SNOHOMISH COUNTY — Negotiations following the end to a three-day walkout are not yet scheduled between Swedish and its union workers, after both sides reached a halt in marathon talks during the holiday season.
Swedish employees represented by SEIU 1199 Northwest walked out early last week for a pre-planned, three day strike.
The Seattle Times reported that 7,800 Swedish workers engaged in the strike starting on Tuesday morning, last week. About 100 are employed in Snohomish County. Swedish has an ambulatory care center in Mill Creek.
Many employees expected a rapid return once the walkout ended, but Swedish management said the stalled return should have come as no surprise as employees and the union were informed that a five-day contract was set with relief workers.
The mismatch in relief-worker coverage was patient-focused, Swedish says. “The two-day transition, starting Friday morning and ending at 7 a.m. on Sunday, was designed to minimize patient disruption,” said Tiffany Moss, communications manager at Swedish.
The five-day period was arranged prior to delivery of a strike notice on Jan. 17, Moss said. Some represented employees and union spokespeople were referring to it as a partial lockout.
It was not yet known as of Feb. 2 if all employees had returned to work, said Amy Clark, communications director for SEIU. When asked if the workers were all returned to their posts, Moss replied, “Swedish will continue to bring back represented caregivers as work becomes available.”
Carissa Masching, a diagnostic sonographer at Mill Creek, said the employees who chose to cross picket-lines and keep working were offered available shifts first.
The union represented workers “offered to meet during the strike,” with management, to resume negotiations more quickly but “they said no.”
Two emergency rooms in King County temporarily closed and were scheduled to reopen, one day after the strike ended.
Healthcare workers are bargaining for staffing changes claiming their current patient workload impacts safety. Clark said caregivers “really feel like the staffing levels are such that they cannot provide the best care.” One example, she said, was that if feeding-assistance required more time than allotted, cutting it short would mean the patient’s “dietary needs would not be met.”
Clark said Swedish has not responded to requests to schedule new talks. But Moss said Swedish is “currently working with federal mediators to schedule the next bargaining date.”
Swedish has said that both patient workload and pay rates are within the parameters of competing healthcare organizations.
Swedish management’s online post in regards to the strike included a “thank you” to nearly 1,100 represented caregivers who reported to work during the three-day strike, and directed employees who chose to cross picket lines to report any intimidation to human resources. The statement also expressed deep appreciation for “hospitals and our partners in the Seattle area for their support in caring for our patients during this time.”
Picketing workers say the staffing levels impact safety and morale.
Contract proposals have included an improvement to nurse-to-patient staffing ratios; manageable workloads for environmental service technicians so they can properly clean and disinfect patients’ rooms; safeguards against racial discrimination so everyone is treated with respect on the job; and wage increases.
On safety, Masching said workers have asked for more security including metal detectors. Some patients have arrived to emergency rooms with weapons, even one with a machete. Bullets have been found onsite as well. Masching said the staffing that is in negotiations matches the ratios in California, she said.
One example of when that may be needed is during a childbirth: when an expectant mother needs one-on-one attention from a nurse.
Swedish management has offered to form committees around the issue of ratios, but union workers want a written agreement rather than an agreement to discuss further.
Union officials say Swedish has difficulty with recruitment and retention as wages are not keeping up with the costs for housing and other living expenses.
