Arrow-right Camera
Subscribe now

Nurses shortchanged

There is a reason why the nurses of Sacred Heart Medical Center were on the streets in protest. Although The Spokesman-Review reported Sacred Heart nurses were offered an “average pay raise of 4.25 percent,” there is much more to the story.

Sacred Heart nurses were offered cost-of-living raises of 1.25 percent, 1 percent, and 1 percent annually for three years. Because nurses are good at math, we know this equals 3.25 percent, not 4.25 percent. This doesn’t even come close to the rate of inflation, currently around 3 percent annually, or 9 percent over three years.

Not only is Sacred Heart offering the nurses a wage increase much less than in inflation, they actually want to raise deductibles, increase co-pays and premiums by such margins that what we are being offered is actually a pay cut that for some could be up to 10 percent to 15 percent of their income.

Why would a nonprofit Catholic hospital that made $50 million last year alone treat their nurses this way? Perhaps The Spokesman-Review could ask Providence’s Chief Executive Officer John Koster, whose compensation rose from $3.1 million in 2010 to $6.4 million in 2011. Making that kind of money, he’s sure to have all the answers.

Jenna Brunette

Spokane



Letters policy

The Spokesman-Review invites original letters on local topics of public interest. Your letter must adhere to the following rules:

  • No more than 250 words
  • We reserve the right to reject letters that are not factually correct, racist or are written with malice.
  • We cannot accept more than one letter a month from the same writer.
  • With each letter, include your daytime phone number and street address.
  • The Spokesman-Review retains the nonexclusive right to archive and re-publish any material submitted for publication.

Unfortunately, we don’t have space to publish all letters received, nor are we able to acknowledge their receipt. (Learn more.)

Submit letters using any of the following:

Our online form
Submit your letter here
Mail
Letters to the Editor
The Spokesman-Review
999 W. Riverside Ave.
Spokane, WA 99201
Fax
(509) 459-3815

Read more about how we crafted our Letters to the Editor policy