On March 16 our team met with management for another collective bargaining session. We were pleased to see that our pressure in the field is starting to yield results as we were able to come to tentative agreement on many of our outstanding non-economic issues. Management provided us with an economic counter that made some progress towards the wages we need but feel short of addressing all of our economic concerns. In particular, management again denied providing much needed premium and differential increases, adequate individual and across the board wage increases, a competitive per diem premium, giving us more control over how our benefits are altered, and solutions to issues with our Time Away banks. 

On March 28 our team met with management again for a short joint session. Here our team provided our latest economic counter, which included both the wages increases we need and realistic proposals that would address all of the other outstanding economic issues we face. 

We will be meeting with management again this Thursday, March 31 for another collective bargaining session. At this meeting we hope management provides a holistic economic counter that includes solutions to all of our important concerns and ensures real top of the market wages for the life of the new contract. While we hope to be able to secure a full agreement in this meeting, we have made it clear to management that we will not settle for a contract that falls short of fully addressing the issues which are causing the current staffing crisis. 

Please keep an eye out for more updates following our next session. 

If you have any questions about bargaining or want to learn more about how you can help our team at the table, please contact our Union Rep Christie Harris at *206-436-6606 and request to join our Slack channel. 

*Note: this is an office line and cannot receive text messages

“Today some movement was made but not enough to settle. We work at a premier children’s hospital and we deserve a fair contract. We will not stop until we get our members the contract they deserve.”

— Ashley Strickland, Respiratory Transport

Our SCH bargaining team: 

Matt Brabant - Respiratory Educator, Madison Derksema - Pharmacy Tech, Angela Ballard – Surgical Tech, Kellie Koenig – Ultrasound Tech, Ashley Strickland – Respiratory Transport, Tyler Schaffer – Anesthesia Tech, Tesfaldet Kidanemariam – Respiratory Therapist