Fall is in full swing and so is your bargaining unit’s work. Before we all get swept away by the business the holidays can bring, we want you to know what is happening. If you didn’t know, on January 1, 2024, Senate Bill 5236 went into effect regarding Hospital Staffing Committees (HSC). You can read the full RCW here if you like. In short, Holy Family is required by law to have a Hospital Staffing Committee that is equal parts management and direct care nursing staff (RNs and CNAs). Nurses are nominated by themselves and peers and appointed by the local officer team. Nurses can serve 1- or 2-year terms depending on their position.

Work in this committee focuses largely on addressing every staffing complaint that gets submitted in any format, including WSNA unsafe staffing forms. Members also help draft the hospital staffing plans for each unit where nursing care is provided. These plans are required to be submitted to the Department of Health annually. The 2025 plans have not been approved yet and we will share them when they are.

Your current nursing members of the Hospital Staffing Committee are

• Tristan Twohig- co-chair
• Teresa Wood
• Peggy Smith
• Martha Goodall
• Eric Holden

Any nurse filing a staffing complaint or assignment despite objection (ADO) form found here, is invited to come share their why with the committee. Nurses sharing their why they filed is helpful for members to have a full understanding of the issue at hand. ADOs may be filed for any number of reasons including

• Missed meal periods and rest breaks- (if you can’t take a break either your acuity is too high or you don’t have enough staff)
• Inadequate RN staffing
• Inadequate CNA or sitter staffing
• Mandatory OT
• Broken equipment
• EPIC or pyxis failures
• Any situation that a nurse feels is unsafe for them or their patients

The nurse’s presentation in combination with discussions with administration, shift or department information, and staffing trends are used to assign each complaint a disposition as is required by law. The dispositions below are what your complaints could be assigned, and we want you to know what each of those mean.

Nurses who file complaints are due back a response in writing on the outcome of their complaint. If you have filed a complaint and have any questions about it or about the staffing committee, contact any one of the nurses listed above or your WSNA Nurse Representative Alle Machorro.

What’s been your barrier to filing an ADO? We encourage all nurses to step up and speak up for their working conditions TODAY.

HOT OFF THE PRESS- Your facility newsletter is now available for you to view here. This issue contains grievance updates, a section on your Just Cause protections as a Union member, a highlight from Brenda Hoyer BSN, RNC-OB from FMC, and information about two upcoming amazing WSNA events with sponsorship opportunities to help nurses to attend.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours this holiday season.

In Solidarity,

Martha Goodall- WSNA Chair

Peggy Smith- WSNA Co-Chair

Tristan Twohig- WSNA Grievance Officer

Emily Troyer- WSNA Membership Officer

Teresa Wood- WSNA Member at Large

Eric Holden- WSNA Secretary/ Treasurer

Alle Machorro- WSNA Nurse Rep- amachorro@wsna.org