Our union recommends a YES vote for our upcoming electronic vote!

We have reached a mutually agreed upon settlement related to our grievance regarding supplemental nurse availability for newly hired supplemental nurses. For the first time at Holy Family, our nurses are going to be voting for this electronically!

All members in good standing (that is, current dues-paying members) will receive a unique on-line ballot to the same email address on file with WSNA at 0800 on March 12. Voting will close at 5 pm on March 13. If you do not receive a ballot by March 12 at 0900, please check your junk and spam email. If you still don’t see a ballot, email amachorro@wsna.org and your WSNA Nurse Rep will follow up with you. If you would like to join our Union today so that you are eligible to vote, you can do that here. For detailed information on the grievance and settlement, continue reading below! There will be full access to review the settlement document when we log in to submit our vote.

In March of 2024, our union filed a grievance with Haleigh Gibson, an RN in the Family Maternity Center on behalf of all nurses at Holy Family. The employer was forcing all new supplemental transfers into an 18% availability category—whether the nurses wanted it or not; and without the contractual authority to do so. During our investigation, we found that the employer was using multiple different versions of a supplemental choice form. Some nurses got one version, some got another, and some weren’t given a form at all. Instead of properly applying equal premium rates from the start, the employer often resorted to back-paying nurses after the fact, sometimes months after their hire date.

We pursued this grievance nearly to its fullest extent under Article 22. We began by raising the issue with the FMC manager, then escalated it to senior leadership, and ultimately brought it to a high-level meeting with the chief hospital executive, Susan Scott, the COO, alongside HR representatives. Throughout this process, we received good faith communication and a demonstrated willingness from Holy Family leadership to work toward a resolution, ultimately creating a path for a settlement that satisfies our grievance and its terms.

With a YES vote, nurses will have a clear understanding baked into our contract, of what exactly is required of them when choosing an availability category. A few highlights include:

• A third availability category: a 16% option for supplemental nurses working as educators in a nursing school
• A single, standardized selection form: if ratified, this will be easily accessible in the back of the contract, and management must provide it to newly hired supplemental nurses within 14 calendar days of their hire date.
• A mandatory employer review: within 30 days of ratification, every current supplemental nurse will be issued the agreed-upon form to ensure their availability election is on file and coded correctly. This isn’t an opportunity to change your selection—that process is already outlined in Article 13.3—but it does guarantee that your choice is properly documented, and assurances for system wide transparency.

As this MOU adds new language to our contract, our full bargaining unit gets to vote on it and our union recommends a YES vote. A YES vote means keeping and enhancing the flexibility in the hands of supplemental nurses and stopping the employer from forcing choices on us. This agreement protects your ability to choose what works best for you. Let’s make sure our voices are heard—vote YES to protect our rights!

Questions? Contact your WSNA Nurse Rep Alle Machorro at amachorro@wsna.org.

In Solidarity,

Martha Goodall WSNA Chair
Peggy Smith WSNA Co Chair
Tristan Twohig WSNA Grievance Officer
Teresa Wood WSNA Member at Large Officer
Emily Troyer WSNA Membership Officer 
Eric Holden WSNA Secretary/ Treasurer