Bellingham, Washington – On May 1st, International Workers Day, nearly 1,000 workers at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, are filing notice with their employer of their intention to go on an unfair labor practice strike. This follows after a supermajority of workers organized as Peace Health United and represented by their union SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, voted to authorize a strike.
Workers striking include CNAs, housekeeping workers, phlebotomists, imaging technicians and other essential hospital staff. The workers intend to begin their strike on May 12at 6:00am. A strike rally is being planned for May 16.
Courtney Sly, a trauma registrar who has worked at PeaceHealth for eighteen years, commented on what workers are fighting for: “The last thing we want to do is go on strike, we’d rather be caring for patients. But we need a fair contract that prioritizes patient care by providing fair wages to our skilled and dedicated work force. PeaceHealth is paying huge salaries to executives, while staff responsible for providing essential care and services are struggling to afford housing and other basic needs.”
PeaceHealth is a nonprofit healthcare system based in Vancouver, WA with nine hospitals and medical clinics in Washington, including PeaceHealth St. Joseph, a Level II Trauma Center serving all the northern counties in the state. Workers have been bargaining for a new contract for more than 8 months.
PeaceHealth St. Joseph’s workers are asking community members to support their call for a contract that prioritizes patient care over corporate profits by signing a petition and calling the PeaceHealth CEO.
Peace Health United is made up of more than 900 healthcare workers at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, members of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. They are service and tech workers and lab professionals fighting for contracts that will protect essential healthcare workers’ rights: great wages, stable and secure benefits, and staffing for safe patient care and less caregiver burnout.
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a statewide union representing registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, pharmacists, technicians, professionals, therapists, mental health workers, certified nursing aides, housekeeping and dietary staff, and other healthcare workers. Service Employees International Union is the largest union of healthcare workers in the nation.
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