FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thurs., April 9, 2020
CONTACT:
Amy Clark
amyc@seiu1199nw.org
425.306.2061
TODAY: Washington and Montana Nurses and Healthcare Workers to Join Nationwide Protest Demanding PPE
Following Social Distancing Guidelines and Gathering Size Limitations, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Workers from Seattle to Kalispell Will Join National Day of Action Calling on Federal Authorities to #GetMePPE
Lives on the Line: Frontline Healthcare Workers to Demand Masks, Gowns, Protective Gear in Largest-Ever One-Day Protest Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Frontline nurses and healthcare workers in Washington state and Montana will join the #GetMePPE National Day of Action on Thursday, April 9, the largest ever one-day protest by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Workers are set to demand the federal government deploy its full force and power to get more Personal Protective Equipment in the hands of healthcare workers immediately.
** To RSVP or to request an interview with workers, contact: Amy Clark, amyc@seiu1199nw.org, 425.306.2061**
WHO: Nurses and healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis
WHAT: Socially-distanced worker protest to #GetMePPE at healthcare facilities
WHEN: Thursday, April 9
WHERE:
| City | Location | Address | Time |
| Kalispell, Mont. | Montana Children’s | 350 Sunnyview Ln | 1 pm |
| Enumclaw, Wash. | St. Elizabeth Hospital | 1455 Battersby Avenue | 3:30 pm |
| Medical Lake, Wash. | Eastern State Hospital | 850 Maple St. | 3 pm |
| Monroe, Wash. | EvergreenHealth | 14701 179th Ave SE | 1 pm |
| Seattle, Wash. | Swedish First Hill | 747 Broadway | 3 pm |
| Tacoma, Wash. | St. Joseph Medical Center | 1717 South J Street | 3:30 pm |
The nurses and healthcare workers leading the #GetMePPE National Day of Action are members of or organizing with the Service Employees International Union, the nation’s largest union of healthcare workers. Frontline healthcare workers are at the epicenter of fighting coronavirus in our country’s hospitals are putting their lives on the line without the protection they need.
While recent events show that stay-at-home orders and physical distancing have significantly decreased the impacts of the novel coronavirus in Washington state, the COVID-19 crisis is far from over. COVID-19 patients are admitted daily to hospitals in Washington and Montana, and caring for these seriously ill patients safely consumes significant quantities of PPE. Hospitals have reacted to short stocks of PPE by rationing necessary equipment. Unnecessary exposure to the novel coronavirus due to inadequate personal protection puts healthcare workers at risk of contracting COVID-19, becoming too ill to work and potentially spreading the virus on to others.
Workers are calling on the Trump administration to drive a coordinated, transparent national response—using the full power of the Defense Production Act—to immediately, and for the duration of the crisis, procure, produce, and provide PPE to all healthcare workers. They are also calling for healthcare coverage, paid sick time and paid leave for all frontline workers nationwide.
Additional Background
About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a union of nurses and healthcare workers with over 30,000 caregivers throughout hospitals, clinics, mental health, skilled home health and hospice programs in Washington state and Montana. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW’s mission is to advocate for quality care and good jobs for all.
Service Employees International Union
The Service Employees International Union is the nation’s second-largest labor union and the largest union of healthcare workers. SEIU is an organization of nearly 2 million members united by their belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide and dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society.
Protect All Workers
Workers at the forefront of the growing Coronavirus pandemic recently launched Protect All Workers, a demand calling on leading industries — from airlines to hospitals to fast-food and beyond — to take immediate, sweeping, and concrete actions to protect the health, safety and financial security of all workers in America. Backed by the 2 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and workers in the Fight for $15 and a Union, Protect All Workers is mobilizing thousands of working people to pressure corporate leaders and elected officials to protect all workers amid the global pandemic and economic crisis.
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