Who are the nurses who crossed the Swedish hospital picket line?

The strike notice was given. Then came the social media posts, published by strike nurse agencies attempting to attract talent to Washington state.

“STRIKE NEED!!” one post read. “Winter WA Strike Is HAPPENING! NOW” another began. “Make $100/hour for select specialties,” another said.

Swedish nurses were going on strike, and the hospital needed nurses and a lot of them. An estimated 1,100 permanent Swedish caregivers crossed picket lines on Swedish campuses on Jan. 28, the first day of the strike, but that left a glaring gap in patient care. About 2,800 gaps.

Enter the strike nurses.

Staff describe chaotic scenes at Swedish hospital during strike. Swedish says everything is fine

The Strike Nurse Facebook page has chatter on the job itself and offers guidance to newbies embarking on their own journey of patient care in another state.

There’s advice on bringing snacks, an eye mask, and the occasional exchange of war stories.

The tales, passed down from strike nurse to strike nurse — union nurses throwing bricks through bus windows, staff sabotaging patient drips — are not confirmed or witnessed firsthand, but speak to the tensions during the strikes.

A travel nurse spoke with KUOW on condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted (KUOW reached out to nine strike nurses, none of whom would speak for this reason.) This strike nurse said she had a positive experience filling in for Swedish nurses protesting their unsettled contract last week.

“Everyone with me was like, ‘Thank you so much for being here ... I don’t know what would have done (without you),’” said the nurse who worked five days on contract, during a three-day strike.

The strike nurse added that she at first had conflicting feelings on her decision to be a strike nurse.

"When I first looked into strike nursing ... it was very much like, ugh I am going to replace these people. Then my personal belief is well, somebody has to care for these patients in the hospital. They need someone," she said.

There was also the dilemma of having to adjust to a new facility -- its customs and practices -- with just a day of training.

But the pay was good. She wouldn’t get into specifics, but she said working a strike paid more than the traditional gig.

Swedish also declined to share the dollar amount temporary caregivers were paid, but caregiver agency listings state pay as high as $100-an-hour during the Washington strike.

After making her decision, the strike nurse faced the stigma that sometimes comes with the decision to cross picket lines -- or be a “scab.”

"Whenever I tell people I’m going to go work a strike they’re like, ‘You’re going to be a scab?’” the nurse said. “No, people who are part of the union and cross the picket line are the scabs. I view myself as a strike nurse because you guys couldn’t do this without me -- couldn’t fight."

Among the Swedish nurses who turned up to work were NancyEllen Elster and Cheryl Schafer, both of whom have spoken to media on behalf of Swedish.

Elster, a nurse in the recovery room, said she was formerly a union member but recently “opted out.” She was able to do that after the Supreme Court ruled that union members could stop paying dues if they wanted. Elster said she experienced no hard feelings from coworkers over her decision to work during the strike.

“I’ve worked here for so long. People know me and I think I work with an exceptionally smart and caring group of nurses, and we respect each other for our different decisions in life. This was no different,” Elster said.

Schafer is a nurse at the colon and rectal clinic. Speaking by phone with someone from Swedish public relations by her side, she said her coworkers understood her decision not to strike.

"A lot of people felt they were not given a voice," Schafer said. "I crossed because I also care about my patients."

Betsy Scott, a registered nurse in the oncology department at Swedish, said she held no personal resentment toward the temporary workers, who took over patient care as union members fought for increased staffing and better pay. That was until she was kept from returning to work on Friday.

"I knew patients there were expecting me. I knew (the strike nurses) weren’t providing the kind of care that...Swedish nurses could provide," Scott said.

Swedish wrote in a news release that they did not enact an "unlawful lockout."

"Swedish contracted with our vendors for a five-day replacement period, which was communicated to SEIU before the union delivered its strike notice on January 17," the statement released on Jan. 31, 2020 reads.

Swedish said they sent postcards to caregivers' homes, had internal messaging and information on their intranet prior to the strike's commencement.

"When I went to work Friday, (the workers) tried to assure me they were there for me," Scott said. "I felt they were there because Swedish wanted to punish me."

Scott said if there were "no scabs" Swedish officials would have no choice but to close the hospital.