Historic Agreement Reached for Seattle Children’s Nurses

On Monday, Sept. 5, a historic contract went into effect for the 1,700-person nursing team at Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH). After 12 bargaining sessions, a 1,200+-person picket line outside the hospital, and three mediation sessions over five months, the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) and SCH finally reached an agreement.

What makes this new union contract historic is the wage increase. Over the next year, nurses will get a $10 per hour increase across the board, starting with a $6 an hour wage increase in Year 1 and then a $4 wage increase 11 months later. Over the three-year period negotiated, the base rate will have increased by 31%.