Staff picket outside Good Sam Hospital in Puyallup. “Patients need our help.”

About 250 Good Samaritan Hospital workers and community members picketed near the Puyallup hospital on Friday for a new contract.

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Workers picketed along South Meridian near the hospital from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. MultiCare, which owns Good Samaritan Hospital, also saw simultaneous protests at two of its other hospitals: Navos Behavioral Health in Seattle and Yakima Memorial Hospital in Yakima.

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According to a news release from Service Employees International Union, the bargaining units break down like this:

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• Puyallup: About 1,100 workers, including “service, techs and licensed practical nurses.”
• Yakima: About 1,200 workers, including nurses and service workers.
• Seattle: About 120 workers, including “including nurses, mental health technicians, social workers, and therapists.”

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Trevor Baumgardner, a licensed practical nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital and a member of the bargaining team, told The News Tribune on Friday that their three-year contract expired on Sept. 30, 2025. He said workers are fighting for higher wages, better health care and increased staffing.

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“We do what we do because patients need our help,” Baumgardner said. “We’re here and we’re willing to provide that help (but) we need to make sure we’re not being assaulted on the job, we need to make sure we’re being paid a fair wage, we want to make sure that everything in the hospital works so we can provide that care … .”

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In a statement, Scott Thompson, spokesperson for MultiCare, told The News Tribune on Friday that the company values its staff and will continue to operate during the pickets and work faithfully on a new contract.

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“MultiCare Health System places high value on the contributions of our staff at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital and Navos Behavioral Health Hospital. We are offering competitive wages aligned with the rest of our health system and protections for employee choice in whether to pay union dues,” Thompson wrote. “As is common in union negotiations (SEIU) is holding an informational picket today at all three facilities. All MultiCare hospitals will remain open and there will be no disruption to patient care. We will continue to work toward fair contracts that support positive, equitable and sustainable workplaces.”

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In the news release, SEIU said workers are fighting for at least a $25 an hour minimum wage. Baumgardner said the company pays its workers more at Tacoma General Hospital than at Good Samaritan Hospital.

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“(It’s) the same job, the same work, patient care, and the only difference is what building we do it in,” Baumgardner said. “Groceries aren’t getting cheaper, gas is going up … . We can’t afford to be standing still while the economy is running crazy. We deserve to be able to care for ourselves.”

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Baumgardner said workers at Good Samaritan Hospital didn’t get holiday bonuses last year, which he called “insulting.”

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Alexis Pineda does housekeeping for the hospital. She said insurance premiums have skyrocketed.

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“Originally, I had come here after two months of being unemployed, and I thought I had hit the jackpot. I work at a hospital, I can pay for medications and have insurance for myself and everything. But as I work for them, I realize they are not giving us anything,” Pineda said. “I mean, I went to buy medication and it cost me almost $150.”

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Baumgardner also said staffing capacity is an issue, and that every other floor in his unit is allegedly short-staffed. He brought up that Good Samaritan Hospital has the fourth-busiest emergency room per capita in the U.S., which The News Tribune previously reported.

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“We just can’t do it anymore. We need fair wages to be able to recruit, fair wages to be able to retain, and we need to be able to grow as employees, as staff members, as care providers,” Baumgardner said. “If they are willing to grow, they need us to grow with them.”

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Editor’s note: A previous version of this story said 50 or 60 workers picketed. Grace Dreschel, spokesperson for SEIU, has since told The News Tribune it was about 250 workers and community members.

This story was first published April 3, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.