Join nurses’ informational picket Thursday at Tacoma St. Joe’s

The following is from the WSNA:

TACOMA — The Washington State Nurses Association invites all union members and community supporters to join nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma as they conduct an informational picket calling on St. Joe’s to put nurse and patient safety before profits. The picket will be from 8 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 21 at South J and South 19th streets, near the Emergency Room.

After seven months and 12 bargaining sessions, WSNA and St. Joe’s still haven’t reached a contract agreement that ensures safe staffing, safe nurses and safe patients. The registered nurses at St. Joe’s are taking their concerns about nurse staffing and safe patient care to the community they serve. St. Joe’s nurses are fighting for:

●  Safe nurse staffing
Safe staffing saves lives and allows nurses to provide safe patient care. Nurses need St. Joe’s administration to commit to ensuring safe staffing in every part of the hospital that allows nurses to take breaks.

●  Safe nurses = Safe patients
Nurses should not have to risk their personal safety just to do their jobs. In a series of recent incidents, a patient assaulted numerous nurses and threatened to kill employees at the hospital. The patient punched, kicked and scratched staff members, inflicting serious injuries. Nurses at St. Joe’s need protections in their contract to keep themselves and their patients safe.

●  You deserve the best nurses
To recruit and retain the best, St. Joe’s needs to offer competitive wages and benefits. They don’t.

WSNA is the leading voice and advocate for nurses in Washington state, providing representation, education and resources that allow nurses to reach their full professional potential and focus on caring for patients. WSNA represents more than 17,000 registered nurses for collective bargaining who provide care in hospitals, clinics and community and public health settings across the state.