The contract may have expired but our bargaining team is not done! We are committed to fighting for a fair contract that recruits and retains nurses in our community – now that St. Joe’s and St. Clare’s have increased their wages to the TG level, we know nurses have many opportunities to be paid well in the area. We want to make Good Sam the place where nurses want to come work – and where we want to stay! In order to get the working conditions we need to provide the patient care our community deserves, we need every nurse at Good Samaritan to use their voice and get involved. Keep reading to find out what you can do right now to help support your bargaining team!

Sign the Picket Pledge!

We have made amazing progress on our info picket pledge so far! If you have not signed a pledge card yet, you can get a copy from your unit rep or a bargaining team member. Once you’ve signed the pledge, send it to five coworkers and ask them to sign too! You can also print off a copy of the pledge from our local unit homepage here:

Have more questions about what an info picket is? This document has some FAQs about why we’re taking this next step:

Remember: it is your protected right under federal labor law to engage in union activity as long as it is not interfering with patient care and it has been normal practice in your workplace to discuss non-work related things. For example - If you can talk to a coworker about your weekend or sign a birthday card for someone, then you can discuss union negotiations AND sign a picket pledge. Keep in mind that this should not interfere with patient care.

If management speaks to you or gives you guidance for doing this, email your nurse representative asap at jstewart@wsna.org.

More bargaining dates added

The bargaining team has committed to additional bargaining dates and has asked a federal mediator (the same one that participated at TG between WSNA and MultiCare). We are meeting on Friday, April 7 and are firming up other future dates. Want to be an observer? Contact WSNA organizer Grace LaMonte at glamonte@wsna.org.

Cafeteria Time

On Thursday, April 6, our WSNA Nurse Representative and Organizer will be in the cafeteria from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Come and grab some snacks, sign a picket pledge, and get some WSNA swag for Blue Friday!

Sip and Chat Agenda

Our next Sip and Chat is on Thursday, April 6, at 8 p.m. This is a space for you to come and get updates on negotiations, ask your bargaining team questions, and learn more about the next steps we’re taking. We recommend downloading the Teams app before the call. Contact one of your officers or the nurse representative for the meeting link.

MultiCare Good Samaritan Expansion

MultiCare is currently engaged in the Washington Department of Health (DOH) approval process to build a new patient care tower for Good Samaritan. This new tower will not replace the existing tower but will be located on the Good Samaritan campus, adding 160 acute care beds to the hospital. The Washington State Nurses Association has requested a public hearing for the project. The hearing – and the deadline for public comments – is scheduled for April 28, 2023. If you want to submit your written testimony for the hearing, please email Nurse Representative Janet Stewart at jstewart@wsna.org.

Here are some more facts and questions from MultiCare’s application documents:

Stay in the loop

We do not have a specific time or date for the picket yet: the logistics will depend on how our next bargaining sessions go. Stay in the loop about what’s happening by following our social media: @GSHnurses on Instagram, and Good Samaritan Nurses on Facebook. Check your email for updates from WSNA, and keep attending our Thursday night sip and chats to hear the answers directly from the bargaining team!

Show off your pictures of your WSNA blue and your picket pledges - keep wearing your shirts, stickers, buttons, and badge reels as we ramp up our fight and bring this contract home!

In solidarity, your bargaining team:
Mindy Thornton, Jared Richardson, Aaron Bradley, Raeli Korzeniecki, Dawn Morrell, Anne Landen, 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.