As our families gather together to celebrate the holidays and welcome a new year, we’re coming together as nurses to win the contract we deserve at Sacred Heart.

We’re working to settle a fair contract without a strike. But if a strike is what it takes to get a deal that treats every member with the respect you’ve earned, then we’ll be ready.

That’s why we’re ramping up our Strike Committee preparations.

If we walk off the job, each Strike Committee will play a critical role in our success—and you’ll play a key part on the picket lines and/or in a strike committee. Here’s a brief description of each committee and ways you can be involved.

PICKET LINE COORDINATION COMMITTEE helps determine sites for picketing and picket schedules; organizes picket schedules to ensure each site has enough picketers; provides information and support to picketers including communicating ground rules and expectations; oversees picket activities including signs and chants; and tracks picket line participation.

Sign up to be a picket captain today! E-mail SHMC@wsna.org if interested.

STRIKE HEADQUARTERS COMMITTEE provides input on headquarters location; ensures staffing and supplies at HQ; provides equipment needed to support pickets; serves as the central hub for strike info for nurses and the public; coordinates food and beverage for picket lines; and coordinates transportation of materials to and from picket lines.

We will be hosting an open house at our new Strike HQ in early January, hope to see you there!

FINANCIAL COMMITTEE develops a budget to support the strike and picket lines; manages and tracks expenses; provides personal financial tips/prep for nurses; provides loan information and student loan forgiveness program info to nurses; identifies and provides community resources to support striking nurses.

DO YOU OR SOMEONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAVE STUDENT LOAN DEBT? WSNA is partnering with our national union the AFT to host Student Debt Clinics to help you prepare financially for a strike and manage student load debt during and after a strike.

Clinics will be held on Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Jan. 4 at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Register for the clinic.

CHILD CARE COMMITTEE connects volunteer child care with those in need; identifies additional resources for child care during strike; and provides list of childcare resources to striking nurses.

Families, including spouses/partners and kids of all ages, are very much encouraged to stand together at the picket lines in solidarity and remind Providence that this affects more than just the nurses on the units during our working hours. We are planning to have designated kid-friendly break areas to give kids a break from the cold and a little something to do during picket line shifts. Please fill out this short survey so we can assess the needs of our nurses with kids to be able to support each other and our families during the strike/picket line shifts.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE monitors and tracks member questions concerns and rumors; responds to member questions, concerns and rumors with agreed-upon positive messages.

Be sure to send your strike questions to SHMC@wsna.org.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE serves as media spokespeople as assigned, in addition to negotiating team members; coordinates outreach to union, faith leaders, physician groups, local business and community for support of strike. Please share this flyer with your friends and family on how they can support our Sacred Heart nurses.

EMERGENCY STANDBY COMMITTEE can recommend to Oversight Committee whether to assign striking nurses to temporarily cross picket line and return to work in response to “unforeseeable emergency circumstances” that requires staffing above and beyond normal levels to preserve lives. With approval from Oversight Committee, the Emergency Standby Committee will assign nurses to cross the picket line, and monitors the emergency situation to determine when the emergency no longer requires those nurses’ work.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE identifies employment opportunities and compiles a list of those opportunities; provides a list of employment opportunities to striking nurses.

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE is comprised of each strike committee’s chairs, including the negotiating team and elected unit officers. The Oversight Committee oversees all strike-related activities, coordinates with WSNA staff, and approves all objectives and actions.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org or send an email to shmc@wsna.org.