We have a Tentative Agreement on a contract!
Posted Feb 26, 2019
We are happy to announce that we have reached a Tentative Agreement on a contract! Your bargaining team recommends this contract for ratification.
SUMMARY OF 2019 TENTATIVE AGREEMENT
Wage Increases
4/1/19 – 3%
4/1/20 – 3%
4/1/21 – 3%
Additionally, annual step increases will occur on your anniversary date instead of after the completion of 1,872 hours of work.
Return of a paid holiday
The new contract will return the holiday lost in the last contract. The new holiday will be a floating holiday to be used as an additional day off.
Also, hours paid for non-worked holidays will count towards the fulfillment of your FTE requirement. Note: unworked time, whether paid or not, will not be counted in computing overtime or extra shift pay.
PTO
As a means of retaining our great nurses, the bargaining team successfully negotiated for additional Paid Time Off for our more senior nurses. Under the new contract, a nurse with 18+ years of service will accrue an additional 16 hours of PTO.
Additionally, the Hospital will now have to respond to PTO requests made at least 2 months in advance within 14 days. This should allow nurses to receive an answer so you can make plans.
Health Care Tests for Nurses
In addition to tuberculin skin tests and other tests required by state law, the contract will continue to allow nurses to receive routine CBC’s chest x-rays, urinalysis, EKG strip, CMP and lipid profile once per year at no cost to the nurse. Under the new contract, nurses will arrange these tests through the Employee Health Department. Nurses will now be able to arrange for these tests at any time in the year instead of being required to arrange the tests in September.
Union Security
The WSNA membership requirement language will be updated to comply with new federal law.
Non-Discrimination
Gender will be added to the list of protected classifications.
Scheduling of Work
The new contract will incorporate the current Memorandum of Understanding that requires charge nurses to work with the Hospital to create work schedules. However, the bargaining team believes that the creation of schedules is an opportunity for nurses to take on additional responsibility in the Hospital. As a result, the work schedules will now be created by Designated Schedulers, appointed by the Association, to work with the Hospital to create the work schedules.
Cross Training
The Hospital will post continuous sign-up sheets for cross-training opportunities. Nurses will be able to indicate their interest in potential cross-training. As those opportunities arise, the Hospital will pull from the list of nurses who have signed up and select the qualified nurse based on skills, abilities and qualifications. The bargaining team believes that this language will allow all nurses to be considered for cross-training according to your interests.
This contract is recommended by your bargaining team: Jaala Langley, Marcey Frame, Brad Bell and Holly Maw.
The VOTE to ratify this contract will occur on March 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Conference Room.
You must be a WSNA member in good standing to vote on the contract.
YOU ARE WSNA!
WSNA Nurse Representative Mara Kieval can be reached at 206-575-7979, ext. 3051 or mkieval@wsna.org for any questions, comments or concerns.