UNION SOLIDARITY THIS SPRING
Shop Steward & Leadership Conference
On April 11, OPEIU Local 8 leaders from different workplaces across the state came together and learned how to build more strength in our union. Attendees got training specific to their experience level, learned how to build an action from the ground up, did some Weingarten role play, and more. Thank you to all who participated. This work is vital to any successful union. At the conference, the Hardship Committee held a delicious “Dessert Dash” and we raised a whopping $2,136 for our union siblings in need.
Solidarity Summit
Mark your calendar for the annual Solidarity Summit hosted by our Race, Equity & Social Justice (RESJ) Committee. This year’s summit will be on Saturday, June 6, in Tacoma.
The theme this year is: Rooted in Justice, Blooming in Solidarity. This event is not only the perfect way to get involved with you union but also a chance to be uplifted and empowered. These aren’t conferences or seminars — they are meaningful conversations between members with engaging and inclusive activities.
Last year, participants submitted their evaluation of the event. 100% of attendees said it was a good use of their time, that they met someone new or strengthened existing connections, and enjoyed the activities. 94% noted the Solidarity Summit inspired them to get more involved in our union and community. “I didn’t know what to expect,” said a staff member and first-time participant. “I was glad I went. I walked away feeling hopeful and proud of my union.”
Don’t miss out! Click here to register today.
JOIN THE FIGHT
Seattle May Day
WHEN: Friday, May 1 (rally starts at 12 pm, march to follow)
WHERE: Starting at Cal Anderson Park
WHO: All members, workers, students, consumers — we are strongest together!
Click here for more info.
COOKING FOR A CAUSE!
HELPING MEMBERS IN NEED
In February, the Young Workers Committee (YWC) partnered with the Hardship Fundraising Committee for a Chili Cook-off! Participants brought their best dishes and got to taste various chilis and cornbread — all while raising funds for members in need.
OPEIU Local 8 is one of the few unions with a Hardship Fund that goes directly to members experiencing emergency financial hardship. The Hardship Fund relies on donations and proceeds from events like this. Every dollar donated to the fund goes straight to a member in need — it’s tax deductible, there are no fees, and the union doesn’t take anything from the pot. If every member donated just $1 a month, so many more lived could be changed.
Click here to learn more or donate.
Our next event? SUMMER YARD SALE! If you like seeking out new treasures and unique items for your home, then this is for you. Save the date — Saturday, July 18 — for what we hope to become an annual fundraising event. More details to follow.
Our Chili Cook-off winners shown above! Congratulations to Sara Jimenez (left) and Hogarth Russell (right) who tied for 1st place.
HAPPENING AT PROVIDENCE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER EVERETT
New Union Contract
In March, members at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett (PRMCE) overwhelming approved their new union contract. They secured a 3-year agreement increasing wages for all employees across the board. The bargaining team also secured much-needed adjustments for job classifications that were behind market rate, as well as night and weekend differentials and parking at no cost.
Thank you to everyone who helped us win this new contract, and a special thank you to members on the bargaining team.
Unfair Labor Practice Win
Last Spring, OPEIU Local 8 members at PRMCE alerted union representatives of a rebid in their department – Food and Nutrition – because of suspected contract violations. The union reps requested employee bid sheets and the rationale for each bid placement from the employer. Then, PRMCE management decided to refuse.
After repeated requests, we filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold the employer accountable. And we won!
It was ruled that PRMCE violated federal labor law by failing to provide the union with information we are legally entitled to. In addition to providing the information, PRMCE must post notices in conspicuous locations at the facilities for 60 days. The union reps reviewed the provided info and filed grievances on behalf of several Local 8 members in the department.
New Union Contract
PRMCE started hiring “Patient Sitters” in an effort to skim work from our existing bargaining unit, which includes certified nursing assistants (CNAs). When a patient needs constant monitoring, CNAs were often utilized for sitting duties. PRMCE thought they could steal that work from the bargaining unit and hire workers to do the same constant monitoring.
We filed a grievance. After over a year of delays and refusal to provide information, Local 8 decided to request a unit clarification from the labor board. We finally held a hearing and won that unit clarification. By the time we won the hearing, the number of patient sitters at PRMCE had increased to 92. Local 8 was in the middle of negotiations for the next union contract so we bargained an accretion agreement, as well as a wage scale, and now the sitters are a part of our union! The sitters are happy to have a wage scale with guaranteed increases, and all the protections having a union contract provides. Our bargaining team welcomed the new members during our vote meetings for the new contract.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Crea Forrest
The following poem was authored by our RESJ Committee Co-Chair, Crea Forrest, in response to a disturbing social media post by President Donald Trump with offensive imagery depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys.
In “I know my spirit,” Crea confronts the pain and violence of racist dehumanization, and affirms the strength, dignity, and resilience of knowing one’s own humanity. We are honored to share her words with our membership.
“I know my spirit”
For years, we as minorities have been called apes—
reduced to monkeys in the mouths of those who never bothered to learn our names.
We have been labeled violent, unintelligent, low-class, ghetto.
As if our existence needed translation.
As if our humanity were up for debate.
Our words were never allowed to simply be words.
We had to back them with proof.
Receipts.
Evidence.
Character witnesses for crimes we never committed.
We were guilty by skin alone—
our color a red flag long before our actions ever were.
We carried the weight of lies that were never ours,
of accusations passed down like heirlooms.
We were looked at, priced, and sold as property—
while freedom and equality were handed to others
as birthrights.
We earned ours under a burning sun,
standing in cotton fields,
bodies scorched, spirits tested,
history carved into our backs.
And still, we learned something powerful.
We learned that no matter how we are depicted,
no matter how often the world insists on seeing us as anything but what we truly are—
we know ourselves.
We know that the spirit inside this so-called “shell”
is more powerful,
more centered,
more unshakable
than the Earth’s core itself.
That truth does not require permission.
It does not bend to insult.
It does not break under slander.
Because what truly matters is not what we are called—
it is what we know we are.
And to those who truly know us,
who love us beyond the inherited bias,
beyond the lazy narratives and stained lenses—
You chose to look past the shell
that most people never learned how to clean,
never learned how to see clearly through.
That choice matters.
Seeing us clearly is an act of courage
in a world invested in distortion.
We are not the names we were given.
We are not the lies that survived longer than the truth.
We are legacy, resilience, brilliance, and becoming—
whether the world is ready to admit it or not.
By Crea Forrest
© 2026 C. Forrest. All rights reserved.
MAY 2: FILM SCREENING & SING-ALONG
Join the Young Workers Committee for a Newsies (1992) film screening and sing-along. Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP — click here to do so.
The screening will be held at Beacon Hill Cinema on Saturday, May 2, starting at 10 am.
Newsies is about the New York City newsboys’ strike of 1899. A young Christian Bale stars in the cult-classic directed by Kenny Ortega (High School Musical, Hocus Pocus). See you there!
MAY 9: STAMP OUT HUNGER
The Outreach, Engagement, Visibility (OEV) Committee encourages all members to join hands with the USPS, NALC, and NRLCA during their “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive on May 9!
USPS will place a bag in your mailbox to use for non-perishable donations to be collected in. This year, put on your OPEIU swag (t-shirt, hat, hoodie whatever you have) and take a photo of yourself placing your donation at your mailbox or post office. In 2026, let’s help stamp out hunger and show our solidarity with the USPS food drive.
Please send those photos to julia@opeiu8.org so we can document all the participation.