Salary in Seattle for RNs---low, or is it just me??

[sweetcaroline]

I got licensed in Chicago, IL and I'm moving to Seattle in August 07. Today I had an interview at U of W's OR. I was shocked to see the starting salary for me, with 1 year experience, to be $24.73/hr. I started at $24 in Chicago and now make $27/hr after 2 small raises within my first year. I have to have 5 years experience at U of W to make what I was getting in Chicago! Does this sound normal to you, are the other hospitals offering similar salaries?

Thanks

Caroline

[waicurn]

Did you know all the major hospitals in Washington State get together to decide how much they all want to pay their nurses so they can suppress nurse salaries for the whole state?? We need to wake up and write letters and tell everyone we know!! Here is the letter I sent today. I want to encourage all of you to do the same! Feel free to copy and paste, add, modify. We need to show the politicians and those writing checks we are not idiots!

Dear Governor Gregoire (also sent to Cantwell, Murray, Pedersen, Chopp, and WSNA)

I'm a Registered Nurse with credentials in heart and lung transplant, dialysis and critical care and currently working at the University of Washington Medical Center on a intensive care unit. I was chatting with another nurse friend from out of state who was extremely surprised by the low RN wages in Washington State. He told me at UCSF (#7 on US News and World Report), nurse starting pay is $47.52, compares to $24.15 at UWMC. Even though the cost of living in San Francisco is 47% higher than Seattle according to CNN Money, their starting pay is at a whopping 78% higher than UWMC !!

On the flip side of that, lets look at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. #4 on U.S. New & World Report. According to CNN Money, the cost of living in Cleveland Ohio is 14% LESS than that of Seattle. Their starting nurse pay in 2007 was $25.00/hr with $10,000 sign-on bonus! Higher than Washington State!!

Is that why so many of my colleges are moving to a different state or leaving the nursing profession all together? If Washington State is unable to attract new nurses and keep its experienced nurses, the overall health of the state will be gravely affected.

WSNA is about to start another round of negotiation with the University Medical Center. Please show your support to the nurses and the health care system in Washington State by advocating for higher and fairer wages and working condition!

Thank you!

xxx my real name =)