Members of Teamsters Local 760 plan to begin a strike Jan. 17 at MultiCare Yakima (Wash.) Memorial Hospital, according to Apple Valley News Now.
The union represents 168 technical employees at the hospital, including workers in surgery, radiology, MRI, pharmacy and lab departments, according to NonStop Local. The employees voted to authorize a strike earlier in January.
The union alleges the hospital has reduced employee medical coverage, retirement benefits and incentive pay since MultiCare Health System took over operations in 2023, and that the changes occurred without a labor agreement in place, Apple Valley News Now reported.
The union and hospital have been in negotiations since early 2025. David Simmons, a business representative for the union, told NonStop Local, “We have not been able to get the hospital to move any of the major positions, and they’ve left us no choice at this point but to take the next step.”
Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare, which includes 13 hospitals and about 20,000 team members, said in a statement shared with Becker’s that it values the contributions of its Yakima-based technicians and technologists and is “bargaining in good faith to reach a sustainable contract.”
The system said the hospital will remain open and fully staffed in the event of a strike.
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