WSNA members,

We have been in discussion with nursing leadership regarding the staffing difficulties we have been facing. There have been days and nights where nurses have been required to work beyond normal ratios, taking five or more patients on both the night and day shifts. Efforts are being made to alleviate the staffing crunches: travelers are being hired, managers are working on the floor, internships are running throughout the year to train nurses, and Human Resources is working to recruit experienced nurses from areas around the country.

Despite the ongoing efforts, we continue to face unprecedented nursing shortages. There are likely to be more scenarios, such as the one described previously, as we wade through the coming waves of coronavirus outbreaks. We were recently approached about a provision in our union contract, article 6.8 states that nurses who transfer departments can be held in their original position for a maximum of 60 days. We were asked to extend this period, to help alleviate these staffing issues. We declined extend the transfer period.

Declining to make this amendment to our contract does not preclude your manager or director from asking that you extend your transfer date. You are under no obligation to agree to a delay beyond the contractual 60 days. If faced with this decision, please feel free to reach out to your WSNA nurse representative, Carmen Garrison – email cgarrison@wsna.org or cell phone 206-491-9424l

Management came to us with a pre-approved overtime for double pay. We agreed to the LOU (Letter of Understanding).

Clinical Ladder Update: If you are currently a member in good standing, you will be receiving a ballot in the mail. The vote will be counted on August 31, so please return your completed ballot as soon as possible to make sure it reaches the WSNA office by August 30. It’s a simple yes or no. You can review the Voluntary Clinical Ladder program on the local unit web page at wsna.org.

Governor’s Vaccine Mandate for Health Care providers: We are currently in the process of scheduling meetings with management to negotiate the effects of the mandate on our bargaining unit members. We are currently scheduled to meet August 24. We will update you with our progress. In the meantime, we realize this is a very polarizing issue regardless of where you stand on the debate. Hospitals a facing criminal charges if they choose to ignore the mandate. With our critical staffing crisis, hospitals do not want to lose nurses anymore than WSNA wants to see a mass exodus. We respect your opinions but at some point we may have to just agree to disagree. If you qualify for an exemption, we encourage you to start the process as soon as possible. The October 18 deadline is approaching. That’s why WSNA sent management a demand to bargain the effects. We will make every effort to keep you updated.

In Solidarity,

CWH WSNA Local Unit Officers
Nicholas Jackson, Lorna Sebastian, Stefanie Gates, Paul Stamilio, Karla Bourgeois, Paul Molenaar and Sara Bergenholtz

Carmen Garrison, WSNA Nurse Representative