Hospital administration, unions disagree on legislation for safe staffing

As the pandemic stretches into the second year, hospitals and their staff members continue to be overwhelmed.

In fact, a December poll of healthcare workers in Washington showed that more than 80 percent of employees feel burned out, and 49 percent said they will likely leave the healthcare industry in the next few years.

Lawmakers in Washington state are attempting to ease some of that burden through several bills aimed at retaining and helping workers in hospitals, but the healthcare industry is split on what legislation would be beneficial.

One piece of legislation that has stirred up disagreement is House Bill 1868, which would establish minimum staffing ratios for hospitals, as well as shore up meal, rest break and overtime provisions for healthcare employees.

The bill also states that the Department of Labor & Industries would have jurisdiction over staffing committees and staffing plans to enforce the new standards. As it stands currently, the Department of Health oversees those committees.

“It’s not good enough to just call people heroes and then turn around and ask them to provide quality care to patients,” said the bill’s prime sponsor and House Majority Whip Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, during public testimony.

“This isn’t their fault. Hospital executives and administrators have ignored staffing recruitment and retention issues for years,” Riccelli said. “Healthcare workers have moved mountains over the last two years but they’re burning out.”

Several healthcare workers testified in favor of the bill before the House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards, but many hospital executives and representatives disagree with the intent of the legislation.

Beth Zborowski, Senior Vice President of Member Engagement and Communications with the Washington State Hospital Association told McClatchy during a phone interview Friday that she doesn’t believe the bill will address what is causing strain in the healthcare system.

She said part of the problem is that the ratios proposed for minimum care standards are too rigid, and the pandemic has caused a “significant staffing shortage.”

“Lawmakers think that putting in these ratios would just fix it because it would force people to hire, but they’re already trying to hire and there just aren’t the staff to fill those positions,” Zborowski said. “There’s no way anyone can meet these requirements now.”

Also at issue, Zborowski said, are the fines that would be imposed by L&I if hospitals do not meet minimum staff-to-patient ratios, or if there are violations against the meal and rest break requirements and overtime restrictions. Because the fines go to a state worker’s compensation fund, she thinks it is pulling financial resources away from hospitals at a time when hospitals need the funds.

Jane Hopkins, executive vice president of SEIU 1199NW and a registered nurse, disagrees with Zborowski and told McClatchy in an interview Friday that the union are in full support of the legislation. She said there has never been a time in her 20 years as a nurse when hospitals haven’t been understaffed, and says staffing has always been a “crisis.”

Hopkins said hospital administrations have always figured out a way to “go around the law,” despite their claims that they want to make it easier for healthcare providers.

“We have to make it so that every healthcare worker, every nurse, and every CNA that walks into a hospital knows how many patients they need to look after because people are tired of going home every day knowing they’re not giving the care they need to their patients,” said Hopkins. “Hospitals are putting profits before patients.”

She said protecting the healthcare workforce would require a more holistic approach where multiple issues are tackled.

“Most of all we need to have minimum staffing standards as the baseline for all these things,” Hopkins said. “Management will always find a way around it if we don’t make it concrete and clear, and this bill is trying to do that.”

Hopkins said SEIU was “thoughtful” about the crafting of the bill and that hospitals are trying to make people frightened of the bill.

“All of this is about profit,” she said. “It’s about how much money they’re going to be making so that they can build the next building, so that the CEO can get more, so that stakeholders can benefit.”

Although the hospital association doesn’t support HB 1868 or its companion Senate bill, Zborowski said they are supportive over other measures introduced by the legislature this year, including proposed bills to provide hazard pay, bills to support educational development for healthcare workers, and bills to address long-term healthcare placement for individuals who can’t make decisions for themselves.

SEIU 1199NW also agrees on those. Better pay and retention pay would be especially important to keep people in the industry, Hopkins said. She said that while some hospitals are offering retention bonuses, not enough of the hospitals in Washington are.

The companion bill for HB 1868, sponsored by Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, will have a public hearing on Monday in the Senate Labor, Commerce and Tribal Affairs Committee.

This story was originally published by The News Tribune.

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