Nurses at Virginia Mason Medical Center picketed outside the Seattle hospital early Thursday morning, kicking off a protest at the main entrance at Terry Avenue and Seneca Street before a noon rally, as they accuse management of severe understaffing that they say puts both patients and staff at risk. The action comes after what the nurses’ union describes as a monthslong standoff over staffing levels, with the current contract set to expire at the end of the year.
According to FOX 13 Seattle, nurses say they are routinely working 12-hour shifts without a single break. Nurses also told the station that cuts to cleaning and patient transport teams have forced nursing staff to take on those responsibilities in addition to their regular medical duties. The Washington State Nurses Association claims conditions have deteriorated since parent company CommonSpirit took over the facility in 2021.
The union says the frustration has been building for a while, and that nurses filed more than 150 formal complaints about staffing and working conditions in October alone. The station reports that nurses say the hospital’s internal complaint system has not resolved the underlying issues. Per the same account, nurses say Virginia Mason leadership has asked them to take on extra work to help the hospital achieve Magnet status, a designation considered the gold standard for hospital work environments.
Hospital Says It Will Stay Open, Keep Bargaining
Virginia Mason Medical Center President Christopher Bredeson said the hospital would remain open as usual during the picket to serve patients without interruption. In a statement, Bredeson said, “our hospital will remain open as usual to serve our patients and provide uninterrupted, quality care.”
The hospital also said it respects nurses’ right to picket and that it is actively negotiating with the Washington State Nurses Association to reach a fair contract. The union has said staffing is the biggest sticking point in those talks, according to the Washington State Nurses Association, which notes that nurses represented by WSNA have been negotiating a new contract for months.
Turnover and Safety Concerns Loom Over Talks
The picket is the second at a CommonSpirit hospital in Western Washington this week, FOX 13 reported, suggesting the staffing fight extends beyond Virginia Mason alone. A charge nurse at the hospital told the Seattle Times that six units at Virginia Mason had a 100% turnover rate or higher in one year, and that roughly 40% of the nursing staff currently have fewer than 18 months of experience as registered nurses.
The Seattle Times also reported that Washington registered nurses were paid more in workers’ compensation for assaults and violent acts than any other job category in 2022, underscoring the broader safety concerns nurses across the state have raised about staffing levels. That same outlet reported that hundreds of nurses lined Seattle streets in front of Virginia Mason during a separate pair of earlier Tuesday pickets.
A Familiar Standoff for Virginia Mason Nurses
This isn’t the first time staffing has pushed Virginia Mason nurses into the streets. The Washington State Nurses Association previously reported that nurses reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract in 2023 only after 19 bargaining sessions, an informational picket, and a complaint filed with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries over workplace safety.
Washington law requires that at least 50% of voting members on a hospital staffing committee be nonsupervisory, nonmanagerial nursing staff who are currently providing direct patient care, according to RCW 70.41.420. Under a related statute, RCW 70.41.425, the state is required to investigate qualifying complaints filed over violations of that staffing law.
With the current contract running through the end of 2026, both sides are continuing to bargain. For now, nurses have signaled that tensions at the hospital are mounting even as negotiations continue.
