St. Joseph Medical Center nurses seek better staffing, safety

Since the pandemic, nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma have been pushed to their limit. Their contract ended Oct. 31, and with little progress in talks they took to the streets Nov. 1 for an informational picket.

The biggest issues for the 1,200 nurses are staffing and workplace violence.

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?”

Flenord was coming off the night shift the day of the picket and said she had to fill multiple roles. 

“I’m exhausted right now,” she told NW Public Broadcasting. “I was literally break nurse, [certified nursing assistant], charge nurse, resource, everything last night. I’m running from like three different floors, making sure everybody has everything. No one’s getting their breaks. Everybody’s frustrated, and I’m frustrated.”

On the cardiovascular intensive care unit, four nurses quit in one week.

The nurses are asking for evidence-based ratios for the number of nurses to patients. Ratios are the law in California and Oregon and used by hospitals owned by CommonSpirit Health, the same health system that owns St. Joseph.

“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.”

And, like many hospitals, nurses fear for their safety.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.”

The last time a gun was fired at the hospital was Dec. 2, 2023.

Nurses want metal detectors and security that can disarm a patient.

Parking is also a huge concern.  Nurses regularly have their cars broken into and some have even found someone in their car while physicians and managers park in a secure parking lot.

The picket Nov. 1 had lots of community support.  Among the speakers were  Pierce County Council Chair Ryan Mello, Tacoma City Council member Jamika Scott (District 3), State House Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-27th District), State Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-27th District),  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.)

Nurses have been bargaining since Aug. 21. Another session has been set for Nov. 19.