Compass Health health care workers taking to streets in 5 Washington counties

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — It’s a situation we’ve seen again and again since the pandemic: nurses and health care workers not at workstations. Instead, they are often on picket lines calling out employers and the healthcare industry.

Monday and this week, hundreds of health care workers will be taking to the streets in several counties in Washington.

The latest group to picket is behavioral health workers at Compass Health facilities in Snohomish, Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan counties.

Chelsey Dyer works in behavioral health with Compass health and is also one of the lead negotiators trying to iron out a new contract for Compass’ workers, she says the issue starts with pay but doesn’t end there.

“It’s not sustainable to not pay people -- I know that it’s challenging it’s hard. Nobody wants to be out there,” said Dyer.

Dyer knows she is not alone when it comes to picketing and calling out her employer, Compass Health, to pay their workers a better wage that could lead to better retention of staff and solve staffing concerns.

In November of 2023, more than 1,000 nurses at Everett’s Providence Medical Center went on strike.

They had taken to the picket lines to demand better pay and more staffing. In October of 2023, nurses linked to Virginia Mason Hospital were also on the street voicing their concerns about safety at work and how much support the hospital was giving its employees. In April of 2023 in Pierce County, nurses at Multicare Good Samaritan Hospital were also considering labor action.

It’s a story where the general elements stay the same, but the venues change. Behavioral health care workers at Compass Health say they want a better pay, and a greater investment in care. Dyer says the lingering effects of the pandemic, the shutdowns and isolation, are continuing to take a toll on people and the people who treat them.

“People in this field are in this field for a reason and it’s meaningful work to them and they want to have a positive impact on their communities…That’s all we want to do. We just want to work our jobs.”

Dyer says several informational pickets will happen at Compass facilities this week. She hopes public support helps with future labor negotiations.

“People are having to make impossible choices; ‘Do I get this much needed surgery this month or do I pay my rent? Do I drive to work and use my gas and know I’ll be out of gas money or pay for food?’ Those are actual stories,” she said.

More than 350 behavioral health care workers with SEIU Healthcare 1199NW at 26 Compass Health facilities in Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Island, and San Juan counties will hold informational pickets and rallies on July 29, Aug. 1, and Aug. 3 to call on Compass Health administration to invest in recruitment and retention by settling a strong union contract, according to a release sent by the union.

The union says workers delivered the legally required 10-day notice of intent to hold an informational picket to Compass CEO Tom Sebastian.

The bargaining unit for the union consists of counselors, clinicians, medical assistants, substance use disorder counselors, crisis responders, including designated crisis responders, nurses, mental health technicians, and other job classes. The union says a lack of competitive wages has led to alarming rates of staff turnover.

Compass Health sent a statement about the picket:

Statement from Tom Sebastian, CEO, Compass Health

“Compass Health can confirm that this week, team members are engaging in informational picketing. We fully respect our team members’ rights to voice their opinions and advocate for the issues and policies that are important to them.

“At all times, our top priority is to support our clients and their families and ensure access to care. We’re not experiencing any interruptions in service and want to assure clients that we’ll see them at their appointments.

“We are also focused on finalizing a fair and equitable contract that meets union members’ needs while ensuring our organization can continue to sustainably operate and serve community members.

“Since October, we’ve repeatedly offered a minimum 6% wage increase for everyone, and up to 22% for the positions that are most difficult to recruit for, including clinicians, care coordinators and nurses. We’re also proposing meaningful market-based wage increases for others, including peer counselors, who make a significant impact on client outcomes.

“We want to raise staff wages while maintaining strong benefits, and we’ve been trying to do that for months. We’re ready to boost paychecks.”

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