URGENT UNION UPDATE!
No court case can stop us
We’re sticking to our union to keep winning for our patients and clients, our families, and our communities.
We’re staying strong together even though extremist groups and anti-union employers are counting on the US Supreme Court decision in Janus vs. AFSCME to weaken our union strength. By making it optional for public employees to be in our union they hope we will lose our power to improve our wages, benefits, and even our staffing.
When we’re not all in the union together management will try to roll back what we’ve won. Our union raises standards for all workers and each of us needs to do our part to keep our union strong.
Together we have power to stand up for wages, benefits, and staffing.
Say NO to attempts to weaken our union
The Freedom Foundation is one extremist group behind this attack that will try to get us to drop our dues. They might visit our homes, knock on our doors, and send us mail with misleading information that we can give ourselves a raise—they might even show up outside of our hospital to talk to us. But what they don’t tell us is that if we leave our union we’ll be weaker and without power to have a say in our pay, healthcare, and working conditions.
Here are three things that we can do right now:
- Commit to keeping our union strong. If you haven’t done so already, fill out a new union form and do your part to stay united.
- Talk to your co-workers now about why you’re staying in the union and what we’ve won together. Connect with your delegate and Executive Board leader about what we can do next.
- Watch for mail, phone calls, or visits to your house from the Freedom Foundation about dropping your union dues. Don’t be fooled—tell the Freedom Foundation that you’re staying union strong.
“I’ve been a nurse at Valley in the Birth Center for eight years and am also a member of another SEIU local because I care for my mother as an independent provider home health aide. The Freedom Foundation is al-ready contacting me to try to drop my union dues. I have received letters and phone calls telling me that the union is greedy and taking my hard earned pay and telling me I don’t get anything for those dues. The language in the letters tells me I don’t have to belong to the union and I should decide what to do with my own money.
But I know that’s not true. Because we’re in a union we’ve fought for and won higher wages, affordable health insurance, retirement security, and continuing education.
When you hear from the Freedom Foundation don’t fall for the hype.
Our unions are strong because we stand together.”
Bernie Toner, RN, Valley Medical Center
“Through our unity we have made big improvements including tripling our yearly increases. Without fair wages we will lose CNAs and other people to other hospitals. Together we have the power to win wages that will attract and keep the caring and skilled employees our patients need.”
Leannda Braaten, CNA, Island Hospital
“Our union is how we advocate and fight for ourselves and patients. Our union is a community. We stand together as brothers and sisters and we have unlimited support as long as we stick together.”
Zeynab Jama, RN, BPICU, Harborview Medical Center
“When we’re united we can make real change that benefits not only us but the people we take care of. It’s important that we’re all members so we can fight for laws that affect the work we do whether it’s staffing ratios for better patient care or ensuring that we can take real breaks. When we’re all united we can make real change.”
Kay Zellmer, EMT, Lincoln Hospital
“Without our union we wouldn’t be a hospital anymore. I’m proud of the work we did in the past. Through our union we fight for what we and our patients need, we won before. Together we will win again.”
Dominga Rice, Environmental Services Tech, EvergreenHealth Monroe
“We need a strong union. We’re sticking together, we’re united, we’re not going away.”
Melissa Staples, RN3, Eastern State Hospital
“Our union means that frontline staff have a voice in our workplace and the ability to advocate for our patients.”
Jatinder Kaur, RN, CCU, Valley Medical Center
“How do we stand strong for our patients and community? By staying united in our union. When we do that we can give the best care to our patients.”
Michelle Uranga, RN, Olympic Medical Center
“We’re sticking together in our strong union. As nurses, we’re devoted patient advocates and no court case can hold us back. Nurses deserve to be treated fairly and with respect and our union means we can ensure that. With our union we can create conditions that are ideal for working and healing.”
Christopher Huston, RN, Prosser Medical Center
“We’re going through bankruptcy at Trios and if weren’t together in our union we’d be voiceless and without power. I will stay a union member no matter what because it’s so fundamental that we are stronger together.”
Shanna Chafin, ED Tech, Trios Health
“I often take care of patients that say “I’m so glad that there’s someone here that I know.” KVH nurses and staff offer a level of care that you can only get at a hometown hospital. Together in our union, we’re working to make sure it stays that way. Regardless of the Supreme Court decision, we are committed to standing together in our union.”
Dave Gilliam, RN, Klickitat Valley Hospital
“Being in a union means that each of us can make our voices heard when we feel the hospital could do better to care for our patients and our community. It is our united voice—all of us together—that gives us the strength to be the best advocates for our patients as well as ourselves and our profession. And that’s what makes our hospital great.”
Doris Hiebert, RN, Newport Hospital
“How do we stand strong for our patients and our community? By staying united in our union. When we do this, we can give the best care to our patients. Now I ask you as my co-workers to stand strong with me.”
Pammy Hammond, CNA, ACU
“Being in a union means that each of us can make our voices heard when we feel the hospital could do better to care for our patients and our community. It is our united voice—all of us together—that gives us the strength to be the best advocates for our patients as well as ourselves and our profession. And that’s what makes our hospital great.”
Doris Hiebert, RN, Newport Hospital
“I’m sticking with our union and calling on you to do the same. We need to stay a strong union if we want to fight back against those who wish to weaken our voices. If we stick together we can continue to fight for better wages and staffing for better quality care. We don’t have to settle for what others want to give us but instead we can push for higher standards.”
Marlita Mingarcal, PCU Tech and Monitor Tech, EvergreenHealth
“Being in a union means we have the ability to stand together and address situations as a group, knowing that others in our union will back us up. We are all committing to stick together, stay in our union, and keep paying dues. This is how we are going to remain strong.”
Becca Kane, Nurse Consultant, DSHS