Nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma picket Nov. 1 for better conditions
Staffing levels keep falling and workplace violence and security need drastic improvement
October 31, 2024 • 2 minutes, 5 seconds to read
(Tukwila-Oct. 31, 2024) —The 1,200 registered nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma and their supporters are holding an informational picket Nov. 1 for better working conditions. The nurses are represented by the Washington State Nurses Association.
The hospital is part of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, which is owned by CommonSpirit Health, a Catholic hospital system that owns 142 hospitals.
WHEN:
Friday Nov.1. in two sessions: 6:30 a.m.-9 a.m. and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Rally is at 11:30 a.m.
Nurses will be speaking at 8 a.m. and community members at 11:30 a.m. (Speaker list below)
WHERE:
Corner of 19th and J Street
CONTACTS:
Ruth Schubert, rschubert@wsna.org, 206-713-7884;
Bobbi Nodell, bnodell@wsna.org, 206-639-1708
THE ISSUES:
Since the pandemic, nurses have been pushed to their limit. The biggest issues are around staffing and workplace violence.
Staffing: Nurses are asking for evidence-based ratios for the number of nurses to patients.
Management has increased the number of trauma cases seen at the hospital by 100 percent and is proposing cutting nursing assistants that make nurses’ work possible.
On the cardiovascular intensive care unit, four nurses quit in the last week.
The hospital no longer has travel nurses but did not hire nurses into these positions. Nurses are told “to make it work,” but the hospital is cutting back on certified nursing assistants (CNAs). CNAs are the hands of nurses — giving water to patients, responding to their concerns, monitoring their vitals.
“We are critically short every day,” said Yunna Flenord, a nurse on the cardiovascular intensive care unit. “At what point do we get a reprieve?”
“We are not able to give patients the care they deserve,” said Kathleen Jabasa, a nurse in the operating room. “We are not being nurses but robots.”
Workplace violence: Nurses are asking for metal detectors and security that can disarm a patient.
Matthew McGuire, a nurse in the emergency room, said a couple weeks ago, a patient grabbed a pair of scissors and was threatening to stab people, but the security didn’t act. McGuire said he disarmed the patient.
In another recent incident, a patient with a drug problem came into the ER with a loaded firearm in a fanny pack across their chest. McGuire said he removed the firearm and called security.
“With regularity, weapons are being taken off patients in ER,” said McGuire. “Nursing is now one of the most dangerous professions.”
Note: The last time a gun was fired at the hospital was Dec. 2, 2023.
Security: Nurses regularly have their cars broken into and some have even found someone in their car. Physicians and managers park in a secure parking lot.
The 1,200 registered nurses at St Joseph Medical Center have held 10 bargaining sessions since Aug. 21.
SPEAKERS:
Morning Session, 8 a.m.
Nurses:
- Yunna Flenord
- Karli Kooi
- Matthew McGuire
- Carina Price
Afternoon Rally, 11:30 a.m.
- Jess Lezneckyi, RN
- Pierce County Council Chair Ryan Mello
- Tacoma City Council member Jamika Scott (District 3)
- WSNA Labor Executive Council President and RN Edna Cortez
- State House Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-27th District)
- State Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-27th District)
- WSNA President Justin Gill
- State Rep. Jake Faye (D-27th District)
- Washington State Labor Council President April Sims (WSLC represents more than 550,000 union members in the state.)
About WSNA
WSNA is the leading voice and advocate for nurses in Washington state, providing representation, education and resources that allow nurses to reach their full professional potential and focus on caring for patients. WSNA represents more than 17,000 registered nurses for collective bargaining who provide care in hospitals, clinics, and community and public health settings across the state.