NURSES DAY 2021

Nurses: A Voice to Lead

KADLEC ANNUAL NURSES BREAKFAST

May 6 6-10 a.m
LOCATION: From Goethals, R into EMS entrance, immediate R
Catering by Nena
European Desserts & Appetizers

VIRTUAL UNIT MEETINGS

May 10 5:30-6:30 p.m. or 7:30-8:30 p.m.
May 12 5:30-6:30 p.m. or 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Contact your WSNA Nurse Representative if you need the link.

Agenda:

• The Contract
• ADOs
• Grievances
• Nominations for new Officers
• Officer training
• Action planning
• Future Meetings
• Open questions

Missed Breaks/Mandatory OT

With your support, WSNA has been successful in strengthening the laws in Washington State around mandatory overtime, mandatory call, and missed breaks in recent years. It is important that you get your breaks, report mandatory overtime and mandatory call that isn’t truly emergent! Please document missed breaks and report mandatory OT and missed breaks on an ADO form.

Here are the breaks you are entitled to under the WSNA contract:

ARTICLE 5 - HOURS OF WORK AND OVERTIME
5.1 Workday. A standard workday shall consist of eight (8), ten (10), or twelve (12) hours work to be completed within eight and one-half (8½), ten and one-half (10½), or twelve and one-half (12½) consecutive hours, respectively, with a thirty (30) minute meal period on the nurse’s own time if the nurse is relieved of duties during this period. If the nurse is not relieved of duties or may not leave the unit for the meal period, this shall be paid time. Nurses working eight (8) or ten (10) hour workdays shall receive two (2) fifteen (15) minute rest breaks spaced appropriately apart. Nurses working twelve (12) hour shifts shall receive three (3) fifteen (15) minute breaks spaced appropriately apart.

5.2 Rest and Meal Periods. Rest periods of fifteen (15) minutes for each four (4) hour work period shall be provided. A period of thirty (30) minutes within each shift shall be provided for a meal period or other functions at the discretion of the nurse. The Employer shall also provide restrooms, lockers and attendant facilities and shall provide adequate facilities for meal breaks. When necessitated by the workload, nurses may take the first rest period in conjunction with meal periods. A private and secure space which can be used for lactation shall be provided in multiple locations.

Go to https://secure.lni.wa.gov/wagecomplaint/#/ to file a complaint or to find out more about filing a complaint with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.

ADO Form/Online Staffing Complaint form – Use it!

This online staffing complaint/ADO form was developed by a coalition that included WSNA, other unions and WSHA representatives. Completing the form serves many purposes, including data tracking, bring issues to light, supportive documentation, and discussion tool to make things better. It is not punitive. ALL STAFFING PLANS MUST BE POSTED ON UNIT
This form is to be completed for issues including but not limited to:

• The unit is not staffed according to its staffing plan or if mid-shift staffing adjust­ments are inadequate.
• Missed breaks or earned time denied
• Equipment issues
• Workplace safety concerns
• Concerns with working conditions
• System Failures

If you have reason to complete this form, you first should speak with your manager or charge nurse for that shift in order to try to resolve the concern as quickly as possible. They should escalate in real time if they cannot fully address your concerns. When you complete the online form, you are encouraged to include your manager’s name and email.

After you complete the form a copy of the submitted form immedi­ately goes to you, the WSNA chair and co-chair, WSNA Rep, staffing committee co-chairs, and your manager, provided you have entered his or her email. The Nurse Staffing Committee will review the complaint at their next meeting if it is a staffing concern. The Nurse Confer­ence Committee will review the complaint at their next meeting if it is of other concern.

Find the staffing complaint form at wsna.org/ado.

Your Weingarten Rights

Under the Supreme Court’s Weingarten decision, when an investigatory interview occurs, the following rules apply:

• Rule One: The employee must make a clear request for union representation before or during the interview. The employee cannot be punished for making the request.
• Rule Two: After the employee makes the request, the employer must choose among three options. The employer must either:
  • Grant the request and delay questioning until the union representative arrives and has a chance to consult privately with the employee.
  • Deny the request and end the interview immediately.
  • Give the employee a choice of either having the interview without representation or end the interview.
• Rule Three: If the employer denies the request for union representation and continues to ask questions, it commits an unfair labor practice and the employee has the right to refuse to answer. The employer may not discipline the employee for such a refusal.

What to do if you are called into a meeting?
First ask: “What is the purpose of this meeting?” Then make the following statement: “If this meeting could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative be present at this meeting. Without representation present, I choose not to participate in this discussion I understand that there are many of you that may be afraid to make this bold statement to your manager; but these are your rights. If you have a gut feeling that the meeting you are going to attend seems unusual, please go with your gut feeling. Give one of your officers or the WSNA Rep a call and let’s talk.

Thank you for being a WSNA Member!

YOU ARE WSNA!