Seattle Children’s nurses vote to authorize strike

Nurses at Seattle Children’s hospital have voted to authorize a strike, following about seven months of negotiations that have stalled over higher pay, sick leave and rest and meal breaks.

On Sunday and Monday, the nurses voted to authorize a strike, which means union leaders can call a strike but does not mean one will happen, said Bobbi Nodell, a spokesperson for the Washington State Nurses Association. She declined to disclose percentages for the strike vote, but said the “vast majority” of the 2,100 Children’s nurses voted to approve the strike.

If nurses do ultimately go on strike, it will be the first time in the hospital’s 118-year history, according to the nurses union.

“I’m disappointed it’s come this far,” Amelia Hillier, a registered nurse who’s worked at Seattle Children’s for almost 10 years, said in an interview after the vote. “There were so many chances the hospital could have taken to step in and give us a fair contract and bargain fairly, and the fact it’s come all the way here is sad.”