Sacred Heart nurses secure contract win

Thousands of nurses at one of Spokane’s largest medical facilities approved a new contract with significant gains 

SPOKANE, WA (April 9, 2026) — Over 2,000 union nurses at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane ratified a new contract last week, after meeting 15 times to bargain with the employer, including some marathon sessions running into the early morning hours. The contract locks in wage gains, new premiums for education and certifications, and a voice in workplace violence prevention efforts. It was ratified by an overwhelming vote of the membership, per the nurse’s union, the Washington State Nurses Association.

In a post announcing the tentative agreement secured in March, the bargaining team credited nurse’s unbreakable solidarity for securing a strong contract. Throughout negotiations, nurses had written “love letters” expressing their passion for their work and commitment to providing excellent care as Sacred Heart.

The WSNA Sacred Heart bargaining team celebrates securing a tentative agreement at 2:00 a.m. Photo: WSNA

“Handfuls of letters were read by our team to the Employer to give them a sense of how committed nurses are to working at Sacred Heart but the various working conditions that break their heart,” the bargaining team wrote. “Every one of these letters filled out showed management that our nurses are engaged and informed. Observer nurses in our bargaining room provided amazing support to our bargaining team and showed management just how important this is to each nurse.”

Nurses won wage increases of over 13% across the board over the life of the three-year contract, along with new premiums for nurses with certain education levels of certifications. Nurses employed by the time a tentative agreement was reached will also receive signing bonuses.

As for many healthcare workers, workplace violence is a core concern for nurses at Sacred Heart. Their new contract secures paid time for a same-day shift serious workplace violence injury and establishes a new, hospital-wide workplace violence prevention committee for workers and management to work through approaches to protecting nurses on the job.