Union, MultiCare say tentative deal reached for Good Sam nurses. Here are the details
Nurses at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup represented by the Washington State Nurses Association announced Thursday they have reached a tentative contract agreement with Tacoma-based MultiCare Health System.
In a statement, WSNA said that “After 20 hours of bargaining, the nurses at Good Sam reached a tentative agreement around 4:30 a.m. They are thrilled.”
The nurses, according to the statement, will receive “12%-24% raises, ratification bonuses of $3,500, dedicated break nurses, a charge nurse and flex nurse for each unit, and they will be getting staffing plans as part of their contract.”
“We got a historic and amazing contract,” said Jared Richardson, a registered nurse and co-chair of the WSNA bargaining team at the hospital, in a statement.
Richardson added that the contract will help retain nurses and attract new nurses.
The tentative agreement came hours after nurses represented by WSNA at the hospital voted to authorize a strike. WSNA represents 750 nurses at the site.
WSNA said nurses sought “safe staffing measures in their contract that will ensure they are able to give their patients the care they need and deserve.”
It noted that nurses were “too often working short-staffed and not getting meal and rest breaks.”
Bobbi Nodell, media representative for WSNA, told The News Tribune via email the nurses will vote to ratify the agreement June 29.
In a statement, MultiCare told The News Tribune via email, “We are pleased that we have reached a tentative agreement with WSNA. The agreement still needs to be ratified and we look forward to completing the process.”
The tentative deal caps multiple rounds of bargaining over months and public outreach about the nurses’ staffing concerns. The nurses held an informational picket in April and a few days later took part in hearing with the state Department of Health over a proposed new patient tower at the hospital. The nurses also held a vote of no confidence in MultiCare’s CEO, Bill Robertson, in May.
The nurses so far have worked three months without a contract, according to WSNA.
This story was originally published June 22, 2023 at 12:30 PM.
