Pierce County health care workers petition for hazard pay amid coronavirus crisis
The nurses’ union representing 3,600 workers at two of Pierce County’s biggest health systems has petitioned for extra pay during the COVID-19 crisis, saying its members are working without the proper protective gear and are suffering financial hardships brought on by the outbreak.
In a petition created last week, the nurses union asks for a pay increase of $5 per hour in recognition of their work and the increased risk to nurses and family members.
As of Monday, the petition has garnered more than 9,200 signatures.
The senior director for strategic initiatives of the Washington State Nurses Association, Anne Piazza, said while having a pay increase doesn’t compensate for adequate personal protective equipment, it can help show staff they are appreciated at a time when their work is critical.
“It’s meant to recognize the environment and the risks that nurses are putting themselves in,” she told The News Tribune. “They are at the front line of this.”
The two largest health care systems in Pierce County, CHI Franciscan and MultiCare, do not offer hazard pay to staff.
When asked why not by The News Tribune, both health systems said they offer pay leave and benefits.
MulitCare spokesperson Annie Blake-Burke said there are a variety of paid-leave options. Employees who receive time-off benefits have access to paid leave accruals specifically for sick leave.
MultiCare is offering employees who cannot work from home work in another area, but if re-assigning an employee doesn’t make sense, staff could be asked to stay home. In both cases, employees would keep regular pay and benefits.
“These paid leave accruals are more generous than the current Washington Paid Sick Leave Law,” Blake-Burke said in an email.
If employees get sick or do not take the alternative work assignment, they can use paid time off or take unpaid days, she said.
CHI Franciscan’s vice president of Communications and Government Affairs, Cary Evans, said that his organization offers comprehensive and competitive pay and benefits.
“Anyone exposed to COVID-19 at work will continue to receive full pay during a quarantine,” Evans said in a statement.
Grocery stores have offered a pay bump, calling it “appreciation pay,” and some health care employers in other parts of the state have offered compensation for the health risks staff are taking in treating patients with the coronavirus.
Tacoma’s Central Co-op told The News Tribune it was granting appreciation pay, as are Safeway, Albertsons, Fred Meyer and QFC. The Grocery Store Workers’ Unions of Washington said it also has argued for more paid time off, and flexible scheduling for those with child care challenges.
Protective gear shortages
Many registered nurses who spoke to The News Tribune said they felt that if their employers could not provide adequate protective medical supplies, health care workers said they should at least see a pay increase for the increased risk.
There has been a national and statewide shortage of masks, gowns, gloves and face shields. Health care workers have had to reuse medical protective gear throughout a shift. MultiCare staff told The News Tribune some units were using the same disposable surgical mask for a 12-hour shift, placing it in a sealed plastic bag when not used.
Asked if the union would organize a strike if the requests were not met, Piazza said, “This petition is aimed at raising awareness.”
Other requests on the petition include providing adequate protective gear, providing a space for staff to change scrubs to avoid bringing the virus home and into the community, and providing paid leave for any worker who cannot work due to COVID-19 exposure with no loss of pay or accrued time off.
More Washington nurses have contracted the virus, and more are being tested after showing symptoms, the nurses union official said. As the coronavirus spreads, only more staff will get sick, causing catastrophic results for the health care system, Piazza said.
Nurses are forced to choose between protecting themselves and patients every day, she said.
“If our nurses don’t feel like they can do this safely, they will be forced to make a hard, difficult decision: care for the community, or themselves and their family,” Piazza said.
Other industries have also demanded an increase in pay for the risks workers are taking.
Working Washington has called for more safety net protections —including hazard pay — for grocery and takeout delivery workers with Instacart, Postmates and DoorDash.
American Federation of Government Employees, a federal employees’ union, is suing the government over hazard pay. The union is asking for a 25 percent pay differential for each day federal workers are required to work near infected objects or people “without protective devices that afford complete protection,” according to the union’s site.
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
