More than 1,400 healthcare workers at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, Wash., and MultiCare Valley Hospital in Spokane Valley, Wash., who are represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, have approved a new labor contract.
The agreement, announced April 4, covers nurses, techs and service workers at Valley Hospital and techs and service workers at Deaconess Hospital, according to a union news release shared with Becker's.
Beginning at ratification and continuing through December 2025, union members will see the following across-the-board wage increases and market adjustments, in addition to annual wage step increases, according to SEIU Healthcare 1199NW:
- Base wage increases of more than 13% for nurses, in addition to the 12% wage increase previously negotiated through mid-contract bargaining in April 2023. The union said nurses also will see increases in premium pay for evening, night, weekend and on-call shifts of $4 per hour.
- Base wage increases of 16% to 18.5% for tech workers — including pharmacy techs, respiratory care practitioners, surgical techs and others. The union said techs will also see market adjustments of an additional 2.5% "for job classes that were behind local market rates, plus increases on premium pay for on-call and call-back minimums of $3.75 per hour."
- Base wage increases of 17% to 25.5% for service workers for the life of the contract. The union said the service workers, such as CNAs, food service workers, health unit coordinators and others, also will see market adjustments ranging from 2.25% to 8.25%.
"This new contract secured important wage increases for every member in all job classes," Kathleen Kelley, RN, a medical-surgical nurse at Valley Hospital, said in the union release. "These wage increases will allow us to recruit and retain qualified staff to provide safe patient care."
MultiCare Health System shared the following statement with Becker's: "MultiCare is invested in supporting our employees as they continue to provide the exceptional patient care the Inland Northwest has come to expect from Deaconess and Valley Hospitals."
The hospitals and union began negotiating a new contract in August, and the new contract expires Dec. 31, 2026.