Kennewick: we need one standard for care!

We formed our union to have better standards for our patients and families. That means wages that help us recruit and retain the best staff, and the security of our contract and protection of our rights no matter which facility we work at.
The hospital has told us that the new Southridge campus will not honor the protections of our union contract and they intend to assign any worker to the Southridge campus as our “home base” (even before the hospital opens), although we could still work at the Auburn campus. This is an alarming move that eliminates the protections we have around seniority, scheduled wage increases, and even discipline.

This isn’t good for us, and it’s not good for patient care. If hospital administration doesn’t have to honor our contract, they can make changes to assignments and staffing at any time that could impact our patients.
Patients should know they will get the same care at either facility, and we should know that our rights will be protected and we will have the security of our contract. We are in one Kennewick, and we need one hospital standard!
“With our new hospital opening up next year we are going to want to have the best in the valley to come work with us at the new facility so that we have the highest standard of care at both campuses. That means that we need to have the same high standards at both campuses by having our contract protections. Management doesn’t want to do this and we know that our patients and community will ultimately pay the price because patient care will suffer. While management is investing in making our hospital better by expanding and growing we’re calling on management to make the most important investment of all and that is in its workers.”
Shanna Chafin, ER, Patient Care Tech

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