YAKIMA, Wash. – The first day of the Teamsters Local 760 strike at MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital began today, as 168 employees walked off the job. The union has been negotiating with the hospital since 2025 but has not reached a deal, primarily over a union security clause.
The union claims that MultiCare has similar contracts in place at hospitals in Spokane, Tacoma and other locations on the west side. As a result, the union decided to strike.
Teamsters began gathering outside the hospital around 6:30 a.m. today. According to the union, there has been no progress in negotiations for about three weeks.
April Wellock, a nuclear medicine technologist who joined the hospital over two years ago, participated in the strike alongside her fellow technologists and technicians.
“It doesn’t make any sense. It’s not all about just the money. It’s about the patient care,” said Wellock.
She emphasized the need for more coverage when staff are sick, highlighting the impact on patient safety and staff burnout.
“We need more coverage when people are sick. We can’t just like make the patient load just on the other techs. Like it’s just not safe for the patients. It’s not safe for us. You’re going to have tech burnout. For some people in my department that I worked here a long time, the benefits have really downplayed quite a bit,” said Wellock.
David Simmons with Teamsters 760 expressed the importance of MultiCare taking care of its employees.
“The employees of the hospital are the backbone of what makes this place work and they’re not taking care of them. And these people need to be taken care of so they can take care of the patients. This group is wanting to get back to work. They don’t want to have to strike. They’re dedicated to the cause of saying we’re getting a good contract,” said Simmons.
A MultiCare spokesperson sent the following statement to NonStopLocal in regard to the strike beginning:
“We value the work of our inpatient technicians and technologists at MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital. Our hospital will stay open and fully staffed, operating as normal, during the strike.”
“We will continue to provide high-quality care for our community during this time. We respect their right to strike, but we believe that progress toward agreement happens at the bargaining table.”
Simmons responded by urging MultiCare to return to negotiations.
“We absolutely agree that progress does happen at the bargaining table, and we call on MultiCare to get back to the bargaining table. We’re here to bargain today. We’re out here right now. Show up and bargain, come on out. We’ll discuss it with you. Mediator or not, we’re ready. Any time. Any day. We will be at the table to bargain,” said Simmons.
Wellock hopes for changes in patient care and additional support from MultiCare.
“I’m pretty burnt out. There’s just not enough of us to do the job. Our productivity numbers are way too high for the amount of techs that we have. It’s not safe for the patient. It’s not safe for me. They’re trying to make as much money as they can, but you need the staff to be able to make you the money safely,” said Wellock.
Simmons stated there is no specific schedule for the strike, but the group plans to be present every day until an agreement is reached. He highlighted the group’s strength and high spirits, emphasizing the importance of MultiCare negotiating with them.
