On Wednesday, May 31, we had our 17^th bargaining session (not counting the one management canceled). After staying until 2:30 in the morning in the hopes of reaching a deal, we still do not have a tentative agreement. We are disappointed and exhausted – and we know you are, too. While we recognize that there was some movement at the table, their proposal on breaks and staffing was inadequate at best and insulting at worst. Put plainly, management’s responses to our staffing and breaks proposals made it clear that they do not comprehend how fundamental safe staffing and patient care are to us.

One thing that is clear: management believes that all nurses together miss an average of only 17 hours of break time a day. A 12-hour nurses is entitled to 1.25 hours of break time day – does 17 hours in the whole hospital sound right to you? Because it sounds really, really underreportedly low to us. Management believes that because 17 hours represents only reported missed breaks. It is critical that every nurse attest in Kronos every time they miss an uninterrupted meal or rest break. We know management harangues nurses about time management (pro Union tip – make sure you bring a unit representative with you any time management holds an investigatory meeting!), we know they arrange it so that it’s just less of a hassle for a nurse to absorb the lost break than to make management deal with chronic short staffing and adequate break relief. Until we claim every one of our missed or interrupted breaks, management can continue to write off missed breaks as the time management issues of a few nurses. It is unlawful for management to retaliate against you for clocking a missed break. If your manager harasses you about missing a break, let Nurse Rep Janet Stewart know at jstewart@wsna.org. If we don’t speak up, we’re enabling management to diminish and ignore the problem.

We know that it’s possible to get a contract that our coworkers, patients, and community deserve. We are going to continue to fight until we get that contract. Until that happens, we are launching our strike assessment process.

What are strike assessments?

Strike assessments are how we figure out what nurses are willing to do to get the contract they want. Striking is the most powerful tool we have but it is not a step we take lightly, and it is not an action we take without the bargaining unit’s consensus. In the coming days, we will be holding cafeteria time and strike training assessments so everyone has the chance to ask questions and be candid about concerns.

A coworker will be coming to talk with you in the coming days and ask about your commitment to strike. It is important to be honest in these conversations: we need the support of the entire bargaining unit in order for this to happen. If we respond with a strong and united voice, we’ll proceed with the next step: a strike vote.

If you want to become a strike assessor, contact Grace for details (glamonte@wsna.org or 206-553-9794).

Updated Sip and Chat Schedule

We’ve heard from folks on night shift that the current sip and chat schedule isn’t always accessible to them. We want EVERYONE to be able to get this information, so we’re going to start scheduling two sip and chat times a week. Our Thursday 8:00pm time won’t change, but we’re adding an 8:00am session on Friday to make sure the information gets out to as many people as possible. The link for both sip and chats is the same.

Observer Shout-Outs!

We wanted to shout out the 15 observers that came and sat in on Wednesday’s session! Taking time on your day off to come and watch this process is so important for transparency and showed MultiCare that nurses are paying attention. We packed the house with WSNA blue!

In the coming days, continue to talk to your coworkers. Read the strike FAQ, reach out to your bargaining team with questions, stay involved. If you aren’t able to be a strike assessor, but still want to get involved, here are some other ways you can help:

• Reach out to new resident nurses and make sure they’ve filled out a membership application Membership application - WSNA
• Print out our emails and post them on your union board so that coworkers who don’t get communications can be updated
• Fill out your ADOs and clock your missed breaks in Kronos: check and make sure your coworkers do the same!

In solidarity,

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 (next session is on 6/7) or 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