Last Friday, we wrapped up our 11th bargaining session with Seattle Children’s Hospital—and it could not be clearer: the hospital is playing games with our future, our livelihoods, and our profession.

Led by their expensive outside lawyer flown in from California, Children’s regurgitated its anti-union agenda—seeking to undermine your collective power by barring nurses from going to court (individually or together in a class action) when you have been unlawfully denied your rest and meal breaks, subjected to wage theft, or discriminated against or harassed at work. Your bargaining team has already rejected these and other SCH proposals that would undermine nurses’ and the union’s strength. But SCH and their lawyers continue to press them, slowing bargaining on multiple articles to a crawl.

Here’s what else we’re up against:

• The hospital’s initial wage proposal was 3%, 2.5%, and 2.5% over three years. This is below the annual inflation rates that have existed since the COVID pandemic, well below comparable hospitals, and far below what Seattle Children’s can afford.
• On top of a bare-bones base wage increase, they want takeaways: cutting bereavement leave, stripping employer-paid health premiums, restricting parental leave, and reducing the rate of pay for report pay, annual leave, pay while on jury duty (and others).
• They want ICU nurses to float to the Emergency Department and make the critical care float pool cover the ED in addition to the ICUs.
• They refuse to guarantee that the vital and lifesaving role nurses play won’t be replaced by technology.
• They want to limit the strength of our union membership.
• They want WSNA to waive your right to certain breaks and eliminate your ability to go to court if you don’t get your breaks, but they refuse to invest a single dollar in more break relief nurses to make sure you actually do get your breaks.

Here’s what your bargaining team put forward:

• A fair wage proposal that brings us closer to the West Coast children’s hospital average, with modest concessions to show we are serious about reaching an agreement:
  • Base wage up to $59.60
  • Pay parity for nurses in Eastern Washington (SCH is fighting to maintain the 10% wage reduction)
  • Night shift differential at 20%
  • Evening differential at 8% (down from 10%)
  • On-call at 18% (down from 20%)
  • $5,000 experience bonus for nurses at the current step 35+
• Step parity for per diems and better sick leave accruals so we can care for our families and protect our patients.
• Protections for floating and recognition premiums for bilingual nurses and those in physically high-risk units (Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit, BST, and ED).
• Critical Care Transport working conditions protections and parity
• Continuation of benefits for nurses on leave—because punishing nurses for taking time to heal or care for their families is callous and financially devastating.

We secured a short-term contract extension through September 30, 2025.

This agreement ensures a minimum of five additional bargaining sessions, and most importantly, it guarantees that if we reach a final agreement by the end of the month and ratify it, every nurse in the bargaining unit will receive retroactive pay for the new wage rate in the form of a bonus, including for any double time and overtime hours worked. The hospital’s messaging around this was intentionally misleading: this bonus will be for all nurses who worked in September.

We also secured base wage pay for bargaining team members during bargaining sessions (subject to the same conditions). And if the hospital continues to stall? If we do not reach an agreement by September 8th, we have the right to hold our informational picket.

And what did the hospital admit?

That they’ve been underpaying nurses for years by failing to pay the correct CBA rate for report pay, annual leave, jury duty, and others. That’s money you already earned and they’ve been withholding.

Seattle Children’s has the money. The hospital has thrived financially while leaving its nurses underpaid. By refusing to close the gap with comparable hospitals and attempting to strip away benefits, they are devaluing caregivers and perpetuating the very problem that drives nurses away from the bedside. Instead of investing in the people who make care possible, they are choosing to invest in lawyers and excuses.

This is the moment to stand together.

Seattle Children’s nurses will not accept crumbs. We will not let management strip away hard-won benefits. And we will not let them silence or divide us. They cannot provide this important care without us.

Our power is in our UNITY—and it’s time to show it. Stay tuned for next steps, and be ready to take action.

Because together, we will WIN the contract Seattle Children’s nurses deserve.

Here is the base wage counter we made on Friday. It moves nurses up the scale faster, eliminates ghost steps, and takes great strides toward market wages.

A huge ‘Thank You’ to RN Jean Dearn (Urology) for baking chocolate chip cookies for the bargaining team, to RN Edna Cortez (PACU) for providing bagels and cream cheese and to RN Khara Holland (CBDC) for providing the delicious donuts!

Do not hesitate to contact any of the officers if you have questions. All of our contacts are on our WSNA website. https://www.wsna.org/union/seattle-childrens-hospital. Also, utilizing our Instagram @sch_wsna offers quick updates and opportunities for DMs.

In solidarity,

Your Bargaining Team
Annika Hoogestraat, Kara Yates, Lindsey Kirsch, Sam Forte, Katie Podobnik, Therese Hill, Kelsey Gellner, AJ Nagal, Emma Gordon, Sarah Munro, Cody Ian, Lauren Lustyk, Regan Halom, Jon McAferty, Anne Marie Fountain and Bree Casas

WSNA Nurse Rep Linda Burbank at lburbank@wsna.org