Your bargaining team completed their 10 ^th session with Confluence on Thursday, March 28. During this session we made several counterproposals concerning scheduling of vacation time, a topic where we believe we’re close to reaching agreement with management. This was one of the areas nurses asked us to prioritize at the table.  Our current proposal preserves what’s already working at Mares and seeks to make PTO more accessible to all nurses without asking anyone to learn a complicated request system. We also held discussions with management about how we can improve process like calling out from a scheduled shift and are looking forward to more conversation at our next session. Finally, management presented part of its wage proposal at the end of the day. We’ll have more updates once we see the rest of their proposal next week, but in the meantime, we plan to propose changes to step placements that will ensure pay equity with the Central campus and full credit for your work as an RN.

On March 28, nurses from every unit came to observe throughout the day. Often Confluence Admin will defer to nurses in the room when they don’t know how specific processes function on your unit. Your feedback is helpful, and your presence is crucial. During the lunch caucus time the bargaining team and observers were able to brainstorm how to continue to build engagement and participation from everyone. We talked about holding an off-campus event at a brewery and different ways we can give back to the community. More to come on that. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let us know! Several nurses took WSNA Membership applications and your WSNA Mares T shirts back to their units for distribution. If you did not connect with someone and cannot join us at bargaining as an observer reach out Jenny Galassi, 206-707-2948 for more info.

Bargaining often requires flexibility from both parties, especially when they’re negotiating their first contract. With that in mind, we agreed to cancel our bargaining session scheduled for Tuesday, April 16 to accommodate an urgent family situation for one of management’s bargaining team members.

We need your help when we return to the table on Monday, April 22, when we’ll push for more progress from Confluence. Every voice counts, and your presence makes a difference.  You can help by joining us at negotiations if you aren’t on shift. Please arrive by 10am for the morning session and 1pm for the afternoon session. Bring a friend to observe together!  Please talk to your coworkers about what is important to them and help build engagement.

How to support the bargaining team: 

• On bargaining days wear your “I support the Bargaining Team” button or sticker. These can be found on your WSNA bulletin board.
• Take a picture with nurses on your unit and post it to our closed Facebook page, public Instagram or send to jgalassi@wsna.org.
• Volunteer your unit to sponsor lunch or snacks to supporting the bargaining team’s long days.

Become a voting member of WSNA now:

Membership in the union is crucial because it provides workers with a collective voice. By banding together, we gain strength and leverage to address your important workplace issues and advocate for your rights effectively. Become a voting member today. Reach out with questions or talk to a local unit officer or rep on your unit.

https://cdn.wsna.org/assets/entry-assets/2487/2024-application-union-fillable.pdf

*Member dues cannot be deducted until we have a full tentative agreement on our first contract and your bargaining unit votes to approve it. We’ll let you know when that’s coming. Until then, becoming a member shows management the team has your support.

Change in WSNA Nurse Representative 

Hello, my name is Laurie Robinson and I have been appointed as your WSNA Nurse Representative. I am excited to meet with you and help negotiate your first contract. Please reach out to me at anytime for questions or concerns.

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

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