Memorial Hospital nurses picket over stalled contract negotiations. David Mance, KAPP, August 30, 2011 Nurses and administrators at Memorial Hospital in Yakima are blaming each other for stalled contract negotiations. 

Nurses picketed in front of the hospital to complain about the hospital not meeting their demands for pay raises over three years, and a better pension plan. 

One nurse says without a decent contract, the hospital won't be able to attract good quality nurses.

"We want to make sure that we keep and retain and get nurses in there that are gonna continue to care for the community," says nurse Becky Krueger.

"We support the union at Memorial Hospital but we believe it's important for the nurses to have choice," says Chief Operating Officer Russ Myers.

One hospital official says the sticking point is a proposal that every nurse at Memorial to join the union. The hospital employs about 620 nurses, and about half are union members.