After 14 bargaining sessions – yesterday’s lasting 13 hours! – we are proud to announce that we have a tentative agreement (a “TA”) with significant raises and improvements for all WSNA nurses. The ratification vote will be on Monday, August 12 at the hospital in the San Juan Conference Room on the main floor from 0600-0830, from 1100-1300, and from 1700-2000. After the last voting block closes, we’ll have the vote count. All members in good standing (that is, dues-paying members of WSNA) can and should vote, and are welcome to stay and assist with the vote count.

Here are the highlights of the TA. More detailed information will come out in the next few days, and we’ll discuss the TA on Thursday’s Sip & Chat at 6 p.m.

Your bargaining team recommends a *YES* vote!

Wages

• Effective 9/2/24, all nurses will receive a 9% +$1.50 raise. This represents first year increases ranging from 11.6%-13.5%!
• Additionally, we have filled in all ghost steps – going forward, everyone will get a raise on their anniversary until you max out on the scale.
• Year 2 raise of 3.75% effective the first full pay period after 6/1/25 – 9 months after the first year raise.
• Year 3 raise of 3.75% effective the first fully pay period after 6/1/26.

Ratification Bonus

• $1,000 for all full-time nurses (0.9 FTE and higher), prorated by FTE, with per diems counting as 0.2 FTE, paid on 9/2/24.

Year for Year Parity

We are very, very proud of this win.

• Effective 1/1/25, all nurses will progress on the wage scale based on their most recent anniversary of when the nurse was hired into the bargaining unit. That is, if you started at Skagit as an LPN, and became a bargaining unit RN of any FTE on 6/1/20, you will get your anniversary step on 6/1 going forward. If you started at Skagit as a per diem RN on 6/1/20, you will get your anniversary step increase on 6/1 going forward, regardless of when your last step increase was.
• Effective the first full pay period after 1/1/25, any nurse who is below the appropriate step based on their full years as a bargaining unit nurse at Skagit will be moved up to the proper step on the wage scale. For example, if you have been a per diem bargaining unit RN at Skagit for 18 years and are at Step 9, you will be moved up to Step 18, and will continue to move up on your anniversary.
• Half of the nurses at Skagit are part-time or per diem (and we know that more have been in the past) – this win means that many nurses will jump up the scale by many steps.

Annual Leave Scheduling Overhaul

• Revamped vacation scheduling process that allows for *all* nurses to bid on and take vacations.
• Two “rounds” of vacation scheduling with priority given to seniority in the first round, and a first come/first served process in the second round.
• Initial vacation requests for 2025 to begin 9/1/24. Much more information to follow, including a joint FAQ from Skagit & WSNA.
• Any vacations that have been granted to date (including for 2025) are still honored.

Residents Free of Indentured Servitude

• Any resident currently under an obligation to pay back SRH if they leave before a certain date or doesn’t fulfill certain expectations is freed of that financial obligation.

A full summary of all changes in the contract will come out shortly.

Thank you to everyone who stood up for themselves and for all of us – everyone who observed (especially the observers who stayed until the end late last night!), everyone who signed the petitions and letters, everyone who showed up at the Commissioners meetings and more. This is what it means to be union.

In solidarity,
Liz Rainaud, FBC  and WSNA local unit chair
Rachel Yates, Family Medicine and WSNA local unit treasurer
Kim McCann, FBC  and WSNA local unit membership officer
Kyla Malean , OR  and Negotiating team member
Lacey Bernick, PERI OP  and Negotiating team member

Questions or comments, contact WSNA Organizer: 
Crystal Doll   CDoll@wsna.org or at 206 334-8388,
or Nurse Representative: Sue Dunlap SDunlap@wsna.org,
or any of your bargaining team members.