SEIU Healthcare 1199NW

Valley, Deaconess hospital workers vote to authorize a strike against Community Health Systems in Spokane

Our hospitals work because we do, and our patients and community tell us all the time they value our work. Our employers should too, and that's why nurses and healthcare workers at Deaconess Medical Center and Valley Hospital & Medical Center in Spokane overwhelmingly voted Monday night to authorize a one-day unfair labor practice strike against Community Health Systems (CHS), the owners of Deaconess and Valley hospitals. The nurses and healthcare workers have been working to settle a fair contract with the Tennessee-based for-profit hospital operator for 20 months.

Since Community Health Systems purchased the hospitals in 2008 they have broken promises to maintain services in Spokane and settle a fair contract with the nurses and healthcare workers.

Community Health Systems is also facing federal labor charges from the National Labor Relations Board on eight counts of breaking federal labor law in the two hospitals. The NLRB trial against Community Health Systems began Tuesday, July 13, and was postponed so the parties could return to the bargaining table. The trial will continue to be postponed until August 16 while negotiations continue.

“Our first priority remains settling a fair contract and taking care of our patients. But after 20 months, we still don’t have a fair offer. When they refuse to settle a contract and be accountable to their promises, we all pay the price,” said Rachelle Rickard, a cardiac sonographer at Deaconess Medical Center.

“Our community and patients value the work we do, and Community Health Systems needs to value it, too,” said Janine Baxter, an RN at Valley Hospital & Medical Center. “That’s what this strike vote is all about. We can’t move forward without a contract.”

A strike date has not been set, and by law ten days notice must be given to the hospitals. SEIU members return to the bargaining table on Friday, July 30.

Our voice in Olympia: SEIU members interview legislative candidates

Legislative interviews Sally Mary Jared Do you support uninterrupted breaks for healthcare workers? What is your plan to support healthcare funding for our patients and clients? These are the kinds of questions that SEIU 1199NW members asked legislative candidates on Saturday during interviews in the 22nd Legislative district.

Across the state, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members are interviewing dozens of legislative candidates to recommend those who will stand up for our families and patients, and seek challengers for legislators who didn’t stand up for healthcare services in the last legislative session.

After meeting and interviewing each candidate, members determine the best candidate to recommend to our union’s Executive Board.

By standing together in Olympia and working with our legislators, we’ve successfully passed laws that protect healthcare workers and patients including Safe Lifting, Safe Staffing, and the Marty Smith law to protect mental health workers. We’ve also won funding for our union’s Hospital Employee Education and Training grant, and successfully advocated to limit mandatory overtime for nurses.

» Read more

See the current list of SEIU 1199NW candidate recommendations

Across the state, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members are interviewing dozens of legislative candidates to recommend those who will stand up for our families and patients, and seek challengers for legislators who didn’t stand up for healthcare services in the last legislative session.

After meeting and interviewing each candidate, members determine the best candidate to recommend to our union’s Executive Board.

» See the full list

Spokane SEIU members stand together at NLRB trial against CHS

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members were in the courtroom and on the stand this week in Spokane to share their testimony against Community Health Systems, the owner of Deaconess and Valley hospitals in Spokane. The National Labor Relations Board took Community Health Systems to court this week for eight counts of breaking federal labor law, including its failure to engage in good faith bargaining with our union and illegal solicitation of employees' union sympathies.

Matt Cohrs, a CT Tech at Valley, thought he was having a regular conversation with his manager in 2008 when his manager asked him, what has the union done for you?

Matt told his manager that because of our union, we have greater job protections, improved wages, and a solid voice to make a difference on healthcare issues at the state and national level.

His manager then told Matt they should decertify their union, and then told Matt how he should do it. That's illegal.

Matt shared this story on the witness stand as one of the eight Unfair Labor Practice charges the National Labor Relations Board is bringing against CHS.

Community Health Systems, based in Nashville, Tennessee, bought Deaconess and Valley hospitals in Spokane in 2008. Since then, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members at these two hospitals have been working to settle a fair contract with CHS.

CHS owns more than 100 hospitals nation-wide, and promised to maintain a full range of services and to retain current employees and their benefits when it purchased the two hospitals. Since then, CHS has laid-off healthcare workers, reduced trauma care, and closed the movement disorder clinic for Parkinson’s patients.

“CHS made $243 million in profits last year alone. They’re putting their profits before their promises,” said Teri Nicholson, RN at Valley Hospital & Medical Center. “We’re standing behind our healthcare services and sending a message to Community Health Systems that it’s time to be fair.”

SEIU members at Deaconess and Valley held an informational picket at their hospitals in April of 2009, and rallied Tuesday outside the courthouse as the trial began. The NLRB hearing was postponed Tuesday afternoon, and CHS has agreed to return to the bargaining table to settle a contract next week. If no agreement is reached, the NLRB trial against CHS resumes on Tuesday, July 27.

LPN's, CNA's, and Unit Secretaries at Newport Hospital vote to join SEIU

By standing together and remaining united, LPN’s , Unit Secretaries, and CNA’s at Newport Hospital won their election to form their union and join SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. These new SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members now have a voice in issues that affect their jobs and patients like staffing, fairness and wages. These new members join the nurses at Newport Hospital, who were already organized. Together we can work to advocate for our patients and community.

Elaine Ponder Newport Hospital

“This victory is only the beginning though, now it’s time to work together to alleviate some of the issues we haven’t been able to remedy without a union. Now that we officially have a union, I am looking forward to safe staffing, fairness in employment opportunities and disciplinary actions and above all else, RESPECT!” Elaine Ponder, LPN

Susan Johnson Newport Hospital

“I’m so happy my co-workers decided to form a union and that they will soon have an enforceable contract! We’re stronger now that we are all together. Now that nursing staff is united in a union, we will have a much stronger voice to make improvements for ourselves and our patients.”
Sue Johnson, RN

A Strong Future for our Union: 2010 Officer and Executive Board Elections

Our union has an ambitious plan to continue winning strong workplace standards with our plan for ‘A Strong Future’. As part of our plan and our union’s bylaws, SEIU members from across the state elected a new slate of officers and Executive Board Representatives to carry the goals of our union into our workplaces and guide our union’s financial decisions.
These Officers and Executive Board members have been voted in for a two year term, effective May 11, 2010 until May 2012.

Diane Sosne sm headshot “I’m proud to be re-elected as President of our union and excited about the work we’re doing to protect our contracts and win breakthrough standards for patient care. With Chris, Emily, Grace, Scott, and our Executive Board we’re bringing our union’s vision for ‘A Strong Future’ across the state to members in all job classes. We hope you’ll get involved and share your voice to improve standards for all of us.”

Diane Sosne, RN, MN
President of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW

See the full list of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Officers and Executive Board members

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SEIU members are ready to start working on healthcare reform

Governor Chris Gregoire unveiled her proposal to implement healthcare reform in Washington state at Swedish Medical Center surrounded by SEIU members, healthcare officials, and state leaders. With the implementation of the new law, demands for services from the healthcare industry will increase and the Governor's newly appointed Health Care Cabinet will move forward on work to protect healthcare and attract and retain the nurses and healthcare workers needed to administer this care.

“The backbone of successful reform is having enough nurses and healthcare staff to meet the growing need that expanded access will bring under this new legislation,” said Diane Sosne, RN, President of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “Investing more in training programs, supplying more scholarships for healthcare workers, and improving the diversity of the workforce will create jobs in our local economy and ensure we have the educated workforce to provide quality care.”

The state is also working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for approval of a waiver to receive federal funds to support the Basic Health Plan. The healthcare reform law provides bridge funding for the Basic Health plan, ensuring thousands of Washingtonians will be able to keep their healthcare and relieve our state’s overstretched budget.

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Healthcare Reform: What does it mean for us?

Thousands of our calls, letters, emails, and visits to our Senators and Representatives in Congress have made the difference, and President Obama signed healthcare reform into law.

What does this mean for us?

•   Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny care to patients with pre-existing illnesses in 2014. This prohibition will begin for children within the next six months.
•   Lifetime caps on health coverage will be eliminated.
•   Preventive healthcare services will be covered for public and private insurance.
•   Parents will be able to keep dependents on their insurance policies through age 26.
•   The gap in Medicare drug coverage (the donut hole) will be closed for seniors during 2010.

These provisions will be enacted within six months, and will help more than 32 million Americans afford the healthcare they need. Would you like more information on the provisions of healthcare reform and when they will be enacted? See the immediate benefits of healthcare reform and what this means for Washington.

» Read more

Building A Strong Future Together

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members recognize how important it is to have a strong union in tough economic times and voted 3,081 to 1,013 in favor of our union’s Strong Future plan. We voted across the state over a 5 week period in October and November with the polls open a cumulative 400 hours at over 80 locations in our workplaces across the state.

Many of our employers are freezing or reducing pay and benefits for non-union employees, and management has also asked some of our members to re-open our contracts to give back some of our hard-earned wages and benefits.

Our plan for A Strong Future will rebuild our union’s Strength and Defense Fund and provide member leadership training so that we can be strong at the bargaining table. The plan also includes the development of a nurse council and a tech council to bring together members across chapters to work on common professional issues. Service workers will also work together across chapters on staffing and safer working conditions.

“I have been with Group Health for over 30 years. Throughout these years, I have witnessed a lot of layoffs, cutbacks in hiring, wage concessions, closure of some departments, subcontracting of others, and threats of more. Knowing that we have a strong union helps me breathe easier. Belonging to a union is the greatest job security investment one can make at any workplace.” - James U. Ezeokeke, EVS, Bellevue Medical Center, Group Health Cooperative

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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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Harborview members: view meeting dates and locations

As we approach negotiations for our new contract, our SEIU Healthcare 1199NW leadership team has developed and unanimously endorsed a set of bargaining principles that we believe makes the most sense for us, our patients and families.

We urge every SEIU Healthcare 1199NW member to vote on the recommended bargaining principles during our vote meetings July 15-19.

» See the full list of meetings

Group Health RN Experience Survey

Over the years at Group Health, we have won a pay scale giving full credit for all recent experience to all newly hired RNs. The Nursing Home Services ARNPs just won this same victory. Now, it is time to make sure that all RNs at Group Health are at the correct pay step for their years of experience. If you are a Group Health RN, please participate in the survey, the first step toward taking on this issue.

Take the survey here.