On Monday 12/9, we held a remote mediation session with management and our federal mediators. Because our conversations in mediation are confidential, we don’t have much to share about what happened at the table, but we can let you know that we updated our mediators on where things stand.

We’re back at the table on Thursday, 12/19, for a traditional bargaining session. That means our conversations there will not be confidential, so we’ll be able to share updates from the table. Want the details straight from the source? Join us as an observer that day! Email Jenny Galassi, your WSNA Nurse Organizer, for details.

Away from the table: We’ve filed a ULP charge against Confluence 

On December 11, we filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge against management with the NLRB.

A quick refresher: ULP charges cover violations of the National Labor Relations Act, the federal law that protects our right to engage in collective action at work. Board Agents stationed at regional NLRB offices around the country investigate charges to determine if they have merit. (We’re located in Region 19.) If the Board Agent determines there’s evidence an Employer indeed violated the NLRA, Region 19 of the NLRB can essentially “prosecute” them by issuing a complaint and making a case at a hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ).

The charge we filed this week covers management’s conduct at the bargaining table, which we believe violates the NLRA in a few ways:

1. We believe that by refusing to grant us the same retirement benefits we would have had under Central’s contract, management is retaliating against Mares nurses for deciding to form our own bargaining unit rather than joining Central’s. It is illegal for management to withhold benefits from employees because they exercised protected rights. We know management had planned for us to join Central’s contract and earn their retirement rates back in 2023, and we believe it is illegal for them to refuse to pay those benefits now.
2. We also believe that by refusing to engage with us or to stray from the terms in Central’s contract on issues like seniority, shift start times, union security, and more management has failed to bargain in good faith over mandatory subjects. Mares’ nurses formed their own bargaining unit on purpose, but management has repeatedly proposed Central’s contract language and refused to budge on issues where the NLRA obligates both parties to bargain in good faith.
3. We believe management’s use of delay tactics and surface-level engagement on significant issues both demonstrate bad-faith bargaining. Of the twenty-five negotiation sessions we’ve had so far, management has failed to make any proposal at all at seven of them. When they do propose language, they’re often very short or very little change from their previous proposal. And when we have productive conversations at the table and attempt to propose language capturing what we thought was an agreement, management often takes weeks or months to respond, forcing us to start the process over and remind them of our previous discussions.
4. Because Confluence refuses to acknowledge that Nurse Residents are part of our bargaining unit, we believe it has failed to recognize the union as the bargaining representative we elected for all nurses. We’ve reached an agreement with management on nearly all of the terms that would cover the terms of nurse residencies at Mares, but management has insisted on including language expressly stating that residents are not in the bargaining unit. That would strip them of many protections in our contract, deny them the right to become full union members, and ignore the unit definition NLRB Region 19 certified in our representation case: “all full-time and regular part-time registered nurses employed by the Employer at its acute care hospital located at 820 North Chelan Avenue.” That’s not right. 
   
   Finally, we believe management’s conduct interferes with nurses’ exercise of protected rights because it could give workers – both in our bargaining unit and elsewhere – the impression that forming our own bargaining unit and bargaining for terms that meet our facility’s needs was futile. That interference alone independently violates the NLRA, regardless of whether it actually deters us; it’s illegal for management to give the impression that it would be useless to form a union and bargain as a group.

Let’s be clear: we’d much rather win a fair contract than win a ULP charge. These charges all work toward the goal we’ve had all along: reaching agreement on a strong first contract that meets Mares nurses’ needs. We think we are nearing the finish line, and we’ll get there faster if management plays fair and works collaboratively with us toward a deal. In the meantime, Region 19’s investigation will continue in the background.

Chris Gallup, RNFA and Local unit Co-chair on filing the ULP charge.

“I think the ULP filing is really important because we have a right to fair bargaining, and so far Confluence Health Management has failed to do so on important issues that impact our nurses’ lives. With the ULP filing the NLRB knows now as well.”

How can you help? Join us as an observer.

We return to the bargaining table Thursday, Dec.19. We need nurses that aren’t working from every unit to join us for our afternoon session! Kids welcome. Snacks and drinks provided. Let’s show Confluence the nurses at Mares are united and paying attention. Feel free to wear a festive hat or holiday sweater with your WSNA blue T-shirt! Text or email Jenny Galassi to sign up - Jgalassi@wsna.org, 206-707-2948.

When: 12/19/24
Where: Confluence Health Campbell Building, 609 Highline Dr, East Wenatchee, WA 98802
Time: 2-4 pm

All we want for Christmas is a first contract!

Haley Widness, a PACU nurse about observing Nov. 21 and several sessions before that.

“I like being able to contribute to the contract writing. I think people should keep getting mad and talk about it. Put up signs and talk to others in the community about what’s going on.”

In Solidarity,

Your Bargaining team
Chris Gallup, OR, Co-Chair
Marshall Snoddy, OR, Co-Chair
Megan Baute, GI, Secretary
Caitlin Orange, GI, Treasurer
Mateo Maestas, OR, Grievance Officer
Rochelle Mason, ED, Membership Officer
Waikele Frantz, Rehab/ Medsurg, Unit Liaison

Questions/Concerns? Contact Laurie Robinson, WSNA Nurse Representative, 206-620-4136,  lrobinson@wsna.org.

For more information on how you can get involved contact Jenny Galassi, Nurse Organizer, 206-707-2948, jgalassi@wsna.org.