Members of Teamsters Local 760 began a strike Jan. 17 at MultiCare Yakima (Wash.) Memorial Hospital.
Five things to know:
1. The union represents 168 technical employees at the hospital, including workers in surgery, radiology, MRI, pharmacy and lab departments, according to NonStop Local. Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare, the hospital’s parent organization, is a 13-hospital health system with about 20,000 team members.
2. Union members voted to authorize a strike earlier in January. The union and management have been in negotiations since February 2025, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic.
3. Among the key sticking points in negotiations are union security, retirement and health coverage, union representatives said, according to the Herald-Republic. “We continue to wait for MultiCare to bargain,” Dave Simmons, a business representative for Teamsters Local 760, told Becker’s. “We have not bargained in nearly three weeks, but do have a mediation session scheduled for [Jan. 23].”
4. Mr. Simmons added that the union is anticipating a “lengthy process” and has scheduled picketing times for members over the next several weeks.
5. MultiCare emphasized its commitment to inpatient technicians and technologists at the hospital, which will remain open and fully staffed during the strike. “We will continue to provide high-quality care for our community during this time,” the health system said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “We respect their right to strike, but we believe that progress toward agreement happens at the bargaining table.”
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