Members Win Significant Contract Improvements at UW Physicians

Members Spoke Out at Work and via Blog

SEIU Local 925 members working at UW Physicians, a private non-profit corporation which handles billing and billing related services for the University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center, fought back an ugly outsourcing proposal and won significant wage improvements in their new contract. The contract was ratified unanimously on July 10th 2007 -- a testament to the solidarity members displayed during the three month contract campaign.

Members voice their disgust at management proposals and practices at the company’s quarterly meeting, in the worksite, and at the bargaining table members,  driving home the message that “Contracting Out is Bad Medicine!”  Member action forced management to withdraw their most draconian take-aways, including a sweeping outsourcing proposal that would have gutted the bargaining unit. By wearing stickers and buttons, demonstrating at a quarterly meeting, signing petitions, testifying at the bargaining table, rallying in the workplace and finally threatening direct action on the board of trustees members wore down the management team winning their first COLA in three years as well as bonuses that could amount to as much as 15% in each year of the contract.

Contract Blog
Most significantly for an employer that relies heavily on telecommuting members created an on-line community of workers through the use of their contract negotiations blog. Hundreds of workers shared their opinions and ideas daily, creating a virtual workplace in which to bond and take action. It was clearly an effective tool moving management to comment on the last day of negotiations that they had read what people were saying and were ready to move on wages and outsourcing. Congratulations UWP members on a hard fought campaign victory!

Read the blog.