Minding Your Business Reporter Tad Sooter keeps tabs on the West Sound economy, nonprofits and health care.

Tag Archives: union

Home care workers holding protest in Bremerton

Update: As far as we could tell, nobody showed up to this event today. We’ve reached out to organizers to find out if it was cancelled.

Home care workers will rally at Burger King in Bremerton on Wednesday to protest in support of a $15 minimum wage and retirement benefits.

The workers are represented by the Service Employees International Union. The event is part of a statewide day of action.

Home care workers are protesting provisions in a proposed budget released by state Senate Republicans, which they say would prevent contributions to retirement plans.

The protest will begin at 11:30 a.m. at 621 Warren Ave., Bremerton.

Harrison pro-techs plan informational picket

Tad Sooter

Six months of negotiations between Harrison Medical Center and its 800 union pro-tech employees ground to a halt this winter.

Harrison recently delivered what it calls its final proposal to the employees, who are members of UFCW 21. The union responded last week by giving Harrison 10-day notice of an informational picket. The picket will be held from 2-6 p.m. Feb. 19 at Harrison in Bremerton.

“This action has become necessary in order to connect with the public and patients and let them know of the challenges these health care workers are facing in the current contract negotiations,” UFCW 21 spokesman Tom Geiger said in an email.

Negotiations on the new pro-tech contract opened last summer. One sticking point in Harrison’s proposal is a clause that would not allow pro-tech employees to honor the picket lines of other bargaining units at Harrison.