Nurses picket gets lots of media coverage
Seattle Children’s nurses took to the streets on Aug. 9 to show their frustration over stalled talks.
August 12, 2022 • 3 minutes to read
After nine bargaining sessions, Seattle Children’s nurses took to the streets to show their frustration over stalled talks.
Washington State Nurses Association organized an informational picket outside the hospital Aug. 9 and more than 900 nurses turned out.
At 5 a.m. KIRO-TV and KING-TV were already set up for filming. The mood was electric. Nurses wore their frustration on an array of T-shirts, i.e., “If nurses are outside, there are problems inside.”
A young boy held a sign, “A nurse saved my life.” A nurse with a baby strapped to her chest, held a sign with a drawing of a diaper: “This contract is full of poo poo and needs to be changed.”
Trucks and cars honked in support.
The event was covered by local TV (affiliates of NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox), Seattle Times, South Seattle Emerald, Bloomberg News photographer David Ryder, Puget Sound Business Journal, Becker’s Hospital Review.
Several outlets picked up coverage, amplifying the story even more. Yahoo! News ran the KIRO-TV story, and the outlet has a potential reach of 63.9M, according to the Meltwater news monitoring service.
KREM-TV in Spokane and KGW-TV in Portland ran the KING-TV story, KIMA-TV in Yakima ran the KOMO-TV story.
MyNorthwest, The Stand, Democratic Underground also picked up the news.
Here is some of the coverage:
The Seattle Times: Seattle Children’s hospital nurses picket for better wages, working conditions
Chants, picket signs and honking filled the 41st Avenue Northeast and Sand Point Way.
Northeast intersection in front of Seattle Children’s hospital Tuesday. Nurses at the pediatric hospital, represented by the Washington State Nurses Association, held an informational picket for higher wages amid a staffing shortage.
“If it’s not good enough, they’re out — they’re gone from Seattle Children’s. They may go and work in another institution. They may leave the profession entirely,” said Lindsey Kirsch, an urgent care nurse at the hospital.
Becker’s Hospital Review: Seattle Children's nurses call for better pay amid staff shortages
Members of the Washington State Nurses Association held an informational picket Aug. 9 outside Seattle Children's Hospital for higher wages to retain nurses.
KING5: Nurses picket for better working conditions at Seattle Children's hospital
Hundreds of nurses and supporters gathered outside Seattle Children’s hospital on Tuesday morning for an informational picket.
KIRO-TV: Nurses picket at Seattle Children's, citing working conditions, staffing shortages
From poor working conditions to ignored concerns, nurses at Seattle Children’s Hospital say they’ve been pushed to the edge..
KOMO-TV: Seattle Children's Hospital nurses begin picket amid stalled contract negotiations
Some nurses at Seattle Children’s Hospital have begun conducting an informational picket on
Tuesday in attempts to bring attention to stalled contract negotiations.
Puget Sound Business Journal: Nurses at Seattle Children's plan to picket as contract talks stall (Requires subscription)
The nurses union says hospitals like Seattle Children's can afford raises, given the $80 million it received from the CARES Act and a $359 million profit reported in 2021.
Nursing representatives said at the time they'd take the battle to the bargaining table.