MEDIA ADVISORY: Nurses and Patients from St. Joe’s Tacoma picket Thursday

Hundreds Expected at Informational Picket for Nurse and Patient Safety

WHAT: Informational picket calling on St. Joe’s to put nurse and patient safety before profits.

WHEN: Thursday, March 21, 8-11 a.m.

WHERE: St. Joseph Medical Center, corner of South J and South 19th streets, near the Emergency Room

WHO: Hundreds of supporters and nurses from St. Joseph Medical Center, carrying picket signs and chanting along J Street in front of the hospital.

St. Joe’s nurses will be available for media interviews.

BACKGROUND: After seven months and 12 bargaining sessions, WSNA and St. Joe’s still haven’t reached a contract agreement that ensures safe staffing, safe nurses and safe patients. The registered nurses at St. Joe’s are taking their concerns about nurse staffing and safe patient care to the community they serve.

St. Joe’s nurses are fighting for:

• Safe nurse staffing
  Safe staffing saves lives and allows nurses to provide safe patient care. Nurses need St. Joe’s administration to commit to ensuring safe staffing in every part of the hospital that allows nurses to take breaks.
• Safe nurses = Safe patients
  Nurses should not have to risk their personal safety just to do their jobs.In a series of recent incidents, a patient assaulted numerous nurses and threatened to kill employees at the hospital. The patient punched, kicked and scratched staff members, inflicting serious injuries.Nurses at St. Joe’s need protections in their contract to keep themselves and their patients safe.
• You deserve the best nurses
  To recruit and retain the best, St. Joe’s needs to offer competitive wages and benefits. They don’t.