Tacoma senior facility’s clinicians form union with OPEIU 23

From left, Shaun Francis of OPEIU, FTJ LPN Fran Fanene, and OPEIU Local 23 Business Manager Allan Jacobson.

TACOMA (May 13, 2014) — Clinical employees of Franke Tobey Jones, a senior living facility in Tacoma, voted overwhelmingly last month to be represented by Office and Professional Employees Local 23.

The April 8 election, supervised by the National Labor Relations Board, asked the 58 Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Nursing Assistants and Certified Nursing Assistants whether or not they wished to be represented by OPEIU Local 23. The Franke Tobey Jones employees voted a resounding “yes,” by more than 80% margin.

“The clinical staff of Franke Toby Jones are very excited with the successful outcome of our vote to develop our union,” said Fran Fanene, FTJ LPN. “We, as a team, are looking forward to coming to the bargaining table with great ideas that will benefit FTJ as a whole, but most importantly, benefit our residents that we care for. We are eager for a new beginning of fair treatment with the support of OPEIU Local 23.”

Allan Jacobson, Business Manager of OPEIU Local 23, added, “I am very excited about the overwhelming yes vote at FTJ. I am very proud of the solidarity that the Clinical Staff displayed, despite an aggressive anti-union campaign launched by management. Now the hard work of getting a fair contract begins. Local 23 is looking forward to helping the employees of FTJ build and strengthen their union.”

OPEIU Local 23, an affiliate of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, negotiates and administers approximately 50 contracts covering more than 1,000 employees within county government, private business, social service agencies, legal firms, medical and mental health care professions, and office employees of other major labor unions in the area. Visit Local 23’s website for more information.