97% of Providence Everett nurses vote to approve strike

Corrections and clarifications: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the status of a strike authorized by UFCW 3000. The story has been updated to reflect the correct status of the strike.

Nurses at Providence Everett voted to go on strike Thursday evening, with 97% of nurses agreeing to the proposal until Providence Medical ended what they call “unfair labor practice.”

The union and hospital continue to negotiate a new contract, with their current one expiring at the end of the month. But, the union said they are planning to strike if the hospital does not meet their demands.

More news: Providence Everett triages emergency room as staff shortage tightens

About 600 nurses have left or retired since 2021, and staffing issues have made working at the hospital a challenge for several months, including in last June when their emergency room had to turn away new patients due to overcrowding.

Nurses said the emergency department lobby is often full with 40 to 50 patients, some waiting several hours to be seen, some receiving care in the lobby. Providence Everett covers a large portion of Snohomish County and exceeds patient capacity across all departments. It also has one of the busiest emergency rooms in the state. It’s one of just two hospitals in the region that perform life-saving procedures for victims of Level 2 trauma, such as a heart attack or stroke.

So, Thursday, the nurses represented by union UFCW 3000 voted to authorize a strike, expressing their willingness to go on strike if a deal isn’t reached before their contract expires at the end of the month.”

“The mere act of strike authorization itself is a forceful message, compelling Providence to reevaluate their position and acknowledge our proposals,” the union said in a statement. “… It’s important to recognize that a strike represents not just a pause in our work but a collective assertion of our rights and the well-being of our patients.”

Nurses said they should be treating four to five patients at a time, but now they are dealing with seven or eight. Nurses said is not competitive with other area hospitals. They explained with their current pay, there’s not much incentive for many to stay.

Most of the beds are occupied by non-emergency patients, nurses said, since there are not enough nurses in other units. Some patients get left on a gurney for over a day.

The state of Washington has a hospital capacity crisis, the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) previously reported. The state has fewer hospital beds per capita than any other state in the nation.

Other demands from the union include revisions for safe staffing accountability, night shift nurse longevity, community responsibility, competitive wage increases, recognition for years of experience, 12-month step progression, and retention bonuses.

“Patients sit in the lobby for hours,” nightshift nurse Tricia Carlson told KIRO 7. “I bet at least half to 75% of patients that come into the emergency room don’t even see the patient room; they are seen out in our lobby.”

This comes in the same week that the family of a woman who reportedly died after waiting four hours for care at Providence filed a lawsuit against the hospital.

A statement from the hospital said nurses have been offered a 13% wage increase, and if a strike happens, the hospital said it would hire temporary replacement nurses.

Contributing: KIRO 7