Conference Committee Update

Did you know that this committee is actually a requirement per article 14.1 of your contract? This committee is tasked to be joint management and nurse officer group that is required to meet at least quarterly and address issues that affect the nurses' hours, wages and/or working conditions. This committee met just this last week and addressed quite a few items. We have been very successful in helping to mitigate changes that benefit both the hospital and the nurses employed here.

However, we can only address a concern or issue if we know about it. To that end, please feel free to email any of your local officers with questions or concerns.

An additional way to communicate quickly a concern is to complete an online ADO form or staffing concern form. This particular form also has categories for issues with support staff, or issues with equipment which would include PPE problems. You can access this form easily at www.wsna.org/ado.

Staffing Committee Update

Your staffing committee has been hard at work. Thank you to everyone for filling out the staffing concern forms or ADO and submitting them. We did emphasize the importance of those forms to actually help leadership to identify and request appropriate staffing.

Your staffing committee is actually a requirement by law and is not a WSNA committee. Management and your staffing committee members are committed to working together to address every concern form.

This particular meeting had a focus on clinic concerns. Your clinic nurse co-workers are feeling the pain of working chronically understaffed. And COVID has not helped the situation at all. However, because of the awareness created by the staffing concern forms, they have taken steps and are working hard to rectify the situation. That includes things like recruitment and utilizing local advertising, including options for part time work and not just reflecting full time positions, reaching out to the schools and investigating the potential for relief staffing from sister PeaceHealth facilities.

Concern was expressed about the upcoming regular flu season on top of COVID, the potential to be able to have Saturday Flu Clinics and consideration of possible ways to relieve some of the work tasks from the clinic nurses and provide them with a more manageable work day.

In addition to the staffing need however, leadership has been tasked with planning for the arrival of fall and winter weather. The need for testing and appointments will not diminish and outdoor testing will need to be adjusted to provide safety and comfort for both patients and staff alike.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to submit the online ADO or staffing concern form. Please find one of your officers and ask for a QR code sticker! This can be put on the back of your badge buddy and a simple phone scan of the code will bring up the form to fill out! It's that simple!

Lockers

We have heard great things about the expanded availability of lockers for employee use. Just a quick note that there is a locker policy that all should be aware of. You can search online, and the number of the policy is 225.1.234.

Management has stated that the locker assignments will be reviewed each June and if any lockers are found with locks on them that are not assigned at that time they will be cleaned out. So please make sure your locker is assigned.

Workplace Violence Committee

Did you know your workplace violence committee is up and running? They have already had two meetings as a team. The committee includes representatives from nursing, and they will work with other disciplines represented at the committee and they are joined by security from St. Joseph in Bellingham.

Your nurse representatives currently include Arna, Chris, Julie and Larry. The workplace violence committee next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 8 and at this time they are meeting monthly. Please reach out to the representatives for any concerns or questions and don’t forget to say a big thank you for helping to preserve safety for all of us!

General Nursing Care Competency Based Orientation Checklist

We heard some questions from the nurses who were asked to complete a competency checklist of basic nursing skills. It was not clear what was meant about the title as it included the verbiage “orientation” which led to a supposition that some form of training would be happening at some time.

We asked leadership what this was all about and received definitive reassurance that this was requested as a simple skill assessment only. Leadership implemented this checklist to help in disaster planning. Leadership also reported that this checklist has been sent to RN, LPN and MA staff.

It was noted that St. Joseph's has had a nurse extender class which was offered to help nurses develop skills in the event of a disaster. It was thought that the results of the survey could be used to guide future classes and potentially bring the nurse extender course to Peace Island.

Policies

WSNA is aware of multiple policies that have been released by corporate to all caregivers and we have sent a letter to your corporate leaders with a demand to bargain. As WSNA is the sole bargaining agent for PeaceHealth nurses, anything that affects the wages, hours and working conditions of nurses is required to be bargained. We are working with corporate on the new amended Flu vaccination policy, the COVID travel quarantine policy, the new updated COVID leave restriction / use policy and lastly the Safety Absolute policy. It should be noted that PeaceHealth leadership has received notice that WSNA believes their safety absolute policy violates your contractual right to Just Cause which includes the concept of progressive discipline. We are resolute and have asked that this policy be rescinded for all bargaining unit nurses.

As always, your local executive team is working on your behalf! Please feel free to reach out to any of the team for any questions or concerns. Thank you for all the great things you do each and every day for each other and the community.

Melissa Aylward BSN, RN, CNOR – Local Unit Chair
Larry Wall BSN, RN, CEN - Local Unit Co-Chair
Elizabeth Schaltenbrand BSN, RN, CMSRN – Local Unit Secretary
Julie Bielau RN – Local Unit Treasurer
Zanna Cochran RN – Local Unit Grievance Officer
Auralee Jameson BSN, RN – Local Unit Grievance Officer
Arna Robins MSN, RN, CFRN, CEN – Local Unit Grievance Officer
Cari Williams RN – Local Unit Grievance Officer

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Sue Dunlap at sdunlap@wsna.org