Bring out your signs, your coworkers, and your voice: yesterday at negotiations we gave MultiCare management a ten-day notice for an informational picket on April 26 at 0600-0830 and 1100-1330, outside of Good Samaritan Hospital on 15^th Ave SE in Puyallup.

For the last few weeks, we have told management loud and clear that a lack of proposals around safer staffing ratios and breaks are unacceptable. We know what our community and our coworkers deserve, and we’re willing to fight for it. Good Samaritan nurses are ready to take action.

As many nurses as possible should sign the Info Picket Pledge that is being circulated – ask your unit rep if you haven’t signed it yet! This is our legal right as union members – if your manager discourages you from signing the pledge or attending a picket, let Nurse Rep Janet know immediately jstewart@wsna.org.

MultiCare Good Samaritan Tower Expansion

Do you trust MultiCare to appropriately staff 160 new beds?

At Good Samaritan negotiations, we have been asking MultiCare questions about how it intends to staff the proposed tower point-blank, especially when it has not been able to staff the existing beds. We have asked about robot nurses (like it implemented in Deaconess), virtual nurses (as it told bargaining unit nurses in a joint leadership meeting with Banyan Medical Systems), and the concept of “team nursing” (which it implemented without bargaining with the Union in the Family Birth Center) which dilutes the amount of time a registered nurse could spend with their patients. We have received nothing of substance in return and no clear answers. Instead, we’ve heard about the philosophy of nursing, we’ve heard that current short staffing levels don’t lead to negative patient outcomes, and we’ve heard that the Nurse Staffing Committee is the place to discuss appropriate staffing (note that the NSC – which includes the Chief Nursing Executive – determined what the appropriate level of staffing should be; the Hospital’s president sent the Chief Financial Officer to deliver the message that the Hospital would remain at a lesser level of staffing – it’s hard to read that as anything but “money beats nurses”).

Next Bargaining Dates

Our next bargaining dates are scheduled for April 17 and 24 – if you want to come and observe these sessions, email or text organizer Grace at glamonte@wsna.org or 206-553-9794. We will also have materials for making picket signs at these sessions!

4/13 Sip and Chat Agenda

We have a lot to talk about at sip and chat this week! Join your bargaining team for a discussion about the informational picket, the Department of Health hearing about MultiCare Good Sam’s proposed tower, and updates on negotiations. We want to hear your perspective and answer your questions! Contact your officers or nurse representative for the meeting link.

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

If you’d like to observe bargaining; need more picket pledges; need T-Shirts; want to know how you can get more involved with your Union, contact Organizer Grace Lamonte GLamonte@wsna.org.

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

Shoutout to these Union Strong Nurses on MedOnc, 5Dally, and Pulse!