The only reference to staffing issues in the highlights page is the inclusion of the vacuous phrase “strong staffing language.” The specific changes to language in the new agreement are not spelled out because the union knows full well that the issue has not been addressed. Providence Regional Medical Center Everett - wikimedia commons Nurses want to see their pay increased to a level comparable with surrounding hospital networks, improved benefits and overall conditions in order to attract and retain staff, as well as to reward them for enduring such difficult conditions. Like health care workers across the United States and world, Providence nurses have experienced a year working under extremely stressful conditions, treating thousands of sick patients during a global pandemic. Providence nurses authorized a strike to address chronic work-related stress as a result of severe understaffing, long hours, and the lack of fair compensation. The bargaining committee states that the TA achieved the “protection of benefits, insures affordable healthcare costs, great wages and much more!” Highlights include a $2,000 “pandemic pay” bonus, a “legacy bonus” for long-term employees, a “total of a 15% wage increase for the life of the contract,” down from the 21 percent increase initially demanded by the nurses, “increased education funds,” and “strong staffing language.” Local 21 has no plans to release the full agreement to the membership, but instead has offered online Zoom sessions where nurses can hear union officials explain the details.
The deal was announced on the local union’s website on July 13 along with sketchy highlights. One and a half months after 1,700 registered nurses voted to authorize a strike to address inadequate staffing and pay issues, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 21 has reached a tentative agreement (TA) with Providence Regional Medical Center facilities in Everett, Washington.
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