Grays Harbor Community Hospital employees who belong to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21 are unhappy with the progress of contract negotiations and are planning demonstrations in front of the hospital on Dec. 13, including informational picketing in the morning and at lunchtime, and then a candlelight vigil from 4:30 p.m.- 6 p.m.
Efforts to obtain a new labor contract remain stalled after about nine months of sporadic talks. The major sticking point continues to be insurance coverage.
“We can’t afford the increases they are proposing,” said John Warring, Unit Representative with UFCW Local 21 and a microbiologist at the hospital for nearly 40 years.
The union wants the hospital to change the UFCW’s insurance carrier to a state program as a way to reduce costs, such as the Public Employees Benefits Board Program.
“We think this is the better plan. It would save them almost a million dollars over three years,” Warring said. “We think they should capture savings by every means possible.”
The hospital administrators didn’t include this in their latest proposal, Warring explained.
The hospital responded to The Daily World’s request for comment with a written statement: “Grays Harbor Community Hospital respects the rights of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21 to engage in an informational picketing. We remain optimistic that an agreement can be reached and all parties can continue to bring the best possible services to the Harbor. GHCH will continue to provide excellent care for our patients and the community.”
Labor representatives for the hospital’s registered nurses, who negotiate separately from the UFCW, had no problem with the more expensive private insurance the hospital is offering. But, “the nurses make $70,000-$100,000 a year,” Warring pointed out.
Union representatives made a presentation about two weeks ago to the hospital’s board of directors. This effort was an attempt to persuade board members that hospital administrators should consider the union’s arguments. Warring and another official, Eric Timmons, provided history about employee bargaining over the years and why a better labor contract than what has been offered, so far, would make it easier to retain and recruit skilled workers.
Timmons also told the board at that meeting that if an upcoming session with administrators didn’t show progress, informational picketing was coming.
The presentation was not only about a week ahead of a scheduled negotiation session between administrators and union on Dec. 1, but only minutes before an evaluation the board was to complete of CEO Tom Jensen. The union leaders hoped the board would take their side and ask Jensen to come up with a better offer.
On Monday, however, Warring described that meeting between union officials and hospital administrators as “rather disappointing.”
UFCW members and supporters have been distributing fliers around the community, including during WinterFest over the weekend, explaining what the union seeks. Warring and Timmons said increasing public involvement is the next step. Some people in the community have been posting pro-UFCW signs outside their homes.
“It’s time we tell the administration they need to come back to the bargaining table and bargain in good faith,” the flier states.
