News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 15, 2008
SEATTLE – One of Washington state’s largest medical systems and largest health care union have signed an agreement to work together to achieve common goals.
Group Health Cooperative and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW announced today they will forge a new relationship to productively resolve differences and support shared health policy objectives, including affordable quality health care for everyone.
“There is a lot to be gained by directing our combined creativity toward common goals,” said Group Health CEO Scott Armstrong. “We believe a different relationship with SEIU will benefit our staff and patients and help us make quality health care available to the greatest number.”
“SEIU is working locally and nationally to bring about quality health care and address the shortage of trained health care workers,” said SEIU Healthcare 1199NW President Diane Sosne. “We are building effective coalitions from Seattle to Washington, D.C. and we see collaboration with Group Health – now and for the future – as a vital part of this process.”
The first step of the new relationship is to conduct the 2008 contract negotiations in a manner that results in a productive and successful experience for both organizations. To arrive at new agreements both organizations will engage in Interest Based Bargaining, a process where each organization presents its interests and both organizations collaborate on developing workable solutions.
In addition, the agreement calls for creation of a steering committee when current contract negotiations are concluded to identify opportunities to collaborate and establish a framework for moving both organizations forward.
At the national level Group Health and SEIU recently joined forces in the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) to ensure that the economic and health outcome benefits of providing quality care are fully understood by policy makers in Washington. Partnership for Quality Care includes medical institutions of all kinds—public, private, religious, not-for-profit, and teaching as well as health care practitioners from CEOs to frontline nurses.
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW represents about 2,500 nurses, social workers, and service staff in three bargaining units at Group Health Cooperative. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is Washington state’s largest healthcare union, representing more than 22,000 nurses, healthcare employees, and mental health workers in hospitals, agencies, and clinics statewide. SEIU Healthcare is the nation’s largest and fastest-growing healthcare union, with more than 1 million healthcare workers united for quality patient care and good careers
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