Understaffed hospitals are increasingly allowing very limited breaks -- or no breaks at all -- and that’s bad news not just for nurses and other hospital workers, it’s bad news for patient safety. The Safe Breaks bill, HB 3024 sponsored by Rep. Steve Conway (D-Tacoma), would have required that hospital workers get uninterrupted meal and rest breaks just like everyone else.

Legislators heard disturbing testimony from nurses about hospital administrators attributing trips to the rest room or to get a drink from a water fountain as break time. Years of negotiations and collective bargaining between hospital employees and management have failed to resolve the problem.

HB 3024 says health care facilities must give employees uninterrupted 30-minute meal breaks and rest breaks of at least 10 minutes for every four hours worked. Of course, this would not apply in cases of emergency. No patients will be harmed by this very reasonable legislation. In fact, sufficient meal and rest breaks are essential for patient safety -- and nurse retention in this demanding profession.

Strongly supported by the Washington State Nurses Association; United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21; United Staff Nurses Union/UFCW 141; SEIU 1199NW; and the WSLC, the bill passed the House, 63-34, and an unfriendly striking amendment by Rep. Bruce Chandler (R-Granger) was defeated 41-56 (See House Vote #4).

But the bill was strongly opposed by the Washington State Hospital Association, which spread misinformation, including that it would end nurses’ professional judgment, was too inflexible and costly to administer, interfered with collective bargaining and led to patient abandonment. As a result, HB 3024 died without a floor vote in the Senate.

The coalition that supported this bill won’t give up and plans extensive outreach to educate hospital workers about the danger of fatigue and to dispel myths about the legislation spread by the Hospital Association.