Skyline nurses seek community support in negotiations
Nurses want hospital to invest in employee nurses, not expensive travel nurses
August 7, 2024 • 1 minute, 20 seconds to read
(Tukwila, Aug. 7, 2024) Nurses at Skyline Health in White Salmon, Wash., are seeking community help to retain and attract new nurses when they go back to the bargaining table Aug. 13.
The nurses, represented by the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), have received statements of support from the mayor and some city council members. They have also gathered more than 200 signatures from the community by standing outside farmers’ markets and other gathering places.
The nurses have had five negotiating sessions for a new contract. Management has canceled two sessions.
The nurses want the hospital to invest in fair wages not rely on expensive travel nurses.
“Unanimously, our biggest concern is the amount of money spent for travelers,” said Peggy Thompson, a registered nurse at Skyline.
WSNA negotiators say travel nurses at Skyline currently receive around $90 per hour or more while the highest paid staff nurses at the hospital make $57.94 an hour. Skyline’s latest proposal was to increase the top wage to $61.33.
Currently, nurses at Skyline are, on average across all steps, paid about 16.5 percent lower than comparable hospitals, according to a market analysis by WSNA.
Skyline employs around 40 nurses, about half of which are per diem, meaning they generally work intermittently. In July, the hospital had six travel nurses, who are contractors, not hospital employees. From the beginning of 2022 to the present, the hospital has had about four to six traveler nurses each month.
Skyline Health, built in 1952, is a critical access hospital on the Columbia River Gorge providing a 24/7 emergency department, family medicine, behavioral health, general surgery, rehabilitation, transitional care, and other critical services.
The hospital is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners. At the July 23 Board of Commissioner meeting, several Skyline nurses spoke about what they need from the hospital.
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 20,000 registered nurses for collective bargaining who provide care in hospitals, clinics, schools and community and public health settings across the state.