Washington health care unions demand coronavirus hazard pay for workers
Several Washington unions representing nurses and other health care workers have joined together to demand hazard pay for those on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 issued a joint statement on Wednesday morning:
“Every day, we go to work to care for patients and keep our hospitals and health care facilities open, despite the fact that we still have not received enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep ourselves safe. Nurses, techs, respiratory therapists, and service and maintenance workers in health facilities are putting our own lives on the line to respond to this crisis. Simply coming to work puts us at heightened risk. At the same time, we are dealing with new economic challenges and hardships brought on by the crisis. UFCW 21, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and WSNA call on hospitals and health systems across Washington to recognize the heroic efforts of workers on the frontlines of this pandemic by providing hazard pay increases to all health care workers for the duration of the crisis. We cannot put on a price on unsafe working conditions, and hazard pay does not make up for the lack of proper equipment and support. But it does reflect the lived reality that these workers are putting their health and their lives on the line to ensure that our entire state has a fighting chance to beat this pandemic.”
Last week, the Washington State Nurses Association called on local, state and federal governments to provide “transparent, updated information on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic" and expressed concerns about protective equipment shortfalls.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/washington-health-care-unions-demand-coronavirus-hazard-pay-for-workers/ar-BB12kYib
