Community Corner
St. Elizabeth Nurses Approve Two-year Contract
A tentative agreement was reached last Thursday, averting a planned strike earlier this week.
Registered nurses at in Enumclaw approved a new two-year labor contract on Tuesday, March 22, according to a news release issued today by Franciscan Health System, which operates the local hospital.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represents 95 registered nurses employed by St. Elizabeth. The hospital and the union had been in contract negotiations since March 2010.
“We are very pleased that members of the nursing staff have voted to accept this contract offer,” said hospital President Dennis Popp. “With the new contract in place, we can now focus on working together to provide area residents expert care close to home in our new facility.”
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The union had initially announced that the nurses would be striking on Tuesday, March 22 because an agreement had not been reached over requested patient and staffing improvements. SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW spokesperson Linnae Riesen that a tentative agreement had indeed been reached early Thursday, March 17 and that the strike would not take place while the members voted on the contract.
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