SEIU UHW - Rapidly Expanding Member-Elected Bargaining Team Continues Push for Improved Pension Plan

Our SEIU-UHW member-elected bargaining team continues to push management for some much-needed improvements to the way our current pension plan is calculated. Our SEIU-UHW contract states that CHW must increase costs by $2 million per year to improve our pension plan.

Our financial experts have completed their analysis of the current pension plan, and the ways we can improve it with the $2 million from CHW. Even better, since we have forced CHW management to give us more detailed information, we now know we can do even more for members with that $2 million than we thought!

Together, we can ensure a fairer plan that will protect our retirement security. We're pushing for employer contributions to retirement that match our annual wage increases; higher employer match to 403b (33% instead of 25%); a more traditional pension that is based on our final salary at retirement; and more.

The team also resumed bargaining over improvements to collateral pay--we have more than $2.3 million available to fund increases to standby pay, shift differentials, and more.

BEWARE! Some of the former, disgraced UHW leaders are spreading misinformation about the amount available for collateral pay improvements and about what they signed off on in October. Even though these former leaders accepted and signed off on $2.3 million, we are still trying to win as much money as possible by getting the full 24% compensation increase committed by management. Despite the fact that former leadership has tried to tie our hands, we are fighting for a better deal, to make real progress on collateral pay fairness.

"I'm involved now because we need to make sure we get the best retirement we possibly can."

- Ed Nickerson, Respiratory Therapist, Mercy Redding, bargaining team member

"We can't forget that we are the union--we make this work. We need to stay strong, united, involved, and stand up for what we believe - negotiations and bargaining."