Your WSNA bargaining team is proud to announce we’ve reached a tentative agreement with EvergreenHealth, which is filled with significant wins for YOU!

Here’s a brief overview of the contract, which we strongly recommend to our members to vote YES to in the upcoming ratification vote:

Wages & Economic Wins

• 4% + $1.00 per step raise effective (retroactive) January 1, 2025
• $1.00 per step raise effective July 1, 2025
• 5% raise effective November 1, 2025
• 4% raise effective November 1, 2026
• Increased night shift differential to $5.00
• Starting in June of 2025, the process begins to eliminate Ghost steps and work to place nurses stuck in ghost steps into the new appropriate longevity step.
• Starting in January 2026, the longevity Step movement will be based on 12 months of service, not the hours you work.

Vacation and Holiday:

• Improved guidelines that will allow more nurses to take a vacation in peak times.
• An agreement to create a task force to examine and identify how to best enable Nurses to convert holiday pay to accrued vacation. Based on the findings, the employer will make a good-faith effort to operationalize in 2026.

More flexible shifts can be posted:

Evergreen may post four- and six-hour shifts.

Education, CEs, BSN changes

• BSN requirement removed
• Nurses who choose to earn a BSN within 3 years get a $2,000 bonus
• No enforcement of old BSN agreements
• No more loan agreements tied to RN Residency or New to Specialty programs!
• CE funds increased to $750 (not prorated to FTE) + paid CE time on days off

Break Relief Nurses: 

Break relief assignment and adequate staffing to allow for nurse breaks while maintaining patient ratios. This includes the Hospice Care Center.

EHCS (Evergreen Home Care Services) Conference Committee:

A new Conference Committee specific to the needs of the nurses in EHCS. Home Hospice, Home Health, and the Hospice Care Center.

More options for Per Diem nurses:

• Creation of a Tier II per diem nurse position for all WSNA. This was previously only available for EHCS nurses.
• Nurses have the option to choose Tier I (legacy) or the new Tier II
• Tier II comes with an increase to 20 percent premium, in return for an increased commitment of availability to pick up additional shifts (60 hours per month), one weekend per month, and one holiday per holiday summer, and one holiday per winter.
• Increased job security, there must be Just Cause if disciplined or terminated. (Tier I Per Diem nurses are “at will”)

Baylor Shift Position Broadened:

• A 0.9 Baylor position has been added for day and night shifts, with Baylor-eligible shifts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
• Establish Baylor eligibility for mid-shift positions that include pay for mid-shift differential.

OB Flex Nurse Change:

OB Flex nurses will have their seniority apply equally to the Postpartum and Labor units when applying for positions.

Floating Improvement:

Nurses who are floating outside their home unit cannot be floated to another unit during that shift

New premium for holiday call:

Nurses in procedural areas and SANE nurses on standby during a holiday will receive double-time pay for a minimum of 3 hours if called in.

Expanded bereavement leave:

To include nieces, nephews and in-laws

Mandatory Low Census:

MLC hours will count toward FMLA minimum hours worked.

This is a strong contract with some historic improvements made in areas you made clear were most important. Your support and involvement in this process helped tremendously. To all of you who attended meetings, came to negotiations, worked on the CAT team, and showed up at the Board of Commissioners meetings, YOU made a huge difference.

We will soon have more details and a timeline for upcoming meetings and the ratification vote.

In Solidarity,
Your WSNA Bargaining Team
Theresa Blazer, Holly Baker, Alicia O'Neal, Nikki Paulson, Sandy Gott, Ryan O'Neill Hawkins, Carol Flaming, Jaclyn Miller, Karen Lasota, Lexi Overa

Questions? Contact your WSNA Officers at localofficers@eh-nurses.com