MEDIA ADVISORY:
Monday, May 17, 2021
CONTACT:
Kenia Escobar
keniae@seiu1199nw.org
425.919.8896
WEDNESDAY: Deaconess, Valley Nurses and Healthcare Workers will Rally to Demand Investment in Spokane Caregivers, Community
The 1,300 nurses, radiologic techs, surgical techs, nursing assistants, housekeepers, food service workers and other healthcare workers united in SEIU Healthcare 1199NW at MultiCare Valley and Deaconess will rally at their hospitals Wednesday to call on MultiCare to prioritize safe patient care. While calling healthcare workers heroes in public, MultiCare has refused to adopt proposals at the bargaining table that would increase safety for patients and caregivers, and won’t close the wage gap with other local hospitals. Community members are invited to join Valley and Deaconess caregivers at the picket to stand with them and learn more about their fight for a fair union contract.
** To RSVP or to request an interview with workers, contact: Kenia Escobar, keniae@seiu1199nw.org,
425.919.8896**
WHO:
The 1,300 nurses and healthcare workers of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW at Deaconess and Valley Hospitals
WHAT:
Rally telling MultiCare Health Systems to invest in the Spokane community by investing in frontline healthcare workers
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 19
Times: 11:30 am – 1 p.m. // 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Rally with guest speakers: 4:30 p.m.
WHERE:
Valley Hospital, 12606 E Mission Ave, Spokane Valley, WA 99216
Deaconess Hospital, 800 W 5th Ave, Spokane, WA 99204
Rally to occur at both locations
SPOKANE AND SPOKANE VALLEY—Hundreds of nurses, radiologic techs, surgical techs, nursing assistants, housekeepers, food service workers and other healthcare workers from Deaconess and Valley Hospitals will unite Wednesday for a rally calling on MultiCare management to listen to frontline caregivers and put patients over profits.
Since bargaining began in November, healthcare workers united in SEIU Healthcare 1199NW have proposed safe staffing levels, wages that recruit and retain staff and compete with other area hospitals, and protection of hard-won standards on meal and rest periods and overtime.
Tacoma-based MultiCare Health System bought Deaconess and Valley hospitals in 2016, and continues to expand through acquisitions while many other hospitals have taken out loans just to survive the pandemic. Last summer, MultiCare announced a $300 million project to build a new Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital on its main Tacoma campus, and in December, MultiCare offered Astria Health in Yakima a $75 million loan to help it out of bankruptcy. Meanwhile, MultiCare has yet to add a single representative from Eastern Washington to its board of directors.
Nurses and healthcare workers gave the required 10-day picket notice to management on May 6. A picket is the right of every worker and does not interrupt patient care. Instead, it is a family and community event that caregivers participate in during their breaks, before or after their shifts or on a scheduled day off. Community members are invited to sign up to join caregivers at https://multicareheroes.org/.
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About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a union of nurses and healthcare workers with over 32,000 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.