On August 16, we hosted a town hall and engaged with community members regarding the dire staffing crisis and the uncompromising stance of our employer in contract negotiations. We exposed the shocking reality of pervasive staff shortages at the Hospital. Providence's audacity knows no limits as they overtly refuse to surpass the benchmarks established by the recently enacted WA State safe staffing law, a crucial law that won’t achieve full effect until 2027.Those who attended from the community now comprehend the stark truth we confront - a formidable struggle to ensure patient safety.

August 17 saw us distributing leaflets to the community during the Aquasox game on Union Solidarity Night. We conversed with community members and fellow unions, experiencing an overwhelming surge of support. Many committed to contacting the Providence General Foundation to endorse our staffing demands.

Throughout the previous and ongoing week, PRMCE management has inundated us with a deluge of emails, videos, and even a flashy newspaper ad in the Everett Herald. Their propaganda machine works incessantly, disseminating falsehoods that we, the nurses and our union, are to blame for the stalled negotiations. This is a distortion of reality.

Let's be absolutely clear: an impasse is far from our situation.Despite our inability to reach an agreement through the prolonged expedited negotiation process, we believe both sides possess further proposals to present. At no point did our union or PRMCE assert that we were delivering a "last, best, and final offer." PRMCE manipulatively wields the term "impasse" as a tool of fear. According to the National Labor Relations Act, if a union and employer reach a valid "impasse" during contract negotiations, the employer can enforce their last proposal. This is PRMCE's cunning strategy to shirk bargaining and impose their terms.

Furthermore, Providence only seems fixated on one talking point: wages.Yet, what about the lives we safeguard daily? What about patient safety? Their callous calculations dismiss our primary objective - rectifying the staffing nightmare. Our contract's aim is to create a resolution for our staffing predicament. Wage increases alone are insufficient. Our proposals, rejected by PRMCE, empower nurses to collaboratively address enduring staffing challenges alongside PRMCE management. They involve binding third-party mediation to resolve long-standing staffing-related issues that management has failed to address, ensuring consistent consultations between the Chief Nursing Officer and nurses to efficiently allocate resources for staffing and patient safety initiatives, and establishing accountability mechanisms should PRMCE fail to adhere to the agreed-upon staffing plans.

Circle August 28 on your calendars as we head into another round of negotiations with PRMCE.However, don't for a moment think that we're commencing with a blank slate. We've already hammered out several tentative agreements. If Providence dares to reject this already agreed upon language, they knowingly prolong our struggle to tackle the staffing crisis.

Providence stands at a crossroads.Will they join forces with nurses to uplift patient safety? Or will they suppress our voices, perpetuating the staffing crisis and jeopardizing patients?

Our determination remains unwavering.We will persist in organizing actions and preparing for a strike - a demonstration of our commitment to realizing our proposals. On August 22 at 8 pm via Zoom, we will conduct strike captain training. Join us if you're willing to lead within your unit/department. Let's demonstrate to PRMCE the unyielding strength of our unity.

Please join us at one of the actions below:  

September 21: Community Townhall
@ Everett Labor Temple 2810 Lombard Ave Everett 5-6pm

September: Strike educational meetings for nurses at PRMCE and over Zoom  

August 28: Bargaining with PRMCE

August 27: Everett Farmers Market 10:30 to 12pm  (meet at the corner of Pacific and Wetmore) 

August 22, September 5, and September 19: Strike Captain Training 8pm-9pm CLICK HERE TO JOIN

 Show PRMCE that we are serious about our proposals and are willing to strike!If you have not already signed the strike pledge, please click on the link PRMCE RN - I Promise to Take Action! (jotform.com)

Also encourage your coworkers to update their information:https://ufcw3000.org/update-your-information

- Our PRMCE RN Bargaining Team: Trevor Gjendem, Juan Stout, Carrie Rimel, Kelli Johnson, Stephanie Sausman, Julie Byum, Kristen Crowder