The three-day strike called by SEIU 1199NW ended at 7:30 a.m. today. Swedish is pleased to report that no major safety events occurred during the strike. We are grateful for everyone who ensured safe, quality care for our patients during this time.
This morning, we welcomed back nearly 2,000 SEIU-represented caregivers across all of our campuses. Swedish will continue to bring back represented caregivers as work becomes available. The two-day transition, starting this morning and ending at 7 a.m. on Sunday, is designed to minimize patient disruption as patient census grows and more caregivers are needed.
Despite what the union says, we are not engaged in an unlawful lockout. Swedish contracted with our vendors for a five-day replacement period, which was communicated to SEIU before the union delivered its strike notice on January 17. We also sent a postcard to every represented caregiver’s home stating this arrangement, sent out internal messaging in our weekly newsletter and posted the information on our intranet, all prior to the strike period.
Service Updates:
- Ballard and Redmond Emergency Departments are open
- Ballard Labor and Delivery is open
- All other remaining units that were consolidated or moved will reopen by Sunday morning
We are appreciative of the other hospitals and our partners in the Seattle area for their support in caring for our patients during this time.
We are working with federal mediators to schedule the next bargaining date.
