COVID-19 Member Hotline
If you are a member of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and want to report an incident at your facility related to COVID-19, have concerns about your safety in the workplace or questions about the impact of COVID-19 on your work, please call our COVID-19 member hotline:(866) 977-0247
For all other queries, you can find the appropriate contact on this page.
As a union of healthcare workers, we respect and care for people of all nationalities and ethnicities and realize that screening for the coronavirus must be based upon an individual’s likely exposure to the virus — not their language or skin color. We will support and encourage respectful treatment of all patients and team members during this challenging period. SEIU will continue to monitor the outbreak and provide additional materials to help members protect themselves and their communities.
Updates
Tuesday, March 17
The Training Fund will be closed from March 16-31 as a precautionary measure. More information here.
Friday, March 13
SEIU has developed guiding principles and current federal demands for the COVID-19 pandemic: investing in workers and ensuring guardrails on corporate relief, protecting frontline workers and communities, healthcare access for all, protecting the health and safety of all people no matter the color of their skin or where they were born, and protecting our democracy. We will join other SEIU locals in using these principles to guide our conversations with elected representatives at all levels of government. You can read them in full here.
Tuesday, March 10
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, the Washington State Nurses Association and UFCW 21 have released a joint statement on personal protections for healthcare workers. The three hospital and clinic unions call on health care employers and federal and local public health agencies to ensure all caregivers have access to the highest level of PPE available so we can continue to provide the high-quality health care our communities require. You can read the entire statement on this page.
Monday, March 2
- We will submit information requests to administrators at every facility to verify that all workers have the tools we need to be safe — such as PPE and training — and to ensure internal quarantine guidelines adhere to CDC and DOH guidelines.
- We will demand to bargain over paid time for time spent in quarantine or sick due to COVID-19. We maintain that employers should provide paid leave for workers affected so they can recover without using accrued PTO, sick leave or vacation hours.
- The proposal vote at Valley Medical Center in Renton (scheduled for Tuesday, March 3) has been POSTPONED. We’ll be sending information soon about remote membership meetings, our priorities and next steps.
- We will be scheduling a union-wide online town hall later this week. Member leaders and public officials will be available live to answer questions, share updates and address our concerns as we prepare to face the outbreak. Details will be shared via email as soon as possible.
Fact Sheet
SEIU has prepared a fact sheet for healthcare workers that addresses:
- What is known about COVID-19, including symptoms and transmission
- Protections for workers
- What employers should do to prepare
- Updates, resources and additional information
Fact Sheet in more languages:
Spanish Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers
English Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers
Vietnamese Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers
Korean Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers
Russian Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers
Hmong Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers
Chinese Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers
Washington Resources
The Washington State Department of Health has established a call center to address questions from the public. If you have questions about what is happening in Washington, how the virus is spread, and what to do if you have symptoms, please call 1-800-525-0127 and press #.
Visit the department’s COVID-19 information page to learn about:
- Federal Quarantine Guidance
- Local Health Jurisdiction and Healthcare Provider Resources
- School Resources
- Workplace and Employer Recommendations
- Novel Coronavirus Fact Sheet – Available in 11 languages
- Number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington (updated daily)
- Frequently asked questions
Additional Resources