Swedish hospital campuses close emergency departments as it prepares for strike
Jan 27, 2020, 8:10 AM | Updated: 9:17 am
Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. (Matthew Rutledge, Flickr Creative Commons)
A mass health care worker strike in Seattle will enter into its beginning stages Monday, with the emergency departments of Swedish hospital campuses in Ballard and Redmond closing at 7 p.m.
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Almost 8,000 Swedish hospital nurses, caregivers, and other health workers will take to the picket line Tuesday at 7 a.m., for a strike that will continue through Thursday, Jan. 30. Picketing employees will return to work at 7:30 a.m. Friday.
Swedish’s Ballard and Redmond emergency departments — as well as their Labor and Delivery unit in Ballard — are closing Monday in preparation, and will reopen Friday at 9 a.m. The hospital stated on its website that it remains “committed to patient safety,” and has vowed to “bring in qualified, experienced replacement caregivers during the strike.”
Workers in the SEUI Healthcare 1199NW union at Swedish officially submitted their 10-day notice of intent to strike at a press conference on Jan. 17.
“The parties are too far apart,” said the union in a news release. “Workers intend to strike January 28-30 if proposals adequately addressing patient safety and staffing levels are not forthcoming.”
Swedish health care workers had originally set a Jan. 14 date to strike, before opting to postpone after progress was made in negotiations. That progress has since stalled out.
The union cited this week’s planned strike as “a last resort in the fight for patients’ safety,” pointing to deteriorating conditions it claims began with a takeover by Providence made official in 2012.
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“Ever since corporate giant Providence took over Swedish, healthcare workers have seen management prioritize profits and executive pay over patients’ needs, causing severe care problems, understaffing and turnover,” the union said in a news release.
While the hospital has qualified its collective bargaining proposal as “strong,” the nurses at Swedish have accused bosses of breaking federal labor laws, retaliating against workers for participating in union activity, surveilling employees, and intimidating staff members. The union also cites staffing issues that have left many overworked.
