Health benefits, wages remain front of mind for picketing PeaceHealth nurses
Hundreds of nurses picketed in front of PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham on Tuesday, calling for improved health benefits and competitive wages as contract negotiations with the hospital remain stalled.
Bargaining between the hospital and the nurses’ union — the Washington State Nurses Association — has been ongoing for more than three months, with more than a dozen bargaining and mediation sessions held to date.
“We’re having a picket because we’ve been in negotiations for 13 sessions and PeaceHealth hasn’t moved on the things that matter to us,” PeaceHealth Labor and Delivery Nurse Jen Hampton told The Bellingham Herald from the picket line.
The nurses’ biggest concerns continue to relate to health benefits, wages and what they are calling a “lack of respect” from management, according to WSNA communications representative Bobbi Nodell.
PeaceHealth Northwest Network Senior Director of Marketing and Communication Amy Drury told The Herald that hospital management “understands how important our contract is to our caregivers” and recently accepted WSNA’s wage proposal at the last session on April 18, which includes an average wage increase of 14% over three years.
“This means our nurses would be making between $95,321 and $160,675 in base salary by the third year of the contract,” Drury said.
Another bargaining session is scheduled for Friday, May 16.
“We are committed to good-faith bargaining to reach an agreement that is fair, competitive and sustainable for our medical center and our community,” Drury said.
PeaceHealth nurse Brian Martens wrote a song in protest by adapting the Bob Dylan tune “The Times They Are A-Changin,” which he performed on the picket line Tuesday.
“As a musician and a poet, I was trying to capture the feeling,” Martens said of the song. “It’s like we’re all just fighting sometimes to keep our heads above water. More and more people keep coming into the hospital, and we feel less and less adequately supported.”
St. Joseph ICU nurse Lindy Terpstra also spoke to The Herald from the picket line. She said her family has been in Whatcom County for generations, and she wants to raise her children here but she is worried she won’t be able to afford to stay.
“If I can’t afford to live here — and if nurses get better health care and better pay just a little bit south — why would I stay? We just want to serve our community, and we want our employer to take our concerns seriously,” Terpstra said.
PeaceHealth nurses flooded several recent Bellingham City Council and Whatcom County Council meetings, wearing blue in solidarity and speaking publicly about their concerns with the biggest employer in Whatcom County.
In response to community concern, the Bellingham City Council unanimously approved sending a letter on April 14 to the Washington State Nurses Association and other local health care workers to “strongly urge all parties to proceed with a commitment to bargaining for the common good that is predicated on a high-quality health care workforce and a safe workplace.”
“We understand that this cannot be sustained without competitive compensation and benefits, improved employee retention, and adequate staffing,” the letter states.
The council also unanimously approved sending a letter to PeaceHealth with similar language, further stating that the hospital’s “decisions resound widely in our community.”
“We are invested in your success in agreeing to fair and equitable settlements that reflect your commitment to providing quality health care for our community and addressing the impact of the rising cost of living on your employees in Bellingham and Whatcom County,” the letter states.
No hospital employees walked off the job Tuesday to participate in the picket. Drury noted in her most recent statement to The Herald that “picketing is neither a strike nor a refusal to work, and PeaceHealth respects the rights of our caregivers to conduct this activity.”
“Our shared focus remains on providing safe, high-quality and compassionate care to the people in our communities,” Drury said.
WSNA represents 1,100 registered nurses at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 2:24 PM.
