TACOMA, Wash. — Hundreds of nurses, members of the Washington State Nurses Association, and their supporters picketed Tacoma General Hospital and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital here Jan. 23, protesting management’s refusal to include safe staffing ratios for neonatal intensive care unit nurses that had been won in the previous contract.
Their picket signs had slogans like, “Don’t lie. We can spot A-Fib,” “Union busting is disgusting!” and “How much profit does a ‘nonprofit’ need?”
“We need to protect the gains made in the past,” nurse and Washington State Nurses Association Executive Director David Keepnews said. “The babies you care for need you.”
Area unionists from United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 3000 and 367, as well as International Association of Machinists Local 751 members at Boeing walked the line in solidarity.
Edna Cortez, a well-known WSNA leader, said the 1,800 Seattle Children’s Hospital nurses had just won a tentative agreement. Nurses there had voted to authorize their first strike in 118 years.
Several speakers at a rally during the picketing pointed to the importance of the historic New York City nurses strike taking place at the same time.