UW & SEIU 1199NW Mediation Bargaining Recap for October 13
For this update, we are sharing a communication that was sent to employees of Harborview Medical Center from the CEO. The communication is as follows:
I am writing to update you on the ongoing negotiations with our labor partners from SEIU 1199NW. At the same time, I want to express my deep gratitude for your resiliency and dedication to our patients in the face of yet another COVID-19 surge. I am proud to call you colleagues and humbled by the sacrifices you continue to make in service of Harborview’s mission.
You might remember that when we entered negotiations on the 2021-23 contract earlier this year, I asked you to trust the process and expressed my belief that both sides, negotiating in good faith, would reach a fair and equitable agreement. My position has not changed.
Even as we enter a third month of mediation, I am optimistic that we’ll soon reach agreement, just as we have with our labor partners from SEIU 925 and WFSE at Harborview, and with WSNA at UWMC-Montlake and UWMC-Northwest.
Your management team already has put forth the largest package we have ever offered.
On top of that, this week we added $5,000 retention bonuses for registered nurses, flight nurses and respiratory therapists as well as $3,000 retention bonuses for imaging technicians. Also this week, we added a 2% pay increase for dietitians, electroneurodiagnostic technologists, nuclear medicine technologists, physician assistants, social workers and speech-language pathologists. These 2% increases are in addition to the dual 2% across-the-board increases we put forward in the prior package. Collectively, these additions represent an additional $10 million in compensation for our staff. (Details from all past bargaining sessions can be found on the UW Labor Relations website at http://hr.uw.edu/labor/staff-unions.)
We understand the pandemic has strained our system in extraordinary ways; the past year and a half have been difficult on everybody, but especially those on the frontlines. Management has heard you and we are responding. The newest proposal reflects that.
Like you, we are eager to reach a fair agreement. We believe it is in everybody’s best interest to arrive at that point sooner rather than later. To that end, management will continue to bargain in good faith and engage constructively through mediation. We trust that our efforts will be reciprocated by our labor partners
I look forward to providing another update on our progress soon. Thank you again for all that you do to care for our patients and for always putting them first.
In gratitude,
Sommer Kleweno Walley, MHA, MA, CCC-SLP
Chief Executive Officer
Harborview Medical Center
What’s Included in the Updated 2021-23 Offer?
SEIU 1199 HMC
Jobs Receiving Recruitment & Retention and/or Market-Based Range Increases
| Additional Proposals |
|
| Job Title | Across-the-Board Increase* | Recruitment & Retention Increase* | Across-the-Board
Increase (7/1/22) |
Total Increase
Over 2 Years (2021-23) |
| Anesthesiology Technician 2 | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Anesthesiology Technician Lead | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Cardiac Sonographer 1 | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Cardiac Sonographer 2 | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Cardiac Sonographer Lead | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Diagnostic Medial Sonographer | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Diagnostic Medial Sonographer Lead | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Diagnostic Medial Sonographer Spec | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Dietitian 1 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Dietitian 2 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist 1 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist 2 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist 3 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Nuclear Med P.E.T. Technologist | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Nuclear Med Technologist 1 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Nuclear Med Technologist 2 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Nuclear Med Technologist Lead | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Flight Nurse | 1% | 5.0% | 2% | 8.0% |
| Flight Nurse Sr | 1% | 5.0% | 2% | 8.0% |
| Imaging Tech | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Imaging Tech – Angio | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Imaging Tech – Comp Tomo | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Imaging Tech – Education/QA | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Imaging Tech – Lead | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Imaging Tech – Mammo | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Imaging Tech – MRI | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Imaging Tech Supv | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Imaging Tech Trainee | 2% | 7.3% | 2% | 11.3% |
| Pharmacy Technician 1 | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Pharmacy Technician 2 | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Pharmacy Technician Lead | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Physician Assistant – Adv RN Pract | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Physician Assistant – Adv RN Pract Lead | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Registered Nurse 2 | 1% | 5.0% | 2% | 8.0% |
| Registered Nurse 3 | 1% | 5.0% | 2% | 8.0% |
| Respiratory Care Associate | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Respiratory Care Lead | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Respiratory Care Practitioner | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Respiratory Care Specialist | 2% | 5.2% | 2% | 9.2% |
| Social Work Assistant 2 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Social Worker | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Speech-Language Pathologist 1 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Speech-Language Pathologist 2 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Speech-Language Pathologist 3 | 2% | NEW: 2% | 2% | 6% |
| Vascular Sonographer | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| Vascular Sonographer Lead | 2% | 5.1% | 2% | 9.1% |
| All others not listed | 2% | 2% | 4.0% |
*Increases would take effect immediately with union approval of contract.
| Premium Increases | ||
| Description | Current | Proposed |
| Night shift premium for RN/ALNW and PA-ARNP bargaining units | $4.00/hr | $4.50/hr |
| Charge premium for RN bargaining unit | $2.25/hr | $2.50/hr |
| Perm float premium for RN bargaining unit | $3.75/hr | $4.00/hr |
| Standby premium for RN/ALNW bargaining unit | $4.00/hr | $4.25/hr; $6.25/hr for hours over 30 per pay period |
| Standby premium for P/T, Imaging Tech Supv, Resp/Anesth/END bargaining units | $3.75/hr | $4.00/hr; $6.00/hr for hours over 30 per pay period |
| Standby premium for SW/Dietitian/PA-ARNP/SLP, Pharm Tech bargaining units | $3.75/hr | $4.00/hr |
| Add ECMO premium for select job profiles | ||