LOCAL
Northwest Hospital employees picket for better care Wednesday
SEIU Healthcare 1199W members at UW Medicine Northwest Hospital.
The following is from SEIU Healthcare 1199NW:
SEATTLE (Oct. 6, 2015) — Healthcare workers at UW Medicine Northwest Hospital are calling on UW Medicine to invest in our local community hospital, saying that the respected UW institution has the resources it takes to improve staffing for patients, provide affordable care for healthcare workers, and recruit and retain staff at our neighborhood hospital.
Citing concerns that UW isn’t investing in local care, workers delivered notice to the hospital of their intent to stand up for care and join with community and elected leaders at an informational picket Wednesday, Oct. 7.
TAKE A STAND — All union members and supporters are invited to show solidarity with picketing healthcare workers on Wednesday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. outside of Northwest Hospital, 1550 N. 115th St. in Seattle. At 4:45 p.m., there will be a community rally with elected and community leaders. For more info, visit the Facebook event page.
“Patients like coming to Northwest Hospital. They say ‘it’s my hospital!’ so we should make it their home away from home. But we can’t do that without the right support from the UW Medicine System,” said Deanna Swenson, a housekeeper at the hospital.
“We’re struggling to provide care for our own families. Rather than working with us to achieve affordable, quality care, UW Medicine is proposing that Northwest Hospital employees choose between drastically higher premiums or much larger deductibles. At the same time, many executives and directors at Northwest are enjoying their insurance through the UW and don’t have to make the same tough choices,” said Bill Chan, a healthcare worker in the Cath Lab.
Workers will picket before and after their shift and during breaks. The current contract expired June 30, 2015.
Northwest Hospital affiliated with the UW Medicine System on January 1, 2010.
Nearly 1,000 healthcare workers at Northwest Hospital are united in SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. Some 26,000 nurses, healthcare employees, and mental health workers in hospitals, agencies, and clinics statewide are united in SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.
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