Nurses’ contract in place with Whidbey hospital district

Published 8:27 am Thursday, February 25, 2016

Whidbey General Hospital and the nurses’s union reached a tentative contract agreement Monday night, potentially ending nearly a year of negotiations.

Nurses still have to approve the agreement and the details of the contract won’t be shared in public until they have a chance to peruse the document, said Ruth Schubert, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Nurses Association.

“It took us 17 bargaining sessions to reach this tentative agreement,” she said. “We’re thrilled to have reached this agreement and we will have details out to the nurses prior to the vote.”

Under the terms of the agreement, the hospital also can’t comment until the agreement is ratified, said hospital spokesman Keith Mack.

The first negotiation took place in early March last year. Sticking points during negotiations included concerns about rest breaks, pay and training.