SPOKANE, Wash. - Hundreds of workers at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center are set to begin a union labor strike on Monday.
Workers said they are fighting for what they believe are fair wages for the work they are expected to do.Â
The strike comes after the hospital's union, UCFW 3000, and hospital management were unable to come to an agreement on a new contract after months of negotiations.Â
With 500 workers set to go on strike - the hospital said people can still expect the same level of care and service without interruption.Â
But at what cost?
The hospital may start to pay replacement workers double if not triple the amount of it's current staff.Â
According to the United States nursing website, a website designed to connect hospitals with staff during labor disputes, there are several open positions that Sacred Heart needs to fill during the strike.Â
In an email sent to 4 News Now from a member of the website, the proposed pay suggested anywhere from $70-$145 per hour depending on the position. Members of the union said the pay ranges offered on the website are double, if not triple, the salaries of current workers.Â
The union members also added the hourly pay offered to replacement workers is 'insulting'.Â
Although this is the first strike in the union's history at Sacred Heart; the issues are not new.
Casandra Quesnell, a mom of four autistic children, said she's a 'frequent flyer' at the medical center and she's seen first-hand how understaffed and over-worked the employees are.Â
"I think the hardest part for me is to go in there and to see an empty lobby, but to still have to wait 90 minutes to 2 hours, said Quesnell. "And I understand that there are people in the back, but if you have an empty lobby, there should be no reason that it's taking 90 minutes to 2 hours to be triaged in."
Quesnell said something has to change.Â
"Providence's strike, I hate to say it, but I think it's for the good because the way that it's being ran, clearly it trickles down from the top," Quesnell said. "You know, something has to change up there in order for it to change down below."
Workers plan to strike starting Monday, April 22 at 2 p.m. The strike will continue with employees picketing out in front of the hospital from 5:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. every day until April 30.Â
