UFCW 3000, the union that represents roughly 850 nurses at St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, ratified a new contract Oct. 17 following 20 bargaining sessions over a roughly seven-month period.

As part of the new contract, nurses secured wage increases totaling 18.5% from 2025 through 2028, including 12.5% in the first year. New enhanced safety measures include: a daily safety huddle on the 3rd floor, between the charge nurse and lead security officer, which goes into effect at the time of contract ratification. Break relief nurses will provide additional staffing to allow nurses to take required breaks, which goes into effect three months after ratification. Safety devices will be available 30 days after ratification, and the future installation of a weapons detection system in the emergency department by September 2026. Previously, the union was informed this would occur in early 2027.

Rosie Apalisok, vice president and chief nursing officer at SMMC, provided Kitsap Daily News with the following statement:

“Exceptional care starts with our team. We deeply value the contributions of our nurses and their consistent dedication to our patients and the community we serve. We are pleased to have reached a contract agreement with (UFCW 3000) that serves our nurses and supports our ability to deliver excellent patient care each day. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to reaching this outcome and look forward to a bright future ahead.”

Bargaining team member and pre-op nurse Kim Fraser shared her support for the new contract.

“I feel like it is a very fair contract at this point. Nursing worked really hard. We had 20 sessions, so over 200 hours worth of bargaining that went into this contract,” she said. “We address a lot of the issues. We didn’t get everything that we wanted, but I do think that we got to a place where our contract is very fair and strong.”

Fraser said she supports the new safety measures.

“For them to be able to come up with a plan that they agree upon for more rounding or supporting that unit collaboratively with the lead security and charge nurse being the leaders on that,” she said. “One of the biggest wins around safety is you are allowing the two departments that are dealing with these issues to actually have the space and really the autonomy to come together and make the best decision for that day with the people that are doing the work.”

A public records request to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office found eight calls for service regarding assaults reported at SMMC between Aug. 15 and Oct. 9. KCSO doesn’t track assaults specifically against healthcare workers. A previous records request to KCSO found 77 calls for service regarding assaults between January 2014 and August 2025. SMMC leadership said KCSO has the most current data regarding hospital assaults.

The Washington State Nurses Association estimates one in four nurses report being assaulted and only 20-60% of workplace violence incidents are reported.

Timea Juahasz, a float nurse and safety committee member at SMMC, said not all incidents always rise to the extent where law enforcement becomes involved. She said she feels comfortable reporting incidents to hospital leadership and encourages others to also report incidents. Juahasz is also a certified workplace violence prevention trainer, and said she feels the training helps bolster safety efforts at SMMC. Juahasz said the training is roughly three hours long and frontline healthcare workers complete it annually, while new employees undergo training within 90 days of hire.

“Although we didn’t get everything, they…put up a really good fight for this…they put some insane hours into the bargaining,” she said about the contract agreement. “I think even the last time they were bargaining until 2 a.m…it’s insane. So I’m happy that we have great advocacy when it comes to our bargaining team.”

The safety committee, which Juahasz is a member of, is made up of half management and half frontline healthcare workers. The committee aims to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses through a collaborative approach between management and frontline team members.

Regarding safety concerns raised by frontline nurses, Apalisok said safety and well-being of patients, visitors, and team members is SMMC’s highest priority.

“We also maintain a strong, collaborative relationship with local law enforcement, encouraging staff to report all assaults. We encourage team members to report incidents of all types – ranging from a verbal insult to a patient becoming more physical,” she said.

Apalisok said SMMC hasn’t seen an increase in incidents in the last 12 months compared to previous years, and has “proactively limited incidents through security system investments, and ongoing training,” she said.

Both SMMC leadership and UFCW 3000 communications director Rich Smith said it’s up to nurses to determine if they wish to pursue charges against those who commit violence against healthcare workers.

“The new contract does contain language ensuring that the hospital cannot retaliate against nurses who do decide to file charges, and it also asks the hospital to use all available legal measures to make sure that those who commit violent acts in the hospital are held accountable. We also regularly educate our nurses on their contract to make sure they’re aware of their rights,” Smith wrote in an email.

Both Fraser and Juahasz said the union wasn’t able to secure staffing ratios as part of the ratified contract; however, it’s something they both are hopeful will be included in future contract negotiations.