November 7, 2022

Yesterday was a very productive day at the table with lots of conversation and dialogue on both sides.

Shawn Reed, WSNA Nurse Representative, SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) and Forensic Nurse started the day with an educational presentation on SANE. This presentation covered the importance of providing this service, and how it will provide for community safety, improved patient care, and increasing criminal convictions rates. We talked about the ways in which WSNA’s proposal for a premium for conducting sexual assault or forensic exams would lead to increasing the number of SANEs and decreasing nurse burnout and turnover. This yielded a robust question and answer session with the employer.

We continue to have discussions on floating, functional assignments, low census for holiday language, precepting,

We also discussed your team’s proposal to create a triage nurse premium. The pandemic highlighted the extreme conditions, increased burdens of work and responsibilities of the triage nurse. Our team invited a Kadlec triage nurse to illustrate. A triage nurse is responsible in determining the triage level of a presenting patient. If there is a bed available, the patient can be placed, however, if there are no ED beds, the triage nurse is responsible for all waiting room patients. Triage is one of the most dangerous areas. Security is not always available for immediate assistance. We explained that providing for a triage nurse premium is necessary to compensate for this very difficult job and would increase the number of nurses willing to fill this role.

We reached tentative agreements on a number of issues today, including:

• Per Diem bonus- After achieving 864 work hours in a year, there will be a $1000 bonus paid.
• Workgroup scheduling- Within 60 days of ratification, each department will create a workgroup to discuss routine and/or self-scheduling.
• Voluntary reduction of FTE- Clear language and process for a nurse to request an FTE reduction, including consideration of seniority in awarding reduced FTEs.
• Paydays-If a payroll error that poses an undue hardship to a nurse, the nurse may request an off-cycle check. This will be processed through in-house HR.
• Seniority bidding - In the event a shift is discontinued, bidding on schedules will be by seniority.
• Salary computation-Clear language on eligible hours that are used in the calculation of a service increment (PTO hours count toward service increment, but unpaid hours do not) (wage scale)
• Use of PTO-Safe Sick- Nurses shall be able to use sick time in actual minutes (i.e. no requirement to use PTO in minimum amounts of time), up to the hours the nurse is regularly scheduled to work.
• Grievance procedure- Step 2 meeting will be with the Department Director and Step 3 will be with the CNO. Steps 1 and 4 are unchanged.
• LOU on premium shifts- Maintain the LOU with additional language “or an agreed upon full-time innovative work schedule that is equivalent to a .9 FTE, e.g., for (4) nine-hour shifts”.

The team presented a wage comparison of all Providence facilities in WA state. A wage comparison was also presented detailing Eastern WA facilities. We will continue to focus on wages and the need for a significant increase.

Please continue to show your support for your bargaining team! Our next confirmed bargaining days are November 14, 17 and 29.

We will have a bargaining unit meeting on November 16 in the Kadlec Columbia Rooms. There will be two sessions in the evening at 5:30 and 7:30 and we have a virtual option. Please attend for updated bargaining information with Q&A - your officers and nurse rep can provide the meeting link if you did not receive it via email.

Your team asks that you show your support by wearing your WSNA shirts on bargaining days. In addition, please send your candid photos of you and your co-workers showing your support to your Nurse Organizer, Ryan Rosenkranz at (206) 867-4627.

In Solidarity,
Meri Bukovinsky “Chair”-CDU
Jamie Woodall “Co-Chair” FSED
Vanessa Douglas “Secretary/Treasurer” ICU
Anita Dennis “Grievance Officer” PACU
Andrew Blake-Cath Lab
Kat Banks- PACU
Michelle Killebrew- CV Pre/Post
Kelsi Duncan-NICU

Thank you,
Laurie Robinson WSNA Nurse Representative
lrobinson@wsna.org