A Thousand Health Care Workers Picket Outside Swedish Hospital

[TexasTowelie]

On Thursday organizers say close to 1,000 health care workers with SEIU 1199 NW and other unions demonstrated outside Swedish's First Hill campus, following a day of informational picketing at all seven of Swedish's locations in Seattle.

U.S. House Rep. Adam Smith, King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Council Member Joe McDermott, State Rep. Rebecca Saldaña, State Rep. Nicole Macri, and Seattle City Council candidate Tammy Morales joined the demonstrations at various points throughout the day.

Since bargaining began last April, workers have been asking for better nurse-to-patient ratios, better wages and benefits, and more training and support for custodial staff. They point to high executive pay at Providence St. Joseph Health and the profitability of the company as evidence that the money is there.

According to their latest tax statements, Providence, a Catholic non-profit that acquired Swedish in 2012, compensates its executives to the tune of $41 million.

Read more: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2019/08/23/41181983/a-thousand-health-care-workers-picket-outside-swedish-hospital

[democratisphere]

1. The outrageous profits from healthcare are only for the wealthiest.

In fact American healthcare is ONLY about the wealthiest.
These workers need to shut up, be thankful and know their place.

[lettucebe]

2. I recently spent a week in ICU at Swedish

and the staff were incredible. They deserve to be compensated. They work tirelessly and a lot of what they do is frankly really gross. Why anyone thinks the people doing the hard work don't deserve to be paid as well as those pushing paper at the top is beyond me, but it's time for this to change.

I'm completely behind their strike; they deserve better.