Swedish Negotiation News

Thursday, July 24

Contracts ratified by SEIU 1199NW

We are pleased to announce that our caregivers – represented by SEIU 1199NW – have successfully ratified new contracts for more than 8,900 nurses, tech, professional, and service workers at Swedish Medical Center (SMC) and Swedish Edmonds. Ratification on July 23 marks the beginning of a new four-year agreement.

This new contract is the result of constructive dialogue and partnership with the union throughout the bargaining process. We are grateful for the collaborative nature of these discussions over the past few months.  

Here's a very brief overview of the new contract:

• Wage Increases
  • Across-the-board (ATB) wage increases and RN market increases that ensure we remain market competitive.  
  • Moving toward wage alignment in several jobs at Edmonds and SMC.
  • Premium and differential adjustments that place Swedish in a strong market position.
• Union representation: The contract includes provisions to enhance union orientation for new hires, expand orientation time to 30 minutes, and ensure regular updates of delegate lists.
• Organizational equity and inclusion: The agreement rebrands the Organizational Inclusion Committee (OIC) to focus on systemic strategies for workplace improvement.
• Environmental Services safety and staffing: We committed to balance home area assignments, annually review schedules and assignments and maintain the ACET training program, among other improvements.
• Floating and workforce development initiatives: Establishes committees to improve caregiver float processes. It also involves collaboration with the Multi-Employer Training Fund for apprenticeships.
• Benefits and wellness enhancements: Establishes a work plan to discuss health-care cost management, supports the Aetna transition with education resources, creates consistency in Roth contributions in the 401k plan, and expands bereavement leave definitions, including language updates to ensure inclusivity.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the bargaining process which resulted in new contracts that both parties support. 

We appreciate all you do for our patients, your fellow caregivers, and the communities we serve. 

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Tuesday, July 1

Negotiations resume July 9 and 10

The bargaining team for Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds and SEIU 1199NW – the union representing 8,900 nurses, tech, professional and service workers – met last week for several pivotal bargaining sessions.  

To date, negotiations have been efficient, honest and productive, showcasing a shared commitment to making Providence Swedish an outstanding place to work and receive care. We sincerely appreciate the dedication and hard work of the Swedish and SEIU 1199NW negotiating teams.

Continuing progress 

We have successfully reached mutual agreements on a number of key topics, including several in union security and strength, and staffing and safety. Both parties have demonstrated flexibility and openness, resulting in agreements that benefit the workforce and align with the strategic goals of our organization.

While there are still topics to be finalized, the groundwork laid during these meetings provides a solid foundation for continued collaboration. 

Our goal is to consider all perspectives and reach a mutually beneficial resolution on a new contract. We emphasize the importance of collaboration and continuous dialogue to achieve fair agreements for everyone involved and for our organization. 

Next steps 

We will continue to keep the lines of communication open and are optimistic about reaching a comprehensive agreement in the near future.  

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Issue No. 9
Wednesday, June 4

First tentative agreement reached; Economic discussions begin

A ninth negotiation session was held today between SEIU 1199NW and the Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds bargaining team. 

Our intentional bargaining process continues to cultivate a positive atmosphere, productive dialogue, and greater understanding among participants. We are optimistic that this intentional framework will lead to successful outcomes for both parties.

Key takeaways from today’s bargaining: 

• Tentative agreement reached on New Employee Orientation under union security and strength bucket.
• Initial discussions on economic issues – specifically wages – set the tone for future conversations. The parties discussed specific economic concerns including current issues facing bargaining unit members, market competitiveness, and current economic and financial realities. The parties will exchange data and continue discussions.  
• Exchanged counterproposals under the union security and strength bucket. We expect to continue moving toward resolution of identified issues by the end of the bargaining week.

Swedish Negotiation News - Issue No. 9

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Issue No. 8
Tuesday, June 3

Proposals, counterproposals presented on several issues

The bargaining team for Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds and SEIU 1199NW – the union representing 8,900 nurses, tech, professional and service workers – met again today for an eighth bargaining session. Our conversation continues to be frank and fruitful, and we appreciate the work being done by both teams to advance bargaining toward resolution.

Throughout several joint sessions, the parties discussed and passed proposals relating to union strength and security. The parties also had productive conversations started around other agreed priorities – benefits, recruitment and retention, and parity – to identify the outstanding issues for those topics.  We look forward to continuing to work with the Union and mediators on proposal generation regarding these topics in the coming sessions. 

Swedish Negotiation News - Issue No. 8

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Issue No. 7
Thursday, May 29  

Union presents additional issues; Both parties present proposals

The bargaining team for Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds met again today with SEIU 1199NW – the union representing 8,900 nurses, tech, professional and service workers. Discussions continued on specific priority issues, alongside various proposals and their assignments.

We’re grateful for the collaborative, positive nature of these negotiations to date.  This constructive environment has enabled open and meaningful dialogue between frontline caregivers and core leaders, paving the way toward an agreement that best supports our caregivers, patients and organization.   

Overview of priorities and issues

Here’s an overview of the issues brought forward by SEIU 1199NW and Swedish, organized by priority bucket: 

1. UNION SECURITY AND STRENGTH

Union membership and representation   New employee orientation Access  Technological Advancement

2. STAFFING AND SAFETY

Call  Workforce Development  Breaks  Floating  Environmental Services

  Proposals by priority bucket

1. UNION SECURITY AND STRENGTH
Swedish presents two proposals, one counterproposal;  
SEIU 1199NW presents three proposals 

The Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds bargaining team presented two proposals and one counterproposal on issues under the union security and strength bucket, specifically union membership and representation.  

Swedish proposals:

Access to premises: Unless doing so is not possible, the union will provide at least 48 hours’ notice before delegates come onsite.     List of delegates: The union will provide management with an updated list of delegates on a quarterly basis.    Removal from schedule: Caregivers who are not in good standing with the union under the terms of the contract may be removed from the schedule for up to 30 days to allow time to take action prior to being discharged.

Swedish counterproposal:

The Swedish bargaining team responded to the proposal the union presented during the May 27 session on the issue of new employee (caregiver) orientation, in-person and virtual sessions. Swedish counterposed that union delegates can meet with new represented caregivers for 30 minutes during orientation – up from the current 15 minutes – and will be part of the orientation agenda, where applicable. Attendance at the union’s orientation would also apply to current caregivers who are transitioning to a new, represented job role.

SEIU 1199NW proposals:

Contract specialists   Neutrality agreement including SMG   Job protection for workforce due to technology advancement

Each party provided feedback on the other’s proposals, and we look forward to discussing more soon.

2. STAFFING AND SAFETY
Proposal assignments for staffing and safety 

Each party will draft the following proposals under the staffing and safety bucket. We look forward to discussing at a future session. 

SEIU 1199NW

Floating Breaks EVS

Swedish bargaining team

Workforce Development  Safety Call

Swedish Negotiation News - Issue No. 7.

*Both parties have agreed there are five priorities (aka, “categories” or “buckets”) for bargaining during the expedited process, each with several sub-topics/issues that will be identified as negotiations continue:   

1. Union security and strength

2. Recruitment and retention

3. Staffing and safety

4. Benefits

5. Parity 

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Issue No. 6
Wednesday, May 28

Priority discussed: Staffing and safety 

Swedish Negotiation News - Issue No. 6

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Issue No. 5
Tuesday, May 27

Union presents proposal under first priority bucket

Today, the bargaining team for Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds held a fifth bargaining session with SEIU 1199NW – the union covering many of our nurses, technical and service caregivers.

As a reminder, both parties have agreed there are five priorities (aka, “categories” or “buckets”) for bargaining during the expedited process, each with several sub-topics/issues that will be identified as negotiations continue:

1. Union security and strength
2. Recruitment and retention
3. Staffing and safety
4. Benefits
5. Parity

Much of today’s session focused on each of the issues within the union security and strength bucket. Specifically, SEIU 1199NW presented a proposal on new employee orientation. The parties were also assigned proposals on several additional issues which will be presented in the coming days.

Early discussions also started on two other priority buckets: benefits, and staffing and safety. SEIU 1199NW identified the issues affecting caregivers under these buckets, and we will share more at a later date. 

Swedish Negotiation News - Issue No. 5. 

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Issue No. 4
May 15, 2025 

Opening workship, negotiations begin on first issue

Day four started with a powerful discussion and workshop. The experience focused on social justice and systemic disparities. The workshop highlighted the importance of a learning mindset, leadership skills for equity, and collective action to address discrimination in institutions and societally.  

The union presents the first issue

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Issue No. 3
May 14, 2025 

Facilitated exercises, overview of priority issues

Day three of bargaining continued with small group exercises practicing the intentional bargaining model that will be used as a framework for upcoming negotiation sessions. This model ensures that discussions are productive, efficient and allow all voices from both parties to be represented.  

Swedish Negotiation News - Issue No. 3

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Issue No. 2
May 13, 2025  

Mediator introductions, training session, community building

The Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds bargaining team met again today with SEIU 1199NW – the union representing 8,900 nurses, tech, professional and service workers. The second session commenced with more introductions from participants and meeting the mediators who will be supporting negotiations.

Training was held to develop community agreements, setting the groundwork for productive upcoming bargaining sessions. The training topics included effective dialogue, consensus, collaboration, communication, information sharing and active listening. Both parties are approaching these discussions with intention and are committed to creating a space where all participants can express their perspectives.

We all share the goal of coming to an agreement that best serves our caregivers, our patients and our organization.

Swedish Negotiation News - Issue No. 2

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Issue No. 1
May 5, 2025  

Contract Negotiations Began This Week

Today, the Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds bargaining team met with SEIU 1199NW – the union representing 8,900 nurses, tech, professional and service workers. The first session commenced with introductions from participants and establishing a foundation for constructive dialogue in future meetings.

In these negotiations, we’re fully committed to working collaboratively with the union to develop contracts that accomplish our shared goals, while ensuring we are also positioned to continue providing affordable, high-quality care for our patients.

Both parties acknowledged current challenges both within the health care industry and the broader external environment, emphasizing the need for collaboration and mutual understanding. This session set the stage for ongoing discussions, focusing on shared goals and addressing pressing issues effectively.

The Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds team is committed to bargaining in good faith with the goal of reaching agreement on a new contract before expiration.

Today’s session was the first of 15 expedited sessions scheduled through June.   

Swedish Negotiation News - Issue No. 1

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April 29, 2025

The five collective bargaining agreements between SEIU 1199NW and Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds expire on June 30, 2025. The contract covers more than 9,000 nurses, tech, professional and service workers. The first scheduled bargaining session is Monday, May 5. The parties are working towards an efficient bargaining process through June, with dates subject to change. 

During bargaining, each group will share proposals and counterproposals on a variety of topics, including recruitment and retention, compensation, benefits, staffing, and more. 

The Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds team is committed to bargaining in good faith with the goal of reaching agreement on a new contract before expiration, and to provide important contract enhancements to our deserving represented caregivers as soon as possible. 

Swedish has a long history of working collaboratively with SEIU on contracts that are market competitive, meeting the needs of our caregivers and organization. Our goal is to negotiate a fair contract that will help us recruit and retain our dedicated caregivers while staying true to our mission of sustainably serving all members of our community. 

We look forward to beginning these discussions with SEIU 1199NW and will share updates as bargaining progresses. 

We’re deeply grateful for the important work all our SEIU-represented caregivers do every day in service to our patients and communities.

Thank you, 

Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Edmonds Bargaining Team