Mandatory nurse overtime, too many patients the targets of proposed Washington bills

Hospitals are in a staffing crisis.

Unions say health care workers have been leaving the industry since before the pandemic, and COVID-19 has only made the problem worse.

Unions hope two new bills introduced in Olympia will address this problem.

A 2021 poll put together by the Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 showed 84% of health care workers feel "very" or "somewhat" burned out. The poll showed 49% of health care workers said they're likely to leave the profession in the next few years.

Unions are now looking to lawmakers to help keep people in the health care industry. Last week, House Bill 1868 and Senate Bill 5751 were both introduced.