Nurses at Seattle Children's hospital ratified a new three-year contract over the weekend, narrowly avoiding a strike they had voted to authorize but said they ultimately didn't want to call.
The contract includes an average of at least 15% wage increases from now until February 2029, higher premiums for night-shift nurses, new protected leaves, workplace violence language and wins around sick leave, among other additions, according to the Washington State Nurses Association, which represents 2,183 Children's nurses. The agreement went into effect Monday.
Kara Yates, who's worked at Children's for 16 years and served on the WSNA bargaining committee, said she felt overwhelming relief and excitement" this week.
"This is a great contract," Yates said. "We achieved a lot through this process and it was incredibly difficult and took a ton of work, but we did finally get to something that I'm really proud of."
Negotiations took about three times longer than they did during the last round of bargaining, which ended in the fall of 2022 after 12 sessions, Yates said. This time around, it took about nine months and 36 bargaining sessions — and a strike authorization vote, she said.
"It was the first time in Seattle Children's history we've ever had to do strike assessments (and) had a strike vote," Yates said. "I think that really helped us kind of get things across the finish line."
In a statement, a Children's spokesperson said the hospital was pleased to reach an agreement with WSNA and appreciates everyone's "tireless efforts."
"We want to express our deep gratitude for the compassionate care Seattle Children's nurses, care teams and staff provide every single day and their unwavering dedication to living out our mission for the patients and families we serve," the spokesperson said.
Per the new contract, nearly all nurses will receive raises between an average of $9.75 and $12.50 an hour, depending on their experience — which will bring them up to rates of about $57 to $95 an hour by 2029.
In addition, the agreement includes increased sick leave accruals; protected leaves after workplace violence, on-the-job injuries and a death of a patient; preserved union rights; and expanded language around predictability in nurses' schedules and the hospital's commitments to anti-racism and anti-discrimination, according to WSNA.
The contract also makes official a requirement to staff two security officers in Children's psychiatric and behavioral medicine unit, as part of other language that addresses situations where patients might become violent with staff.
"This is for the protection of staff and patients at all times," Children's registered nurse Lindsey Kirsch said. "We never blame our patients for their behaviors related to their mental illness, but we do want everyone to be protected."
In reflecting on this round of negotiations, the two nurses said they thought the tone was dramatically different from past bargaining experiences.
"A lot of what it felt like we were fighting for this time were changes that we've experienced in the hospital" over the last couple years, said Yates, who just finished her fifth set of contract negotiations. "Actually getting memorialized in the contract the way some things used to be."
For example, when she joined the hospital 16 years ago, nurses usually didn't get disciplined for calling in sick, Yates said. After the COVID-19 pandemic, however, she's recalled more nurses being called into disciplinary meetings and "moved up through the phases of discipline" over "attendance issues," she said.
Kirsch, who's worked at Children's for almost 20 years, said she's felt that way about the overall environment within the hospital, too. From her perspective, hospital management's tenor has changed from more "nursing-focused and family-focused to much more of a business focus," she said.
"Of course, any hospital still has to look at the bottom line," Kirsch said. "But it used to be much less obvious and much less driven by that."
The nurses acknowledged the enormous financial strain most health care organizations in Seattle and throughout the country have faced since the pandemic. But they argue that Children's is not one of them.
According to Children's end-of-year financial report, the hospital's number of days cash on hand has increased since 2023, from 286 to 370 at the end of fiscal year 2025. Operating income increased from about $120 million in 2024 to about $300 million in 2025, the report says.
In a past online FAQ, the hospital said Children’s is a “market leader” in total compensation for nurses compared to other area health systems. The average total annual pay for a WSNA-represented nurse working at Seattle Children’s full time (36 hours per week) was $100,822 in 2024, the hospital said.
The nurses union, meanwhile, said the hospital was between 10% and 40% behind other West Coast pediatric hospitals in terms of wages.
In the next three years, Yates said a lot of work remains in rebuilding trust with Children's management.
"I'm also eager to move on now," Yates said. "We're very relieved that this is the work we get to be doing instead of walking the strike line.
This story includes information from The Seattle Times archives.
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