Striking Kadlec workers back on the job
More than 1,100 Kadlec techs and service workers plan to go on strike for seven days in August.
Courtesy Bouten ConstructionA weeklong strike by more than 1,100 Kadlec techs and service workers ended as planned at 6 a.m. Aug. 27.
“United in their demand for fair wages, safe staffing and respect on the job, frontline workers will demonstrate their continued solidarity by walking back into their workplaces together,” Service Employees International Union 1199NW said ahead of the strike’s end.
The workers went on strike starting Aug. 20 to denounce what the union has described as “bad-faith bargaining” by Providence executives and their “refusal to settle a strong contract with investments in wages and staffing that respect frontline workers’ experience, no matter where they work in the Providence system.”
Kadlec is part of the Providence health system.
The striking Kadlec workers want wages that better line up with their counterparts at Providence Swedish in Seattle.
The next bargaining session is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 16, and “the workers stand firm in their commitment to delivering high-quality care to their Tri-Cities community while continuing their fight for a strong contract at the bargaining table,” the union said.
Kadlec officials said they’ve “welcomed back our caregivers who participated in the strike, and together, our team continues to provide the safe, compassionate, high-quality care our community depends on us for. Today we are focused on all our caregivers, ensuring they are fully supported as we come back together.”
The hospital looks forward to returning to the bargaining table, the statement said. “We deeply value our caregivers and remain committed to negotiating a fair and market competitive agreement that supports our caregivers’ work and our mission,” it said.
In a separate statement, the hospital pushed back on unfair labor practice charges made by the union, saying the hospital respects workers' rights and follows the law.
As for negotiations, Kadlec officials have said that the hospital bargaining team made multiple strong proposals that would provide “immediate and significant wage increases averaging 15.98% for our caregivers, with additional increases over the next three years.”
Meanwhile, the union continued to propose an average wage increase of over 40% – “far and above what other employers pay for the same jobs across Eastern Washington,” Kadlec has said, adding that Seattle is one of the most expensive cities in the state.
