The nurses and healthcare workers of the Washington State Nurses Association, UFCW 21 and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW will announce their intent to strike in press conferences Friday, Jan. 3 to be held in Seattle and Spokane.

By an overwhelming majority, the WSNA-represented registered nurses at Providence Kadlec Regional Medical Center have ratified a new 3-year contract. Nurses maintain paid time off benefits, win enhanced staffing and workplace violence language

In a major victory for Kadlec nurses, the Washington State Nurses Association and Providence Kadlec Regional Medical Center reached a tentative contract agreement last night.

SEATTLE—In a press conference to be held today outside Swedish Medical Center First Hill Campus, nurses and other healthcare workers representing caregivers from three unions announced their readiness to strike if parent company Providence does not come back to the bargaining table with fair contract proposals.

RICHLAND, Wash – After two days of voting, Kadlec members of the Washington State Nurses Association voted by an overwhelming majority to authorize a strike.

SPOKANE, Wash – After two days of voting, Sacred Heart members of the Washington State Nurses Association voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.

SPOKANE: Nurses represented by the Washington State Nurses Association this week launched strike preparations with a series of union meetings. Nurses will be signing a petition to pledge their support for a “strike if we have to” and signing up for strike committees.

OLYMPIA, WA: A last minute amendment added to a bipartisan patient safety bill (SHB 1155) in the State Senate exempts Washington’s 40 “critical access hospitals” in rural areas from statewide standards, impacting thousands of patients, nurses, and technicians.

The state Department of Labor and Industries on April 11 cited and fined St. Joseph Medical Center Tacoma $14,400 for safety violations related to a series of attacks on nurses at the hospital. L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health launched an investigation at the request of WSNA after a patient in the psychiatric unit assaulted numerous nurses in October 2018. The patient threatened to kill, punched, kicked and scratched staff members, inflicting serious injuries.

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS BACKGROUND WSNA-represented registered nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma have been in contract negotiations for seven months. WSNA and St. Joe’s have held 12 negotiating sessions to date, the last two with a federal mediator. The 13th session is scheduled for March 22.