Reporter Central Kitsap
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FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014 | Vol. 29, No. 36 | WWW.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM | 50¢
Harrison workers authorize one-day strike BY KEVAN MOORE KMOORE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Professional and technical workers at Harrison Medical Center overwhelmingly authorized a one-day strike during voting in Bremerton on Tuesday. Officials from UFCW 21, the union representing the more than 700 workers, said 88 percent of those who voted authorized a strike. The union now must give the hospital a 10-day notice before actually striking. The hospital and the union are set to go into mediation June 17 and 18. “The health care workers’
desire is to be able to focus on taking care of patients and having a reasonable conclusion to negotiations with the employer restoring the historic approach to respectful conduct,” said UFCW 21 spokesman Tom Geiger. “Workers have taken steps repeatedly over the last seven months to make their concerns clear to management.” In a letter to workers ahead of the vote, Harrison CEO Scott Bosch said the hospital is committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair settlement. “I am incredibly disappoint-
ed in the push to strike and other strong-arm tactics union leaders have used before our new talks have even begun,” Bosch wrote, referring to the upcoming mediation sessions. Geiger said that the relationship between Harrison and its employees has been relatively civil for decades and contract negotiations were generally able to conclude short of a dispute. “Unfortunately, all that changed in 2013,” Geiger said. “Harrison, after the affiliation with Franciscan Health System, has taken a very aggressive and combative
approach in bargaining a new contract with over 700 Pro Tech workers.” Contract negotiations between the hospital and the ProTech workers began in June 2013 and the workers’ contract expired in September 2013. Workers voted in March of this year, rejecting a “final” proposal from Harrison by an 81 percent margin. Geiger said that the Seattle office of the National Labor Relations Board, which will not comment publicly about ongoing cases, found that Harrison broke the law when it demanded workers to cease
leafleting, called in police and conducted surveillance as well as when it conducted direct bargaining. Jacquie Goodwill, Harrison’s director of marketing and communication, said the union also violated the law amidst the ongoing negotiations, but was unwilling to say how. “We’re not going there,” she said. “It is counterproductive to the negotiations. We want to keep our doors open and are committed to furthering the conversation in a productive way.” In his letter to work-
LKELLY@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Seraine Page/staff photo
Band director Benson Cleverdon plays notes for profoundly deaf student Trenton Eash who feels the vibrations on a drum and sound box.
Deaf student tackles the tuba BY SERAINE PAGE
There’s nothing that sixth grader Trenton Eash can’t do. Once he puts his mind to it, the Woodlands Elementary student’s enthusiasm bursts, filling the room with his energy. This year alone, Trenton made his way through attempting to learn several instru-
SEE STRIKE, A9
Disciplinary action upheld by CKF&R BY LESLIE KELLY
SPAGE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
ers ahead of the vote, Bosch said union negotiators told a federal mediator that they could agree on much of what Harrison proposed, but only if Harrison dropped its proposal over a no-strike clause. “That clause does not prevent you from striking when your own contract expires and if negotiations come to an impasse,” Bosch wrote. “Similar provisions are commonly found in hospital contracts to protect patient care, and UFCW has agreed to similar provisions at many other hospitals.”
ments— first the trumpet, next was the French horn, then the baritone, and now, as the school year comes to an end, he’s settled on the tuba. There’s also something unique about Trenton’s passion to play: he can’t hear any of the sound he creates. Trenton, 11, is profoundly deaf. Still, he has the fervor of
someone who has been playing for years. “What impresses me most about Trenton is he’s completely uninhibited even though he’s profoundly deaf,” said Benson Cleverdon, Woodlands Elementary band director who provided lessons to Eash. “He has enormous resilience,” he said. “He has such a passion to play an instrument.
He’s a brilliant lad.” According to the Center for Music Learning at the University of Texas at Austin, more than 12,000 babies are born each year with a hearing loss. The cause is often unknown, states the university’s website. The American SpeechSEE TRENTON, A9
Commissioners for Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue District voted Monday to uphold a disciplinary action taken against firefighter Ronny Smith. After a 20-minute hearing at which attorneys for the district and for the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2819 which represented Smith, the board opted to uphold a letter of reprimand against Smith for what the district termed as “insubordination.” Commissioners voted four in favor and there was one abstention. Commissioner Dick West did not vote because he was late to the meeting and was not present for the hearing at which the attorneys spoke. The disciplinary action was taken by the district following an attempt to question Smith about information that was posted to the Kitsap Fire Watch website. The district contends that the information was private and should not have been disclosed. The action stemmed from Smith’s refusal to answer questions about the incident. Smith said he would not answer questions because it pertained to union activities which he said was protected.
Smith is the vice president of the local firefighters union. The district, however, said that under its code of conduct, Smith should have answered the questions and then filed a grievance if he thought the district had violated his ability to do his union work. Mike Duchemin, attorney for the union said that Smith was correct in his actions not to answer questions, and that he later answered the questions in a second hearing at which he had legal representation. “We believe he was wrongly asked to talk about union activities,” Duchemin said. Sofia Mabee, the district’s attorney, however, said that Smith’s refusal to answer interfered with CKF&R’s investigation of a release of patient information protected under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). The matter now moves to grievance arbitration at the state level. Smith said the SEE FIRE, A9