Legacy Mt. Hood: Your Employer is Playing Games with Your Future -Bargaining Update #07
Legacy’s latest response? Silence on wages and empty promises on benefits. They still haven’t responded to our wage proposal, and they refuse to put your health insurance or retirement benefits in writing. That means they want the power to change them whenever they feel like it—without your input.
They claim this is about “equity” with non-union employees. Let’s be clear: equity should mean raising standards for everyone, not dragging us down. We’re fighting for fully employer-paid healthcare because every worker at this hospital deserves it. Healthy workers mean better care for patients and a stronger hospital—Legacy knows this, but they don’t want to pay for it.
And now? They’re making unilateral decisions and trying to blame the union. Management has suddenly changed a longtime employee’s schedule as if they can just decide on their own. But you know better—your schedule, your wages, and your working conditions are YOUR RIGHT to bargain. Under federal law, the hospital must negotiate instead of making backroom decisions.
Your bargaining team has one message for Legacy: Stop the games. Respect the workers. Come to the table and negotiate in good faith. See the message we delivered to management below:
Legacy Mt. Hood had an obligation to notify the union of an operational change in a timely manner that impacted a current bargaining unit member’s hours. Although you have taken the position you do not have the obligation to bargain, the change in an employee’s schedule is a unilateral change in a mandatory subject of bargaining – as hours of work are mandatory for bargaining.
SEIU also believes that Legacy Mt. Hood had an obligation to engage in bargaining prior to creating and filling a new position, we believe this falls under good faith, particularly as it pertains to “parties should disclose relevant information in a timely manner”. If the employer had given prior notice the parties could’ve negotiated, and then the remaining hours that needed to be filled could have been posted.
Instead, the employer posted a position that is currently unclear to the union as they have not provided the requested job posting at the time of demanding a proposal on impact and instead may have engaged in direct dealing with a new employee and impacting a current employee’s right to negotiate. By making the unilateral change and then notifying the union, instead of bargaining first, the employer has put the union and its members in a difficult if not hostile situation.
Sign the petition to show Legacy you stand with your bargaining team and won’t back down. We demand fair wages, guaranteed benefits, and a strong contract that protects our rights. When we stand together, we win—add your name today!
The latest from the bargaining table...
| Your Bargaining Team's Proposal | Management Response |
|---|---|
| Increase Wages and Differentials | ✗ NO RESPONSE |
| Fully Paid Healthcare | ✗ NO: Provide benefits as “similarly situated” employees with no plan description, just vague language that employer can change at any time, without bargaining. |
| Improvements to Retirement Increase employer match - Employer match starts after probation (90 days) |
✗ NO: Maintain status quo, and employer can change at any time, without bargaining. ✗ NO: match starts after 1 year of employment |
| Staffing: Those who do the work know the most about improving it! Defined process for populating staffing committee (labor picks labor) Unit Based Committees (UBC): Labor and management meet monthly to discuss staffing and develop staffing plans based on needs of their department. |
✗ NO: Only willing to do what the law requires. ✗ NO: It is unclear what process would be or if management would pick labor representatives. ✗ NO: No monthly department meetings to hear from you on staffing needs. |
| Education: Join the other Legacy Health Systems in the SEIU joint education fund. | ✗ NO RESPONSE |
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