Kadlec workers prepare to go on strike, say they want to be treated equally

RICHLAND, Wash. - As service and technology workers at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland and Kennewick prepared to go on strike, they said the goal is to be treated equally among their peers.

"We feel like we're just being kind of pushed around, like, we're not as good, we don't need to be treated the same," said Kadlec worker Conner McLaren. "Like I said, we all do the same work. We all have the same goal, it would just be nice to be treated as such."

The workers told Apple Valley News Now's Monique Ledesma that workers who do the same jobs at other Providence-owned hospitals are being paid higher than what they are at Kadlec. They said if they are doing the same work, they should be able to negotiate for the same pay.

Eight months of negotiations with hospital officials have failed to come to a compromise. Hospital officials told Ledesma they have brought "fair" contracts to the table and the money they are offering workers is a highly competitive wage within eastern Washington.

The workers announced their plans to strike on August 20. The strike will last seven days. After that, it is expected both parties will return to the negotiating table.

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