SEIU Healthcare 1199NW workers at six hospitals ratify contracts!

St. Clare Hospital: Contract ratified!

Members ratified our new contract by over 90% last week. We moved management significantly higher than their initial wage proposals, and won important protections against subcontracting of our work.

Protection against subcontracting was a major goal in bargaining at all SEIU hospitals this year – and we won stronger protections everywhere!

We also won agreements here at St. Clare to limit shift rotation and to consider 16 hour employees as full-time for benefits and overtime.

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Valley Medical Center: Members overwhelmingly ratify new contract!

After three months of bargaining, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members at Valley Medical Center ratified a new three year contract that makes major breakthroughs and raises standards for healthcare workers in Washington state. For the first time, RNs, Service Workers and LPNs bargained full contracts together and received equivalent raises equal to almost 12% over the three year contract.

“This a great win for all of us at Valley. For the first time service workers are receiving 4% raises! We all have a lot to be proud of – stronger subcontracting language and our new training fund. Many of our co-workers will now be able to go back to school without unnecessary barriers.” Mary Ann Gibbs, Housekeeper, Environmental Services
Visit our 2008 Bargaining page.

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Swedish Medical Center - SEIU Healthcare 1199NW votes YES!

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and Swedish Medical Center have negotiated a new three year collective bargaining agreement ratified by 97% of members. The new agreement covers more than 4,000 registered nurses, technical staff, and service workers. 

“The contract represents a significant investment in caregivers and the patients we serve,” said Diane Sosne, RN, president of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “The contract addresses common interests around staffing, but also implements proactive measures including the new ‘training and upgrading fund’ to provide our members with career mobility that will help address nurse and healthcare staff shortages.”

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Highline Medical Center: Contract unanimously ratified!

After two months of negotiating using the innovative Interest Based Bargaining process, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members unanimously approved our new three year contract. This contract makes some major breakthroughs and raises standards for healthcare workers in Washington State.

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Harborview Medical Center: We are united for a fair contract!

Management canceled bargaining this August 14 because they didn’t want to hear our voice.

We made sure they heard us loud and strong when over 150 Nurses, Techs, Social Workers, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants gathered to deliver our Quality Staffing & Quality Pay petition with over 1000 signatures.

We are united for a fair contract. We told Becky Pierce and Harborview management that we deserve community standard wages that keep us up with our co-workers in the Puget Sound, a real voice in our daily staffing levels and no reduction in RN3 pay or Shift Break Premium.

At our last negotiation session management requested mediation and canceled all negotiations until a mediator can meet with both parties. Five other area hospitals - Swedish, Stevens, Highline, Valley Medical, and Valley General - all reached agreements with our union this summer through face to face discussions without calling in a mediator.

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Stevens Hospital: Contract ratified!

 More than 350 SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members from throughout Stevens Hospital came together to hear the details of our new contract last Thursday and Friday. The overwhelming majority voted to approve the agreement and many consider it to be the best we’ve ever achieved here at Stevens.

“We won a great contract! The high cost of living adjustment will help to keep pace with inflation. New successorship, subcontracting, and maintenance of benefits language provides more job security than we’ve had in the past. By working with other hospitals to create a training fund and possible future retirement plan, we are building the relationships that will ensure future for healthcare. All of these important steps have moved us in a great direction
to make even more progress.” —Chris Mallory, MT, Lab
Visit our 2008 Bargaining page.

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Valley General Hospital: Yes to contract ratification!

By a vote of 99% Valley General members ratified our new contract. We moved management significantly higher than their initial wage proposals, and won important protections against subcontracting of our work.

“From the very beginning, we knew that improving our language regarding subcontracting of our work was key in getting a fair contract. Valley General Hospital kept telling us that they have no plans for doing any subcontracting but we wanted to make sure there is language in our contract that helps to protect our jobs. We are very pleased with the new contract language and our contract as a whole.” —Pete Bulpett, Maintenance
Visit our 2008 Bargaining page.

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Safe Staffing Victory at Valley Medical Center: Watch the video!

Nurses at Valley Medical Center in Renton just reached an agreement with Valley Medical Center administration that will improve nurse staffing. Valley Medical Center will hire Designated Break Relief Nurses who will take care of patients while nurses take their breaks and lunches in the Med-surg, Renal Respiratory, Cardiac PCU, Oncology, Mother-Baby and Labor & Delivery, and CCU units. And, Charge Nurses wil be unassigned and not included in the staffing matrix, which means they’ll be available to provide valuable support and resources to our units.

Watch the video:

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