Our new WSNA officers have hit the ground running and we are committed to providing strong advocacy for you during this pivotal year. Our 2020 top priorities are to work with management on creating a plan to implement the new break law and to begin preparations for bargaining in 2021. Our goal as your NW-WSNA leadership team is to address the current challenges you face, protect what you love at NW Hospital, and to identify ways to improve our workplace. To be successful we need your collective input, participation, and active engagement.

Here are some important updates from our recent meeting with the UW-NW Management team:

Staffing and Conference Committee Meetings with UW-NW Management – Feb. 3

1. New break law reviewed to identify compliance issues and best implementation.

• All breaks must be uninterrupted; if interrupted breaks will be either paid or restarted (details to come).
• Bundling breaks will continue to be allowed.
• Management requests breaks be scheduled; please work with charge RN during huddle.
• WSNA officers requested management provide data from Kronos on missed breaks to set goals for legal compliance. UW-NW management team agreed.
• WSNA officers proposed using Break RNs and current staffing tools for meeting break law compliance instead of having RNs double patient load for breaks. WSNA officers believe this would be best practice, increase safety, and improve legal compliance. Management team would not add FTE for break RNs.
• Please document every single missed break on your Kronos timecard punch out.
• Please also document missed breaks and any other unsafe conditions at www.wsna.org/ado so that you have a record and we do too.

2. UW-NW Management stated interest to end set schedule patterns.

• Management team shared a desire to change NW Hospital to a self-scheduling model for increased flexibility to balance staffing replacing our standard at NWH of set patterns.
• WSNA officers are concerned about the loss of benefits a set schedule provides for many of our members and their families.We stated our concerns to UW-NW management and are opposed to a self-scheduling model at this time. We recognize set patterns are a “nurse satisfier" for many.
• Our plan is to gather data and speak with you about the benefits of our set pattern schedules in addition to your feelings about a self-scheduling model.
• WSNA officers will request more detailed information from UW-NW management about a proposal.

We look forward to working with you on these important matters. Please stay tuned for more information, surveys, and upcoming meeting dates.

In solidarity,
Josef Mansour, RN - ED, WSNA Vice-Chair
Carl Coyle, RN - ICU, WSNA Chair
Natasha Barrow, RN - SCU, WSNA Secretary-Treasurerv