As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads in Washington and across the United States, nurses and health care workers are stepping up to serve our communities during a public health emergency unlike any we’ve seen in our lifetimes.

We need our employers and our government to step up for us. Nurses and health care workers must have the resources to ensure our health and our families are protected as we fight this pandemic.

Health care workers and community members across Washington stand together to demand that health care employers and our elected leaders commit to:

1) Follow workplace safety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and provide adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including masks, gloves, gowns and eye protection

2) Provide scrubs and a secure location to change uniforms so we do not have to bring our soiled uniforms home and into the community

3) Help us meet new challenges with a pay increase of $5/hr in recognition of our work and the increased risk to ourselves and our families during this pandemic

4) Provide paid leave for any worker whom the Employer does not permit to work due to exposure to COVID-19, with no loss of pay or accrued time off

5) Offer accommodation (telework or alternative assignments) or paid leave with no loss of pay or accrued time off for any worker in at-risk group (older than 60, pregnant, or with an underlying medical condition)

6) Provide prompt notice from employer of known exposure, assessment of exposure risk, access to testing, and whether a worker is placed on paid leave