Seattle Children’s Hospital nurses picket for better working conditions as negotiations stall

Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) started picketing outside Seattle Children’s Hospital this morning, Aug. 9, at 6 a.m. to try and pressure the hospital in contract negotiations for the nurses.

The WSNA union, which represents more than 1,700 nurses in the state, says that in the past nine contract negotiations over four months, they have been bargaining with the hospital and still haven’t been able to reach an agreement.

“We’ve gone through nine contract negotiation dates with a lot of push back from management,” one nurse at the strike said. “They’re long grueling days with a lot of back and forth and negotiating of our current contract. With a lot of overtime, there are a lot of us that are really tired and a lot of us that aren’t getting paid what we deserve.”