Please Welcome Jaclyn Smedley, Your New WSNA Nurse Rep!

Current WSNA Rep. Travis Nelson is going out on a leave of absence for a few months. While he is away, Jaclyn Smedley BSN, RN will be serving as interim WSNA Rep. Jaclyn has been a Registered Nurse for 22 years, and a WSNA Nurse Rep for over 15 of those years. She comes with broad union experience to include representing the nurses of Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane Regional Health District, and Providence Visiting Nurses for matters of negotiations, grievances, organizing and other internal issues that involve mandatory subjects of bargaining. Should you have an issue you would like her to address, please send an email to jsmedley@wsna.org.

Your WSNA officers work with you on the ground at PeaceHealth St. John. Feel free to reach out to them as well if you have a need related to the contract or working conditions. You can find their contact information at  https://www.wsna.org/union/peacehealth-st-johns-medical-center.

WSNA Officer Elections The Results Are In!

Please join us in welcoming your new officer team!

Co-Chair                                          Kathy Arnesen

Co-Chair                                          Elena Brent

Secretary/Treasurer                       Karla Fowler

Grievance Officer                          Sharla Hixon

Grievance Officer                          Jennifer Buckhalter

Member at Large                           Samantha Tow

Member at Large                           Christina Jurado

Member at Large                          Lindsay Green

These nurses have been elected to be your voice at the hospital. Please communicate your needs and concerns with them so we can keep a finger on the pulse of PeaceHealth St. John and advocate for you! Congratulations to all of our new officers!

We want to thank Mike Rogen for his years of service as a PeaceHealth St. John officer. Mike has led on the staffing committee, contract negotiations, meetings with management and advocated for you in other ways. Please thank Mike when you see him! If you have any questions, please contact your nurse representative Jaclyn Smedley at Jsmedley@wsna.org.

Weekend Bonus Update

PeaceHealth has been slow to implement the weekend bonus language that we agreed to in Article 8.1.1 of the contract. They have assured us that they are close to being able to implement and will pay everyone backpay for any bonus owed since ratification. Please continue to track your weekend bonus so that we can ensure that you are compensated once PeaceHealth St. John begins payment.

Are You Eligible for A Wage Step Adjustment

During contract negotiations WSNA and PeaceHealth agreed to the following language in article 7.3.1:

“Within 60 days of ratification of the 2024 agreement, the Hospital will notify nurses whose step placement is lower than the number of years since receiving their registered nurses' license. Those nurses may request a review of their previous experience and a corresponding step adjustment by submitting a request through My HR no later than 60 days after receiving such notification. Nurses whose step placement is lower than the number of years since receiving their registered nurses' license may contact management to request a review if they believe they were mistakenly omitted from the initial notification list. Such nurses must request no later than 120 days after ratification of this Agreement. Step adjustments approved under this section will become effective no later than the first full pay period following the nurse's anniversary date, or adjusted anniversary date.”

Please contact HR via MyHR as soon as possible but no later than January 26, 2025 if you want your experience reviewed. Be sure to attach your resume to the request and include the start and end moth and year for all applicable work experience.

Want to go to the WSNA Convention?

The biennial Washington State Nurses Convention is April 30 through May 2 in Tacoma. The convention is a great way to earn CE’s and network with nurses from around Washington State. Your WSNA officer team is reimbursing the mileage, food, registration costs and lodging costs for a limited number of WSNA members at PeaceHealth St. John. Please contact WSNA Secretary/Treasurer Karla Fowler and your WSNA Rep if you are interested in attending the convention and having your expenses reimbursed. Karla can be reached at Karlafowler@gmail.com.