2000s: Secured place in the labor movement

With sustained membership growth, WSNA sought greater alliances with broader labor groups. Additionally, with nurses in the state legislature, WSNA pushed through the first safe staffing bill, legislation for safe patient handling, and protections against mandatory overtime.

The Washington Nurse, Spring 2002

Nurses in Washington State will soon be protected from mandatory overtime, a practice that is dangerous for patient care and registered nurses. The Washington State Legislature on March 8th passed ESB 6675, a bill that will protect nurses from dismissal and discipline when refusing overtime work. Governor Locke signed the bill into law on March 29th.

Prohibiting the use of mandatory overtime was WSNA’s top priority this legislative session. Washington is one of only six states to pass legislation on mandatory overtime. The passage of this bill puts Washington State in the forefront of those states with laws on mandatory overtime, with the most stringent regulation protecting patients and nurses.

With strong leadership from the prime sponsors of the legislation – Senator Margarita Prentice, RN, and Representative Eileen Cody, RN – the legislation gained strong momentum with the help of all the nurses who contacted their legislators. WSNA, joined by the other nursing unions, worked very hard to reach a compromise agreement with the Washington State Hospital Association in order to pass this critical legislation.

“This is a huge victory for quality patient care. Forcing nurses to work overtime above their regularly scheduled shift is not safe for patients,” said Louise Kaplan, PhD, ARNP, WSNA President.

The Washington Nurse, Winter 2004

While we will hopefully have a Governor in place when this issue reaches your hands, one thing we know for sure is that nurses are amongst the greatest victors in this past election.

Washington State now proudly has eight registered nurses in the Legislature, the most of any state in this country! In fact, more than 90% of candidates endorsed by WSNA-PAC were elected to office.

The RNs in our State Legislature hold key leadership roles including Sen. Margarita Prentice as Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Sen. Rosa Franklin as the President Pro-tem of the Senate, Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe as the Chair of the Senate Early Learning, K-12, and Higher Education Committee, Rep. Eileen Cody as Chair and Rep. Dawn Morrell as Vice-chair of the House Health Care Committee.

In 2008, WSNA launched the Campaign to Save Public Health to combat dangerous funding cuts threatening vital services across Washington State. The campaign featured public education efforts, legislative advocacy, and a targeted media campaign that included billboards and bus ads in Seattle, Everett, Bellingham, and Spokane. These initiatives aimed to secure long-term, stable funding for public health and prevent further erosion of essential services.

Judy Huntington, MN, RN, served as WSNA executive director for nearly two decades. Under her leadership, the association regained financial health, forged important labor organization partnerships, saw the successful passage of several laws improving nurse and patient safety, defended public health funding, and nearly doubled its membership.