Nurses demanding safety at Virginia Mason

UPDATE (Oct. 11, 2023)

More pics from the WSNA picket at Virginia Mason today. Thanks to all of the community members, labor leaders and legislators who showed up today in solidarity. Photo gallery at: https://t.co/KbJlvfIac6 pic.twitter.com/3e2l1uM7u8

— WSNA (@myWSNA) October 10, 2023

“Whenever workers come together in union, whenever they are united for fair pay, better working conditions, more respect and dignity — they win.”
– WSLC Pres. @aprilr_sims

Solidarity with @mywsna nurses fighting for a fair contract! pic.twitter.com/vLFp6euvnR

— Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) October 10, 2023

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WSNA plans informational picket, rally Oct. 10 outside Seattle hospital

UPDATE (8 a.m. Oct. 10)

The picket at Virginia Mason is going strong! Morning phase until 8:30am, afternoon phase noon to 2pm. Stop by 925 Seneca St. and support WSNA nurses as they fight for patient safety and a fair contract! pic.twitter.com/5uQGto29Sd

— WSNA (@myWSNA) October 10, 2023

The following is from the Washington State Nurses Association:

SEATTLE (Oct. 10, 2023) — Virginia Mason, a Seattle hospital founded in 1920, is the latest battleground for nurses. 

The 650 nurses, represented by the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), are holding a picket outside the hospital TODAY (Tuesday, Oct. 10) to demand protections against workplace violence and better staffing through retaining nurses. The picket comes after 15 bargaining sessions, including multiple sessions with a federal mediator.

TAKE A STAND — All union members and community supporters are invited to participate in the informational picket line from 6 to 8:30 a.m. and again from noon to 2 p.m. outside Virginia Mason Hospital at 925 Seneca St. A 12:30 p.m. rally will feature WSNA nurses at Virginia Mason sharing their personal stories, plus WSLC President April Sims, state Rep. Liz Berry, and other elected officials.

The nurses say their concerns about safe staffing and workplace violence are being ignored by management. Virginia Mason became part of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, after being acquired in 2021 by CommonSpirit Health, formerly known as Catholic Health Initiatives & Dignity Health. CommonSpirit Health is the nation’s largest nonprofit hospital chain with 140 hospitals in 21 states.

Workplace violence 

Hundreds of nurses signed a petition of concern around workplace safety.

Nurses say patients regularly bring weapons into the hospital. One nurse was stabbed in the face with a butter knife. Another nurse missed being hit in the head with a claw hammer. Nurses have presented anti-workplace violence proposals to management on measures Virginia Mason should take, including having visitors to the hospital register at a front desk, limiting the number of publicly accessible entrances, metal detectors, dogs, and an effective and responsive security team.  

These are common-sense safety measures that other local hospitals currently use and that are recommended by the American Hospital Association.  

Management responded by proposing that an advisory task force meet periodically to discuss recommendations, a suggestion that nurses consider dismissive of current threats.   

Staffing 

Nurses’ workload is increasing as the hospital has been losing nursing staff and cutting the contracts of travel nurses.

Med-surg nurses are regularly seeing assignments of six patients, and on especially short days, seven patients. This is even higher than the midst of the pandemic, say nurses.

From July 2023 to Aug. 2023, the net number of registered nurses dropped by 60 – that’s a decrease of 9.5% of registered nurses, according to hospital data.  

Multiple departments in the hospital have seen turnover of over 100% from July 2022 through June 2023. One med-surg department experienced 188% turnover in that period.  

The hospital has a lack of experienced nurses. The hospital’s own data shows that 40% of all registered nurses have less than one and one-half years of experience as RNs.  

Solution 

Creating a safe workplace would drastically turn things around. The nurses say CommonSpirit needs to work with them ­­­– not against them. Nurses are the frontline of healthcare and spend more time with patients than physicians. Other hospitals in the region are seeing a net increase in nurses, including Seattle Children’s, UW Medicine, Tacoma General. Good contracts addressing nurses’ issues turned things around. 

Nurses at Virginia Mason need improved staffing and better security against workplace violence to stay at the hospital and attract new nurses.