We had a powerful showing of nurses who came to observe negotiations yesterday at SCH’s building on Boren downtown. The room was absolutely PACKED with members from 23 different units supporting the tireless bargaining team – it was a sea of royal blue!  But SCH didn’t meet with us until 2 pm because, in a truly bizarre turn of events, Seattle Children’s refused to bargain with WSNA unless we kicked out the kids. Yes, you read that right. Throughout these negotiations, members of WSNA’s bargaining team and observers have brought their kids as needed to nurse or because they lack childcare. Management has always welcomed them. Not anymore!  Hospital leadership refused to meet with WSNA until the kids/babies left, citing safety concerns of the roof deck. But not because the building isn’t built to code. Just because of the railings. They would not even meet as a group to share their concerns face-to-face but insisted that the lawyers have a “sidebar.”

Our lawyers, with two bargaining team moms by their side, demanded that HR explain why Seattle Children’s was suddenly refusing to bargain with children present. They invited SCH to join us in the conference room (which obviously has no railings) so they could present the proposals they’d had ready to go since the morning. The two moms on the bargaining team stated the obvious: pediatric nurses know how to keep kids safe!  Meanwhile, your incredible bargaining team and a crowd of observers gathered outside the windows next to the “sidebar” holding up signs like “SCH Management Face Your Nurses” and “Nurses Deserve More.” They chanted “We want to bargain!” Still, the Hospital only agreed to meet after the kids had been escorted out of the building. 

• Seattle Children’s Adds a Quarter to the Bottom Half of the Wage Scale and Rejects Break Relief Nurses.
  Once the Hospital finally met with us, they passed an economic proposal that raised their offer to $3.00 in year one for Steps 1-15.  They kept their prior offer of $2.75 in year 1 for the upper steps, and 2.5% in years 2 and 3 of the contract.  
  
• Seattle Children’s continued to reject our proposal to have break relief nurses housewide by the end of the contract. In fact, they did not offer any expansion of break relief nurses and re-proposed their ask that WSNA waive nurses’ rights to certain meal breaks in the CBA. We believe this kind of default or “opt out” waiver is unlawful, per state guidance.
  
• The Hospital continued to reject our proposals for dedicated security personnel in the PBMU to prevent workplace violence in the contract.

WSNA brought creative thinking to try to reach agreement on multiple topics in Articles 5 and 6, protecting its members in the areas of employee discipline, limiting the Hospital’s ability to replace a nurse’s position with technology, and reducing impacts of low census on nurses.

WSNA Drops Informational Picket Notice

We each have a decision to make. We can either turn up the pressure now, or we can accept what they are trying to force down our throats.

After the exchange of proposals, members of our bargaining team and observers passed the 10-day notice of our upcoming informational picket. We hope you will all be there, and unlike the Hospital, we want you to bring your kids!

Informational Picket

Tuesday, September 30
4800 Sand Point Way NE
6-9 am
11 am-2 pm

Please note that this will be an informational picket only; no nurses will be on strike or engaged in a work stoppage, and no suppliers, customers, clients or their employees, or other Seattle Children’s Hospital employees or agents will be asked to refrain from crossing a picket line. Nurses should report for their scheduled shifts and remain on those shifts for their duration. If you work that day, please come join us before or after your shift or on an official break!

Seattle Children’s Can Afford to Invest in Market Wages, Break Relief Nurses, and Workplace Violence Prevention

In the evening, WSNA’s Strategic Researcher, Ian Mikusko, responded to the Hospital’s vague statements about economic headwinds and financial uncertainty with hard data on Seattle Children’s profitability. Highlights from that data include:

• Seattle Children’s made a profit of $290 million through the first three quarters of FY25, representing a 13% profit margin. Its FY24 profit margin was 14%; the other four major private operators in the state averaged a 2.75% margin in FY24.
• Seattle Children’s has 335 days cash on hand, meaning it could operate its entire system for almost a year without taking in a single penny. That is a HUGE cushion against a financial downturn.
• Seattle Children’s is using the uncertainty around Medicaid to justify far-below market wage proposals and deny commonsense investments in resources like break relief nurses and time away from work when nurses are sick. In reality, Children’s has enough wealth and inherent profitability to weather financial challenges without harming its staff or diminishing its quality of care.
• Seattle Children’s is the wealthiest and most profitable large hospital system in the entire state.
• Seattle Children’s should not fall back on short term financial thinking, and instead invest in wages and benefits that will bring and keep quality nurses working there. Seattle Children’s worst financial years in the recent past (FY22 and FY23) largely resulted from increased travel RN expense – a situation that was improved when the hospital gave its direct-hire nurses the raises they deserved.

The executive leadership takes direction from the board on financial goals, and SCH execs have been very successful at sustaining a very profitable organization. Their money is very good at making money. It’s how they choose to utilize the resources that is at question here.

A HUGE shout out to the Critical Care Transport Team for providing an amazing lunch for the Bargaining Team! Also, to the Dialysis/Apheresis Nurses for the Boba Tea and all the Observers who brought much needed snacks. Your support and solidarity mean everything.  💙

We will see you at the Informational Picket on September 30! 

Get your picket signs ready and your WSNA T-shirt on! Bring everyone you know. We will PACK the sidewalks with our message, our passion and our voices with a fire in our bellies that has been aching to be released. BIG ACTIONS START NOW!

 YOU ARE WSNA! 

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 and Anne Marie Fountain

WSNA Nurse Rep Linda Burbank at lburbank@wsna.org