EDMONDS – Stevens Hospital has reached a tentative contract agreement with a union representing about 70 percent of its work force, bringing to an end negotiations that began in August.
Voting on the proposed contract will take place Tuesday and Wednesday.
No details on the new work agreement were available on Friday.
“No details means no details,” said Carter Wright, communications director for the Service Employees International Union.
The union’s membership includes 1,022 of the hospital’s staff of 1,400 full- and part-time employees. The union represents nurses and professional and technical workers.
The last negotiating session, on Thursday, lasted 11 hours. It was the 19th time the two sides had met.
“We’re pleased that we achieved a contract that is fair to both parties,” hospital spokeswoman Beth Engel said.
Union members attended several of the hospital board’s meetings the past few months. They urged the publicly elected board members to push for a fair settlement with employees.
In December, the union said it would consider informational picketing if an agreement was not reached. Instead, both sides agreed to continue talks.
The last time workers conducted informational picketing was in March 1998, when nurses were seeking a new contract.
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
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