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I joined the Service Employees International Union informational picket today at PeaceHealth Hospital in Bellingham, WA.
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants warn of chronic understaffing and wages insufficient to support the local cost of living.
An SEIU organizer told me PeaceHealth is offering wage increases of only 2-3%. The cost of living in Washington state increased by nearly 6% last year.
In addition to stalled contract negotiations, PeaceHealth has refused to recognize the June 2024 joint union victory of the PeaceHealth and Sound Physicians hospitalist team at St. Joseph Medical Center and United General Medical Center.
#USPol #USPolitics #Union #SEIU #UnionStrong #Solidarity #Healthcare #PeaceHealth #PacificNorthwest #PNW #News
I sincerely wish them good luck. It’s godawful, but raises that don’t keep pace with cost of living is more the standard than the exception, and I’d be surprised if most people batted an eye over it.
The “Why are medical staff homeless?” angle is far more attention grabbing. Sure that’s the end result of not keeping pace with COL increases, but not everyone extrapolates that far without it being spelled out.
I sincerely wish them good luck. It’s godawful, but raises that don’t keep pace with cost of living is more the standard than the exception, and I’d be surprised if most people batted an eye over it.
The “Why are medical staff homeless?” angle is far more attention grabbing. Sure that’s the end result of not keeping pace with COL increases, but not everyone extrapolates that far without it being spelled out.