Your team spirit and unity came through loud and clear when nurses came out to cast their strike authorization vote. The results were an overwhelming 95% YES.  You have made a bold statement that you are willing to strike for a fair contract. Thank you to all those who came from near and far to vote – rain or shine.  Thank you to the many volunteers who helped set-up; man the voting station; tear down and count votes. You are all truly appreciated. Welcome to our new members who signed their applications at the vote. It’s quite obvious that your spirit and determination made a HUGE difference at the bargaining table yesterday as we were able to reach a Tentative Agreement.

Bargaining Session 19 – We have a Tentative Agreement!

We bargained hard all day on Wednesday, June 21, and into the early morning.  We are happy to announce that at 04:25 we reached a Tentative Agreement.

That means both the Union and the Employer have agreed on the language for your contract.  The next step will be to hold a contract ratification vote, which will require a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass.  As soon as we have a date and times, we will announce it.  Watch for a TA Summary early next week to show the highlights.  There will be copies of the draft contract at the vote. The process may feel rushed between now and voting day, but we are striving to get the contract ratified before a new pay period begins, so you can get your well deserved wage increases sooner than later.

Some of the highlights include:

• Break Nurses
• Improved Staffing with safeguards
• $ 3,500 Ratification Bonus for 0.9-1.0 FTE.  Prorated for those less than 0.9 FTE. Per diem prorated at 0.3
• Wage increase of 12-24% the first year; then 4.5% and 3.5% (Same as TG wage scale).
• Float pay $5/hr when floating outside your clinical grouping.
• Staffing Standard Premium (aka EXLO) of $5/hr
• Full Rest Between Shift Pay.
• Staffing Changes, including Integrated/Team Nursing must be approved by the Nurse Staffing Committee.
• Stacking of call back pay
• Partial shifts available for per diem nurses working break nurse shifts.

More information to come.

Nurses Speaking Out at The Pierce County Council Meeting

On Tuesday, June 20, nurses gave testimony at the Pierce County Council Meeting. Our purpose was to bring awareness of our issues and struggles at Good Samaritan Hospital.  The nurse testimony was awesome and heart felt.  We had support in the room from union members and private citizens.  Afterwards, we had great conversations with the Council Members.

Shout out to the nurses who testified:  Anne Landen, Shian Kelly, Katie Stringer, May Smith, and Liz Leske (from TG).

See the testimony here beginning at 1 hour, 37 minutes

Many thanks to the Good Sam bargaining team for many hours of dedicated teamwork to get a fair contract:

Mindy Thornton, Jared Richardson, Aaron Bradley, Raeli Korzeniecki, Dawn Morrell, Anne Landen, Ashley Eubanks, Atalia Lapkin, Erin Butler, and Paul Grantham

Sincerely,
Janet Stewart, WSNA Nurse Rep
Grace LaMonte, WSNA Organizer
Barbara Friesen, WSNA Nurse Rep Team Leader
Pamela Chandran, WSNA Legal Counsel

Questions? Contact Janet Stewart  jstewart@wsna.org or Grace LaMonte GLamonte@wsna.org.