Yesterday, we concluded our 7th bargaining session, and the results were disappointing. Despite your unwavering commitment to patient care and your demands for fair wages and working conditions, management continues to disregard your value and your critical work.

Issues We’re Fighting For (or Against)

Wages: Management’s Inadequate Proposal

Management presented a wage proposal yesterday that makes minimal movement and falls far short of what nurses at Evergreen deserve. Their offer doesn’t bring us to market wages compared to our peers at Overlake, Virginia Mason, Swedish, and Seattle Children’s, nor does it eliminate “ghost steps” – years of service for which nurses do not move up on the wage scale.

What WSNA Proposed: Fair Wages to Retain and Respect You

In contrast, WSNA proposed yesterday:

• Eliminating ghost steps so every nurse gets a step wage increase after each year of service.
• A $2/hour increase plus an 8.5% raise at each step, effective November 1, 2024.
• Increases of 5.5% in year two and 5.0% in year three.
• We are also proposing that you receive year-for-year credit on the step scale, as nurses new to Evergreen do.

We continue to request that the Employer recognize your worth and remains competitive.

Charge Nurses

• The Employer wants to change charge nurses from an assignment to a  “position” with added job descriptions, expectations, and accountability —all while rejecting the idea that charge nurses should be free from patient assignments.
• WSNA has rejected this proposal.

Low Census: Evergreen wants to take your choices away

• WSNA Proposal: Allow nurses the option to use sick leave to cover low census – nurses may already use vacation leave.
• Management’s Response: Refuses to allow this option and instead proposes that the Employer be allowed to place a nurse on standby, requiring you to wait, - potentially for your whole shift.

Home Care Nurses: Workload Solutions

• WSNA Proposal: Among other EHCS proposals, WSNA has proposed to formally create an EHCS conference committee to work on ongoing issues such as workplace violence and productivity. 
• Management’s Response: That the hospital-wide conference committee is sufficient for EHCS.

Some progress was made yesterday on more minor issues.

We were able to make some progress in this session. We came to some tentative agreements in some articles. Extended bargaining team members joined us today, including two OB Flex nurses who spoke directly to management about their concerns.

Both WSNA and the Employer have begun looking for areas we can agree on and proposing “package proposals.” In these proposals, we will push for the issues most important to our bargaining unit while also looking to find compromises with the Employer. This is where the give-and-take happens, but you must know we remain committed to fighting for what we all deserve.

Now is the time to stay engaged and show management our collective strength. The strength of our contract will depend on YOU and your coworkers showing your support, signing the petition, coming to get a WSNA shirt and wearing it on bargaining days, and most importantly, showing up to the upcoming events and bargaining!

Upcoming events: Stay Involved

• Monday, 12/9 at 8 PM: Bargaining Update: “Nightcap with negotiators” on Teams. Come join us on the Teams call to get updates on the most recent session and ask your questions.

• Wednesday, 12/11 at 9 AM: Bargaining Session 8 in Tan 250. Join us as part of the extended bargaining team. Stop by anytime to get a t-shirt and a sticker. If you have WSNA T-shirts, wear them to support your team at work! We have stickers as well. Grab some stickers and get everyone in your unit to wear one in support! 
  
• Thursday, 12/12 at 8 AM: Bargaining update: “Breakfast with bargainers” on Teams. Come join us on the Teams call to get updates on the most recent session and ask your questions.

Immediate Action Required: Build Our Power!

1. Sign the Petition: Sign the Petition. If you don't know about the petition, get in touch.
2. Join the Contract Action Team: We need Contract Action Team Members to help get information from the bargaining team to your coworkers and information from your coworkers back to the bargaining team. If you're interested, contact Samuel Scholl at sscholl@wsna.org.

Check Your Membership Status: We are finding many people who, for whatever reason, thought they were WSNA members but are not. Emails and texts go out to everyone, but membership matters more than some realize. Your membership in WSNA builds power and shows you are actively supporting your union and are behind what we are all trying to accomplish.

Management must understand this fight is about more than wages; it’s about safe staffing, respect, and the ability to provide excellent care for our patients and ourselves. Your participation makes the difference. Together, we are powerful. Together, we will win.

In solidarity,
Your Bargaining Team

Theresa Blazer, Alicia O’Neall, 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.