Members of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW are set to begin a seven-day strike April 7 at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, Wash., and MultiCare Valley Hospital in Spokane Valley, Wash., NBC affiliate KHQ reported.
The union represents more than 1,400 healthcare workers at the hospitals, according to a post on its Facebook page. MultiCare Deaconess and Valley are part of Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare Health System, which has more than 20,000 employees total.
Union members issued a strike notice to MultiCare on March 27, according to KHQ. The union and health system began the bargaining process last August. MultiCare shared a statement with Becker's, saying that its Inland Northwest leadership "continues to bargain in good faith with SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, with the shared goal of reaching a fair contract that positions our employees and our hospitals for the future. We are committed to investing in market-competitive wages and benefits for our teams."
The union contends that during negotiations, MultiCare has failed to provide adequate proposals related to recruitment and retention issues; retaliated against workers engaged in union activity; and failed to provide requested information to support negotiations, according to KHQ. "We are fighting for a fair contract that pays us wages that recruit and retain us, keeps our healthcare affordable, and doesn't take away important benefits like overtime and sick pay. We demand respect from our employer: Respect for us and for the federal labor laws which they violate when they tell us we can’t communicate about union issues at work, and when they fail to bargain in good faith," the union's Facebook post announcing the planned strike states.
"SEIU has stated that they hope to avoid a strike, and we share this hope," MultiCare said in its statement. "Before their proposed strike date, April 7, we have two more bargaining sessions scheduled. Within the last week, MultiCare and SEIU have made significant progress and hope to avoid a strike with a mutually beneficial agreement."