreds of nurses picketed outside Virginia Mason, calling for a fair contract that will improve staffing and reduce workplace violence.

Members are speaking out in the news! Here’s some of our latest coverage:

“Nurses can no longer stand by and take these unsafe assignments, come to work and be physically, mentally, emotionally abused,” said Kristen Crowder, labor & delivery RN at Providence Everett.

“Honestly, staffing is a revolving door,” said RN Trish Bowman. “I have a difficult time even knowing my own staff on my floor, people are leaving all the time.” 

“I am so sick of having short staffing at work,” [Brad] Rathke said to the crowd Tuesday. 

Macy’s Unfair Labor Practice ULP Strike Update

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We will begin our 3-day ULP strike on Friday 11/24 at 3am.We intend to give Macy’s notice of our unconditional return to work beginning at 3am on Monday 11/27. The strike will be focused on all the union Macy's Mall stores, Southcenter Mall, Alderwood Mall and Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham. We will not be striking the Furniture Galleries. If you are a Furniture Gallery worker, go to work as usual and before or after your shift or on your day off come support your fellow Macy's worker on the strike line at one of the mall locations.

For Mall workers, come to the strike line during the times you would have normally been working. If Friday, Saturday or Sunday would have been your day off, you may participate in the strike at any time during normal Macy’s business hours. Holidays hires that work in the Mall Stores have protection under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to participate in collective action such as striking. Any Holiday hires who participate in the strike will qualify for the same strike benefit as all other Macy’s workers who are covered under our agreement and participate in the strike.

Check in with the picket captain on shift when you arrive to sign in and be sure to sign out when you leave. This will ensure you get credit for hours on the strike line to qualify for your Strike Benefit. You may walk the line as many hours as you want, but strike benefits are capped at $500 for a minimum 20 hours on the line per week or at $300 for a minimum of 12 hours on the line for the duration of our ULP strike. If you haven't had a chance to complete your W9 for strike benefits you can complete it online today by visiting macysunited.com/strike.

Newly elected Executive Board members are sworn in!

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UFCW 3000 is a union that runs on democracy. Our Executive Board of over 40 members like you, and our union's top three officers (President, Secretary Treasurer, and Recorder), are all elected by the membership. Similarly, each member gets the opportunity to vote on their contract, which governs their wages, benefits, and working conditions.
 
On Tuesday, October 24, the top officers, President Faye Guenther, Secretary Treasurer Joe Mizrahi and Recorder Maria Milliron, and the rest of the Executive Board were sworn in to a new term. Under their leadership, our union is helping to lead the way in partnering with many other locals, community organizations, elected officials, and others to advance our rights and benefits and improve and enforce laws at the local, state, and federal levels. We are also excited and looking forward to pursuing the goals in our UFCW 3000 Strategic Plan for building a stronger union. 

Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7 was our special guest to help with the swearing-in process. Local 7 and Local 3000 have been staunch allies through many fights and we thank Kim for helping us out! 

Get to know our elected Executive Board members >>

September 2023 Update: Upcoming Trainings on Our New State Staffing Law – JOIN US!

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Union health care workers fought hard for a new staffing law in Washington, and we celebrated together when it passed. Now we’re preparing for the first stages of successful implementation. To get the most out of this statute and hold hospital management accountable for safer staffing, it’s going to require knowledgeable and empowered nurses and other health care workers in every department, on every shift, at every hospital. Here’s how we’re going to get there, together:​

  • September 1, 2023: 

    The state Hospital Staffing Advisory Committee has been established and will meet monthly. Among its first tasks is development of a uniform hospital staffing plan form. This committee comprises health care workers and hospital representatives.

  • January 1, 2024

    Staffing committees must be established under the new law. These will include RNs, LPNs, CNAs,and other direct patient care staff. 50% of the voting members must be nursing staff.

  • July 1, 2024

    New staffing committee charters—covering processes for meetings, attendance, electing co-chairs, reviewing complaints, etc.—must be filed with Dept of Health (DOH). Proposed staffing plans are due to hospital management.

  • January 1, 2025:

    Every hospital must submit a final staffing plan to DOH.

  • July 1, 2025:

    Hospitals must implement the new approved staffing plans by this date, and begin reporting noncompliance to DOH whenever they fail to meet at least 80% compliance that month.

GET EDUCATED – GET INVOLVED!

Joint SEIU 1199NW / UFCW 3000 / WSNA Trainings in 2023-24:
All trainings will be online, relevant to where we are in the statewide rollout of the staffing law, and whenever possible will be recorded and shared for those who cannot attend live. Contact a representative or organizer from your union to learn more about signing up!

  • October 19, 2023: In-depth training for current staffing committee co-chairs and members. Current staffing committee members! RSVP for this training here:

  • December 2023: Training for all interested members on everything you need to know about staffing committees and the new staffing law

  • February 2024: Training on negotiating your best possible staffing plan

  • Late 2024: Training on compliance and accountability through your staffing committee

MEMBERS ARE SAYING:

“The safe staffing bill has many tools we can use to help immensely with safe staffing. I am deeply passionate and excited to learn more and to get to work, and I invite all my fellow healthcare workers to join me.”

—Craig M. White, RN/PCCN, Providence Everett

“My coworkers and I spent a lot of energy advocating for this law to pass, so we’re certainly going to learn how to enforce it to the fullest. The big hospitals have a lot of money and a lot of resources to figure out the staffing models they think are best, and we’ll need to match that with knowledge of the law and union power.”

—Edna P. Cortez, RN, Seattle Children’s

“We know that our unity is our strength in every challenge we face, and the work it will take to successfully implement our safe staffing bill is no exception. Working together across all three of our healthcare unions is how we’re going to kickstart a culture of safety in our hospitals and hold our employers accountable to ensure compliance. As a member of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, I’m proud to continue working collaboratively with my WSNA and UFCW 3000 siblings to create a united front and tackle the next piece of our implementation plan: healthcare workers’ education.”

—Callie Allen, RN, MultiCare Valley Hospital, Spokane Valley

St. Michael Medical Center - Questions About the Overpayment Settlement?

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Come Talk to a Rep About the Overpayment Settlement!

On September 26, our UFCW union rep and MRC rep will be at the SMMC cafeteria to answer questions about the overpayment settlement.

Tuesday, September 26

  • 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM  

  • 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM  

  • 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Read about the settlement on your contract page: 

>> St. Michael Medical Center RN
>> St. Michael Medical Center Pro-Tech
>> St. Michael Medical Center Service & Dietary

Mariners Team Store Retail Workers Update

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On March 18, retail workers at the Mariners Team Store ratified our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which included a 30% Employee Discount, $1.50 to $3.50 raise for workers, improved full-time staff healthcare qualification, secured 4 game tickets per month, and more. Shortly after, however, the Employer took away long-standing benefits that workers had enjoyed in previous seasons—subsidized parking and promotional items. In response to this unilateral change, the union filed a Grievance and an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) claim, alleging that the employer was retaliating against workers for their union activity.

After filing the ULP and Grievance, the union received a decertification petition that aimed to eliminate the union and representation at Mariners Team Stores. A vote was scheduled for May 30, 2023. Before the vote, our union filed a Request for Review with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that the decertification vote was conducted in conflict with the intent of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and in conflict with decades of established NLRB precedent. The results of the vote are pending certification with the NLRB—the enforcement arm of the NLR—while the ULP and Request for Review are being resolved.

Here is where we stand:

Subsidized Parking and Promotional Items Grievance:

  • Recently selected an arbitrator to hear the case and we are working to confirm a date for the arbitration.

Subsidized Parking and Promotional Items ULP:

  • Currently under review with the NLRB

Decertification Election Process Request for Review:

  • Currently under review with the NLRB

You and your coworkers deserve to have subsidized parking and promotional giveaways restored. It is unfortunate that the timeline for a resolution has not been quicker. The game-to-game impact of additional commute times, expensive parking, and missing out on great promotional giveaways is why we’re fighting to secure those benefits moving forward. Pending the certification of the election results, UFCW 3000 continues to represent you and your coworkers as unionized workers, and all provisions of your CBA remain in effect. One of the provisions of our CBA includes union dues deduction and collection. We are currently inquiring our International Union to see if we can delay the collection of union dues until the Election results have been determined.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your union representative Dominick Ojeda at (206) 436-6586.

Safe Staffing Moving Forward!

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The Presidents of SEIU 1199NW, UFCW 3000, and WSNA speak to the huge victory for patients, communities and nurses with the new Safe Staffing Law, the need for nurses and communities to hold hospital administrations accountable to the new law, and a much deserved celebration for this victory. Watch the Video:

The Presidents of SEIU 1199NW, UFCW 3000, and WSNA

Our advocacy paid off: Safer staffing is coming to Washington hospitals!

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Our bill to address safe staffing in hospitals, ESSB 5236, was passed by the House earlier this month — the last step in a lengthy legislative process that we, in coalition with SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 3000, and the Washington State Nurses Association, helped move forward with our actions, stories, and willingness to use our collective voice to ensure safer care in our hospitals. When we fight, we win!

The bill landed on Gov. Inslee’s desk to be signed into law on April 20, 2023. As of today, our bill is law.

What’s next?

We’ll celebrate our success at coalition victory parties around the state on May 11 from 6-8 p.m. RSVP to a Victory Celebration Here >>

  • Seattle: Seattle Labor Temple, 5030 1st Ave. S

  • Spokane: UFCW 3000 Office, 2805 N. Market St.

  • Tri-Cities: SEIU 1199NW Office, 7525 W. Deschutes Pl Ste 2 Kennewick, WA 99336

  • Tacoma: Shiloh Baptist Church, 1211 S I St.

  • Mt. Vernon: UFCW 3000 Office, 1510 N 18th St.

  • Everett: Snohomish County Labor Temple, 2810 Lombard Ave.

  • Olympia: Washington State Labor Council, 906 Columbia St. SW (2nd floor)

We’ll distribute an implementation timeline, provide resources, and share information to help us enforce the new staffing law and ensure accountability.

“I’m very glad to see the nursing staff representatives on our staffing committees expanded to include CNAs and LPNs alongside RNs. I know ensuring strict enforcement of a new staffing law is going to take some work, but I’m excited to get started learning how we can use it to keep our patients safer, our hospitals accountable, and our jobs more sustainable.”
— Patricia Brown, LPN, Tacoma General, member of UFCW 3000

The new safe staffing law will:

  • Strengthen accountability to hospital staffing plans set by staffing committees.

  • Eliminate CEO veto power over those plans.

  • Expand staffing committees to include LPNs, CNAs, and other direct patient care staff in addition to RNs.

  • Reduce hospitals’ ability to pack staffing committees with people who impede plans.

  • Create uniform reporting forms, which will mean that patients and healthcare workers will easily understand how many staff should be present.

  • Require hospitals to report noncompliance to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).

  • Allow DOH to issue corrective action plans that could require minimum staffing standards and fines.

  • Expand meal and rest break laws to include all frontline staff.

  • Close loopholes to make mandatory overtime laws fully enforceable.

  • Allow L&I to issue escalating penalties for missed breaks.

  • Funds the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to conduct a study of existing staffing plans.

Washington State House Passes Safe Staffing Bill — Next Up, the Governor’s Desk!

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Today the House passed the healthcare staffing bill (ESSB 5236), the final legislative hurdle in a long process, to begin addressing the ongoing hospital staffing crisis this legislative session. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk.

We would not have gotten this bill through the Legislature without the countless members like you who sent in selfies, signed in “pro” on bills, contacted your legislators, testified in hearings, and so much more. The voices of healthcare workers at the bedside pushed the State Senate to go farther down the path toward safe staffing than ever before.

ESSB 5236 reflects a compromise between SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 3000, the Washington State Nurses Association and the Washington State Hospital Association. The final compromise will strengthen accountability to staffing plans and allow for corrective action by state agencies if necessary up to and including enforcing safe staffing standards on hospitals. It represents a meaningful step toward safe staffing.

The final bill:

  • Strengthens accountability to hospital staffing plans. If hospitals fall below 80 percent compliance with their staffing plans, they are required to report noncompliance to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Noncompliant hospitals will be assigned a corrective action plan by L&I and DOH, which may include elements like safe staffing standards set by L&I that the hospital will have to follow.

  • Expands meal and rest break laws to include all frontline staff, closes loopholes to make mandatory overtime laws fully enforceable, and ensures hospitals follow the law. If there are more than 20 percent of breaks missed in a month, L&I will issue escalating penalties.

  • Funds the WA State Institute for Public Policy to conduct a study of existing staffing plans to establish what’s actually happening in WA hospitals and compare them to elsewhere. This study would set a baseline understanding of the staffing crisis in WA by a credible, nonpartisan source, and provide a benchmark against California and professional association standards for staffing levels, which is critical for continued work to ensure safe staffing in Washington.

After the Governor signs the bill, we will turn to implementation and enforcement. We will be reaching out about plans to educate members – particularly members of staffing committees – on the elements of the bill.

Join Us: Union Telephone Town Hall on Monday March 20 at 6:30 p.m.

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You’re Invited!
Telephone Town Hall
Mon. Mar. 20, 6:30pm

All UFCW 3000 members are invited to join us for a live Telephone Town Hall on Monday March 20th at 6:30 PM. We will be discussing efforts to reform our International Union, make it more of a worker-led democratic union, and to get more value from the money our local union sends each month. We should have more of a say in our union and we need more power to negotiate stronger contracts and win more rights, higher pay and improved safety at work.
 
You should receive a call on Monday around 6:30 pm. Simply answer the phone and you will join the call. If for some reason you miss the call or do not get a call, you can call in from any phone:

☎️ Call: 1-888-652-0386
Use Meeting ID: 7312

Kaiser Permanente - PSP and Retention Bonuses

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Kaiser Permanente
PSP and Retention Bonuses

You should have received your PSP payout! In the National Alliance Agreement, we won language which guarantees $200 per goal met at TARGET, even when the KP financial gate is not met. In Washington, the PSP payout is between $400 and $600 depending on your 2022 attendance and is broken down like this:

The Five Goals

  1. Affordability
    Everyone receives $200

  2. Workplace Violence Prevention Training
    Everyone receives $200

  3. Quality (DREs)
    Goal not met $0

  4. Service (QR codes)
    Goal not met $0

  5. Attendance
    If you personally met target for unprotected ill time used in 2022, you received $200

To reach the PSP goal for attendance and receive a $200 payout for 2022, you must have achieved either Target or Stretch:

  • Threshold: 2.0% or less of unprotected time taken off $0

  • Target: 1.4% or less of unprotected time taken off

  • Stretch: 1.16% of unprotected ill time taken

If you reach one of these goals or a number in between, you received one $200 payout for attendance. You will not receive more than one $200 payout if you reach Target or Stretch.

Note: Unprotected ill time is defined as time off not approved by Management such as an unscheduled absence. Protected sick leave under a federal, state, city, or contractual leave of absence such as PSL, WPFML, Matrix, FMLA, Leave of Absence, etc. is protected.

“Unscheduled time off is considered excessive if it occurs more than 6 times during a year, or more than 3% of the employees work time.”

(See Article 12.02.2 for Pharmacy and Article 13.02 for Pro-Tech/Optical of the UFCW 3000—Kaiser Permanente contract.)

Retention bonus coming soon!

These bonuses are a result of union members mobilizing and speaking out. Advocacy won the $500 bonus here is Washington State! But this is not enough. We need a comprehensive, long term solution including wage adjustments, training programs and conditions that cause people to quit. While a one-time bonus is a positive step, we know the cure is going to require much more, and we won’t rest until we achieve a full solution for our patients and union members.

For additional information, please reach out to Contract Specialist, Penny Manker @ 425-306-1357 OR Union Rep Lauren Van Wormer (effective Tuesday, March 7) @ 206-436-6584.

Safe Staffing Bill SB 5236 Passes Senate Ways & Means Committee

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A spread of three photos: One of two people in scrubs holding signs in support of safe staffing at the state capitol, the next a group of health care workers holding signs supporting safe staffing, and one of attendees at an outdoor candlelight

We’re writing with an update on the progress of Senate Bill 5236 – our bill to create safe staffing standards in Washington.

Last Friday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee voted to pass an amended version of SB 5236. It is worth celebrating that this bill is continuing to move forward through the legislative process, even as we know the fight for a strong version with meaningful enforcement provisions is ongoing. At this point, a few senators have prevented us from implementing statewide safe staffing standards across the board as initially proposed. Despite this, the committee did amend SB 5236 to strengthen staffing committees and improve enforcement, setting a solid foundation for us to keep fighting for safe staffing standards. We’re confident this agreement gets us closer to enforceable staffing standards by establishing penalties for hospitals that continue to violate staffing plans, and under the amended bill, if hospitals continue those violations, they would be subject to Labor and Industries’ strict enforcement of safe staffing standards.

The most important thing for all healthcare workers to know is that negotiations at the Capitol around this bill – what staffing standards and enforcement will look like – are ongoing as we speak, and state senators need to hear loud and clear from their constituents that this bill should stay as strong as possible. 

There is still time for hospital lobbyists to try to weaken the bill, but that means there is also time for us to make our voices heard. Contacting your senator, and encouraging your coworkers, family, friends, and community to do so as well, is the main way we can keep up the pressure. Share your experiences with short-staffing and what it means for your patients. Let them know what the current lack of accountability around staffing plans looks like day to day. Make it clear that their constituents are paying attention and demanding action.

Our next hurdle will be to get SB 5236 passed off the Senate floor by March 8th. We thank Sen. June Robinson for being our legislative champion on behalf of Washington’s healthcare workers and Sen. Christine Rolfes, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee, for keeping the focus on this bill until it was voted out of committee.

Your work and advocacy up to this point have been invaluable. We encourage you to continue reaching out to your Legislators to urge them to pass SB 5236.

Labcorp - February Update

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After working so hard and being so understaffed for years, and after LabCorp refused to renegotiate your wages to recruit and retain staff, the time is drawing near to address your needs through the bargaining process. In a few months, your colleagues will sit across the table (or virtually) from management to negotiate your wages, staffing, healthcare, and so much more for the next three years.

BUT! Great contracts are not won at the bargaining table, they are won in your workplaces!

Join your colleagues for a virtual meeting on Sunday, February 19 at 10 AM or 6:30 PM to strategize your plan to win substantial wage increases and improvements to your benefits and working conditions. We’ll discuss what must be done if you are to win the crucial improvements you need and deserve. To really build enough power to move management at the negotiating table, your coworkers should join you as well. If you’re unable to attend Sunday’s meeting, please call Christie to set up a one-on-one, or a group to learn what must be done. We can meet in person, virtually, or even over the phone!

Join your coworkers for a virtual meeting!

Sunday, February 19

  • 10:00 AM

  • 6:30 PM

Contact your Union Rep Christie Harris for call-in details. Details will be also emailed out.

Finally, your mandatory overtime grievance is headed to Federal Arbitration this month!

The contract says that they cannot mandate overtime for chronic short-staffing reasons yet LabCorp continues to violate this right that you worked so hard for! We’ll keep you posted.

Does management tell you that it’s the union’s fault that they cannot give you a raise? Nothing could be further from the truth! Ask for a merit raise and show them this language from your contract,

“9.4.1 Additional merit increases may be given at the discretion of the Employer, in addition to, but not in replacement of, 9.4 above.”

Here’s the link to your entire contract, call your rep if you’d like a hard copy.

Did you know that you’re allowed to talk about your union and your working conditions on the clock? This is federal law and is also protected by the federal courts! As long as your speech doesn’t interfere with your work, you may talk about wages, staffing, building power, your upcoming contract negotiations and so much more. Call Christie if you have any questions.

Call Christie Harris anytime you have a question, a concern, or if you simply want to learn more about your union and your rights and benefits!

Your Union Rep, Christie Harris:

(206) 436-6606 (landline)

I’m always happy to talk!

Senate Bill 5259: Protecting Workers from Impacts of Retail Theft

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On January 26, 2023, the Senate Labor Committee heard Senate Bill 5259, a bill we’ve worked on to address the impacts of retail theft on our members and our workplaces. UFCW 3000 members have been raising the safety and financial issues around retail theft for years now, and members in grocery and retail said that tackling retail theft and ensuring workplace safety were top legislative priorities for 2023. SB 5259 would prohibit discipline of a grocery worker who engages during a situation of retail theft, and UFCW 3000 members and staff testified in support during the committee hearing.

Watch UFCW 3000 members’ testimony below!

“I wasn’t given any kind of training on what the manager wanted me to do to ‘intervene’ here, but I felt like I needed to follow his instructions or I would lose my job. In fact, in this case, following his instructions got me fired because when I did in fact intervene here, I lost my job for violating company policy by intervening with this woman. Instead of being required to take preventative measures to deter this kind of theft, Fred Meyer punished me for doing what should be their job. I hope we can get the committee support for SB 5259 so this doesn’t happen to another worker in this industry again.” -Suzanne Geffre, Fred Meyer, Richland

“While protecting workers, this legislation will not mitigate all the harms to me and my coworkers from retail theft. We think it will go a long way in ensuring our members feel empowered to make their jobs safer. From 2018 to 2020, the number of assaults reported to the FBI rose 42% overall, but by 63% in grocery stores. And in 2021, more than half of mass shooter incidents were in places of commerce. We need your help! Violent attacks are going to continue regardless of what you do this year to protect our jobs. We know what type of deterrence works, and that is to deliver the best possible customer service to every customer. This legislation will ensure we can do that without fearing we will lose our job and we need you to pass it in 2023.” -Naomi Oligario, Safeway, Port Orchard

“Our daily loss is listed by the time clock in our stores. Between when I started to now, that daily loss number has gone from in the hundreds to now thousands. Daily. It doesn’t seem fair to me that the theft the grocery companies do nothing to deter affects my department profit numbers, for which I’m then held accountable. At my Safeway we are told that we have to have our counters full and ready for customers by a set time every day, but it’s hard to do that when a customer walks in and fills up a cart with meat and walks out without paying. I know that as a manager in my Seafood department, if I could simply walk up to a customer who was doing this, to ask them if they need help, it would be a deterrence. Our stores need to have effective deterrence because workers in our stores like me are held to account for the store’s failure to deter theft.” -Anna McAllister, Safeway, Kent

Sarah Cherin, Executive Vice President of UFCW 3000, speaks to the committee about members’ experiences with retail theft.

Debbie Gath, with Teamsters Local 38, talks about her work as a Union Rep helping members facing discipline or termination.

YOU CAN TAKE ACTION TO SUPPORT THIS BILL: