‘People are just much more willing to fight’: More health care workers in Clark County push to unionize

And just last month, PeaceHealth employees, part of the Washington State Nurses Association, participated in an informational picket at the Vancouver hospital, demanding safe staffing levels and competitive wages as a part of a new contract.

That union represents more than 20,000 members across the state.

Jayson Dick, director of labor for the Washington State Nurses association, said he believes increased issues in the workplace following the pandemic have contributed to the rise of unionization.

“Much of the push to unionize nationally is coming from Gen Z, who face a precarious future and see unions as offering them stability and protection,” Dick said in an email to The Columbian. “Nurses have received lots of education on how to care for patients, but they are given roadblock after roadblock to delivering the care they are trained to do.”