SEIU2015 Chapter of PNWSU Ends ULP Strike
Why We Went on Strike?
Earlier in 2022, the Management of SEIU Local 2015 decided to commit multiple unfair labor practices during the wage reopener bargaining resulting in a corrupted and incomplete bargaining process. PNWSU immediately filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and continued to pressure Management to return to bargain. Management continued to refuse to bargain in good faith. After one last-ditch effort to resolve the conflicts and with NLRB charges still unresolved, PNWSU members working for SEIU Local 2015 began to strike the afternoon of October 31, 2022 and established ULP picket lines on November 1 when it was clear Management was continuing to refuse to engage in good-faith bargaining.
After two weeks on ULP strike the PNWSU SEIU2015 Chapter leadership asked the membership for authorization to end the strike and return to work, noting that it is our hope Management finally heard us, understands our resolve, and will approach us with a mindset and behavior consistent and complimentary to the values of the labor movement.
Below is the open letter published via Twitter on November 13, 2022
With great pride, PNWSU Chapter 2015, the union of SEIU Local 2015 staff, announces our decision to end our Unfair Labor Practice strike after 12 days and unconditionally take our fight back into the workplace.
We plan to ratify Management’s last wage and healthcare reopener proposal, including a $3,000 per person bonus. This bonus, was originally intended to buy our approval of a dissatisfactory proposal that absolves our Employer from guaranteeing meaningful wage increases, will be accepted as strike pay and used to rebuild our Union’s Strike Fund.
Ultimately, we end this strike in a far more advantageous position than that in which we began. We will head into our successor contract negotiation (our collective bargaining agreement expires December 31, 2022) with an extremely well-funded Strike Fund, a united and empowered rank-and-file membership, and a vast network of support and solidarity from allies all across the country who are now watching our Employer’s (and their own) every move.
Our strike pulled back the curtain on the extent to which SEIU 2015 Management is willing to deploy union-busting boss tactics typically seen by anti-union companies and their executives. While out on strike we were forced to file even more unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for surveillance, assault, and intimidation. PNWSU members, like the long-term care workers we represent, deserve a dignified and respectful work environment. Our Management, like the nursing home employers and corporate executives we fight against, must continue to be held accountable for their unlawful practices.
SEIU 2015’s culture of toxicity has led to immense difficulty in attracting and retaining dedicated staff, resulting in high turnover, understaffing, and mental and physical health issues. We know that this has negatively impacted the quality of representation and organizing power available to our SEIU 2015 rank-and-file members and has taken a detrimental toll on the overall power of the union – despite being the second-largest Local union in the United States.
There is no room for hypocrisy or double standards in the labor movement. Our commitment to upholding Labor’s values and building worker power, both among our staff and in solidarity with our SEIU 2015 members, is stronger than ever. We re-enter work on Monday with a sense of renewed optimism and an expanded sense of possibility.
We are grateful for the many acts of support and encouragement that we have received from across California, the Nation, and as far away as Switzerland. Each individual, organization, and staff union that reached out in solidarity will forever have our hearts. We know that our fight does not exist in isolation and that we must all fight to ensure that the Labor Movement actually lives up to the responsibility before us: To fight to win social and economic justice for ALL workers. The bonds we have built during our strike will continue to grow stronger. We are only just getting started.
In Solidarity,
Pacific Northwest Staff Union Chapter 2015
Next Steps
We have scheduled bargaining dates with SEIU Local 2015 Management and hope to successfully bargain our successor Contract. Unfortunately, Management has refused an additional request for information related to wage issues and we have filed an additional unfair labor practice charge as a result. Our commitment to building a relationship with SEIU Local 2015 leadership where we all uniformly live labor’s values remains strong. Accountability is ever and always essential to change.