As we approach the contract’s expiration on March 31, we are bargaining with management an unprecedented three days in a row in the hopes of coming to an agreement. If we can reach an agreement by Friday that the bargaining team will recommend, we’ll set a date for a ratification vote. All union members in good standing (that is, dues paying members – and there is plenty of time for everyone to become a full dues paying member) can vote. If we can’t, we’ll schedule more dates in April. This is a critical point in negotiations – all bargaining unit nurses need to stand united so that we can get the best agreement possible.

There are several open issues on the table:

1. Wages: We have made it clear that we should receive the same or similar wages that Tacoma General received (see their wage chart HERE. As we get into these final days, wages and other compensation will be a big part of our discussions.
2. Premium Pay: We have proposed several increases to premiums and differentials. We are waiting for management’s response.
3. Staffing: We continue to push for safer staffing. We have been expected to take on more duties and heavier loads which is not safe. This puts our patients and our licenses at risk. Moreover, we have all heard management implying or outright stating that they want to implement dramatic changes like virtual nursing and team nursing at Good Sam (they’ve already implemented a robot “nurse” at non-union Deaconess and the nurses there are not happy about it). This is a critical issue – especially with the new tower looming, we need to know what management is thinking and they need to understand that this is our work and our voices cannot be discounted or dismissed.
4. Outside of Matrix Penalty or EXLO: We have proposed a pay premium/penalty to the employer when nurses are staffed below the staffing matrices which should be determined by the staffing committee (and not by non-clinical bean-counters). Management has not agreed to this.
5. Break Nurses: Using break buddies doubles a nurse’s responsibilities when you cover for another nurses. We need designated break nurses.
6. Float Pay: Nurses should be compensated when floated outside of clinical groupings, as they are at TG. Management has not agreed to put this in the contract and has counter-proposed clinical groupings that we have concerns about.

• Float Order: We have proposed a float order, which prioritizes keeping bargaining unit nurses (FT,PT, Per Diem) in their home units over travelers, agency nurses, and system floats.
• Clinical Groupings: Management has proposed including Rehab in the Med/Surg grouping; and put all the outpatient clinics together. WSNA is proposing that ED Holds/1 Dally patients/Observation South patients are part of the ED Clinical Group – and therefore are considered a float when you care for those patients. Management feels it’s not a float if you go to those areas and take care of similar patients which you would normally care for.
• Observation Unit Floating to ED LOU: Management proposed to delete this MOU. They don’t consider Observation nurses who leave their unit to care for ED holds to be considered a float; but as a normal expectation of their duties.
• Tiered Float Pool/In House Float Pool: Management has proposed consolidating clusters, removed pediatrics and oncology/chemo, and combined Peri-op with PACU & special procedures. However, they proposed significantly increasing the float pool premiums to what TG nurses are receiving.
• Low Census: We have proposed a low census order, which prioritizes bargaining unit nurses over travelers, agency nurses, and system floats.
• Per Diem: Management proposes changing the way per diems would be scheduled. As we bargain over this, we maintain per diems should have priority for shifts over travelers and system floats. We proposed continuing to allow per diems to work partial shift lengths beyond their required availability with mutual agreement – this is an easy way to provide additional resource and break nurses without having to pay exceedingly high traveler costs.
• Presidents Day Holiday: MultiCare has successfully removed this paid holiday from other MultiCare Contracts and would like to keep it consistent by removing it from ours. We proposed trading it for Juneteenth as a paid holiday, but they declined. The fight continues.
• Work Day: MultiCare is transitioning to Work Day as its new HRIS system (this has been delayed by several months at TG). Work Day has limitations which will affect our ability to include all the normal components of our defined Regular Rate of Pay (Straight Time Wage + Shift Diff + Certification Pay). Work Day cannot figure Certification Pay and BSN/MSN pay into premium pay calculations. So if a nurse is working at 1.5X or 2X pay as a premium (but not as overtime – everything there would remain the same), your calculation will only include a nurse’s base wage and shift differential, which results in less pay. Work Day will also force a change in the way seniority is calculated from an hours worked calculation to a date-based calculation. Our bargaining team is working on a way to keep the seniority roster fair.
• Charge Nurse: WSNA has proposed that bargaining unit nurses have priority in the Charge assignment, over management, system float nurses, and travelers. Management has not agreed.
• Incentive Pay LOU: WSNA proposed clarifications so that nurses who work incentive shifts aren’t subject to “gotchas” when they call out sick using PTO-WA Sick during that pay period, granted nurses fulfill their FTE otherwise. We’ve added float protections when a nurse has taken an incentive shift.
• Federal Student Loan Repayment Program: WSNA has proposed significantly improving the existing student loan repayment program to increase the monthly amount to $400.
• DEI Task Force: WSNA is proposing to begin a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, made up of a diverse group of bargaining unit nurses and an equal number of management to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion for us as workers and as caregivers to a diverse patient population.
• Demand to Bargain: RNs in some departments have been given additional duties and responsibilities, based on the fact that RNs have responsibility for an LPN’s work. LPNs cannot manage a full assignment or perform comprehensive assessments. The initiation of a new team nursing approach is a change in working conditions that must be bargained. It also needs to be approved via the staffing committee. Management does not agree with WSNA’s position on this. We intend to bargain over this subject this week.

Three more sessions before the contract expires: March 29, 30, and 31. Come observe.

We still have much business to conduct and have added another day (March 31) to bargain. We would love to have you all stand behind us as we meet with management.

If you’re available to come as observers, please contact WSNA Organizer Grace LaMonte for details. glamonte@wsna.org or (206) 553-9794

I Support My Bargaining Team

Wear your WSNA T-Shirts, blue shirts or scrubs, stickers, buttons and swag this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday!

Tower expansion hearing: Tell your story

The Department of Health hearing regarding plans for the new Good Samaritan 160 bed tower is scheduled for April 28 at 1330 virtually. We know there’s a desperate need for more health care resources in East Pierce County; we just want to make sure that MultiCare can staff the tower appropriately when it’s struggling to staff Good Sam. MultiCare recently submitted additional responses to the DOH’s inquiries regarding its finances and plans to staff which raise many questions and concerns for us. You can find MultiCare’s latest responses to the DOH HERE. If you have concerns about MultiCare being able to staff the proposed tower safely, please submit a public comment to send to the DOH to Janet at jstewart@wsna.org.

Join us for Thursday night Sip and Chat at 8:00 p.m. virtual meeting

Find out the latest news about contract negotiations at Thursday Night Sip and Chat from 8:00-9:00 p.m. Contact your officers or nurse representative for the link.

Follow us on social media

Facebook Private Group “WSNA Good Sam - Union Discussion” Ask a co-worker to invite you or contact organizer Grace to get you connected.

Public Instagram “gshnurses.”

In solidarity, your bargaining team:
Mindy Thornton, Jared Richardson, Aaron Bradley, Raeli Korzeniecki, Dawn Morrell, Anne Landen, Eren Dao, Ashley Eubanks, Atalia Lapkin, Erin Butler, and Paul Grantham

Questions/Issues, contact Janet Stewart, WSNA Nurse Representative jstewart@wsna.org.

Need shirts (larger sizes are now available), buttons, stickers, or want to know how to get involved: contact Grace LaMonte, WSNA Organizer glamonte@wsna.org.