Washington health care workers reiterate need for hazard pay, protective gear

Several Washington unions representing nurses and other health care workers are reiterating their demand for hazard pay to support those on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 issued a joint statement last week that read in part, "We cannot put on a price on unsafe working conditions, and hazard pay does not make up for the lack of proper equipment and support. But it does reflect the lived reality that these workers are putting their health and their lives on the line to ensure that our entire state has a fighting chance to beat this pandemic.”