Nurses at Seattle Children’s Hospital voted to authorize strike as contract talks continue

More than 2,100 registered nurses at Seattle Children’s Hospital have authorized a potential strike following a union vote.

Registered nurses at Seattle Children’s Hospital voted Sunday and Monday on whether to authorize their bargaining team to call a strike. The Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), which represents the striking nurses, wrote in a post on Monday that the measure passed by an “overwhelming” margin.

“Your vote to authorize a strike gives us more power at the bargaining table,” the union wrote in its post. “We continue to bargain fiercely to reach a complete tentative agreement we can be proud to bring to you for a vote without having to strike.”

If the WSNA bargaining team determines a strike is necessary, it will work with the union’s Labor Executive Council to set the timing and duration.

WSNA will give the hospital 10 days’ notice as required by law.

The union is seeking higher nurse wages, arguing that current pay levels lag behind those at many other West Coast children’s hospitals.

The union is also seeking stronger protections against workplace violence, hospital-wide break nurses to prevent double-load of patient assignments and increased sick-time accrual.

According to the WSNA’s 2022-20225 collective bargaining agreement, entry-level nurses earn a base wage of $47.60 per hour, while a nurse with 36 years of experience earns $89.80 per hour. The contract expired Nov. 21.

According to Seattle Children’s Hospital, the average WSNA-represented nurse working 34 hours per week earns approximately $77,657 in salary and wages, or $100,822 in total compensation when overtime, paid leave, and premium pay are included.

Seattle Children’s Hospital’s most recent proposal offered nurses wage increases averaging $10.62 per hour, or 17.4% with nurses early in their careers receiving increases of up to 23.8%.

The proposal also includes an average of 80 hours more of paid time off than other pediatric hospitals in the region, with up to 134 hours depending on length of service with Seattle Children’s.

The hospital says it is balancing contract negotiations amid anticipated cuts to Medicaid reimbursements to hospital systems under President Donald Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The legislation reduces Medicaid reimbursements to hospital systems nationwide, changes supporters say are intended to address rising costs and inefficiencies in the program.

“Seattle Children’s is committed to being a leader in total compensation (pay, benefits) in the Puget Sound region and must also prioritize financial stewardship in the face of potentially devastating economic headwinds, including significant federal and state cuts and taxes,” Seattle Children’s spokeswoman Sabrina Register wrote to The Center Square in an emailed statement.

According to Seattle Children’s Hospital's audited 2024 year-end report, the hospital posted an operating margin of $142.96 million, or approximately 5.67%. Seattle Children’s estimates the impact of the Medicaid cuts will reach tens of millions of dollars in the 2026 fiscal year, growing to hundreds of millions over the next five years in state and federal taxes and cuts.

Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson voiced her support for the nurses in a social media post earlier this month. Wilson urged Seattle Children’s Hospital management to bargain in good faith.

“A fair contract for nurses will ensure that nurses and workers at the hospital are treated with dignity and respect, and it will help children across Seattle and Washington state receive the very best care,” Wilson said in the social media post.

If a strike occurs, it would be the first in Seattle Children’s Hospital’s 118-year history.