On Thursday, March 28, we completed our 10th session with management. To date we have over 70 proposals on the table which await responses from Confluence, many of which are holding up our ability to respond to the outstanding proposals they’ve made to date.

We want to thank our observers for Thursday’s session. Late in the session we did receive a wage proposal from Confluence, and we have confirmed they are agreeable to the Central pay scale in the first year of our contract. However, there is work to be done. To ensure nurses are stepped correctly we will need to carefully consider the placement each nurse has been given by Confluence and confirm where we feel every nurse should be placed on the wage scale. Management has yet to propose a cost-of-living increase for years two and three of our contract term and has not made any proposals concerning premium pay or differentials.

Next Steps

The most important step toward holding Confluence accountable is building our membership as a bargaining unit. When management sees that nurses in our bargaining unit are signing up as members, they’ll know the whole workforce is behind our bargaining team. Only members can vote to approve or reject our first contract. Our membership drive has kicked off – get in touch with a bargaining team member or your WNSA Nurse Rep and WSNA Nurse Organizer to sign up. Dues deductions will not begin until after members have voted to ratify the contract, so you will know well in advance before they start.

Show Your Union Pride

Last update, we shared with you a specific WSNA shirt designed specifically for Mares nurses. To get a shirt please get in touch with a member of the bargaining team or one of your WSNA representatives – we’ll be distributing them to observers at bargaining and to When you become a member of WSNA we are happy to welcome you to your union and are excited to gift you a shirt to show Confluence that single entity is not your identity. Wear your shirt to work on bargaining days so management sees your unit is strong.

How can you help secure a strong first contract?

1. Become a member today. Sign up now so you’re ready to vote on the contract when we reach an agreement.
2. Stay informed. All updates are posted on your local unit page and are emailed to you as soon as they are available.
3. Follow us on social media – our bargaining unit shares Mares-specific updates and information on Facebook and Instagram.
4. Donate PTO to your bargaining team to ensure they have the ability to stay at the table to fight for you.
5. Wear blue – including your WSNA t-shirt – on negotiation days and share with us on social media.
6. Sign up to be an observer. Our next session is April 16.

Questions/Concerns: Contact Shawn Mork, WSNA Nurse Representative, 206-620-4246, sreed@wsna.org

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