The WSNA officers want to give a big thank you to all the nurses in our bargaining unit for showing up to work every day and making a difference. We want to give a shout out to the winners of our essay contest for responding to “What WSNA means to me.”

First prize goes to Cassandra Docking, Urgent Care.

Second prize goes to Sarah Tantare, NICU.

Third prize goes to Jema Mateo, Tri-Cities Cardiology Clinic.

Loads of you were nominated by your RN peers for recognition. See the full list as well as more information about each of the prizes and a quote from each winner in the hard copy newsletter or by clicking on the button below.

It’s old news now, but in case you have not heard, SCH allowing RNs to receive the same Juneteenth holiday benefit as the other employees. All RNs working on June 18 (the date the holiday is recognized) will be paid one and one-half time for all hours worked. In addition, all benefits-eligible RNs will receive 8 hours (prorated by FTE) into your annual leave banks during that pay period.

We were disappointed with the employer’s posturing and misrepresentation of WSNA as regards to bargaining for this holiday. It is the union who asked the Employer to bargain and the union who made the proposal. The employer gave us a counter proposal to trade Presidents Day for Juneteenth. We had not yet responded to their counter proposal because we intended to do so on June 11, which was scheduled for further bargaining. On June 11 they decided to give this holiday and we commend them for agreeing to allow the nurses to celebrate this holiday with the other employees. From the responses we have seen thus far, the nurses have seen through the employer’s union-slamming rhetoric. For pictures, view the page at https://www.wsna.org/union/sea....

Article 5.6 of our Collective Bargaining Agreement has language on floating.

“The Employer retains the right to changes the nurse’s daily work assignment on a shift by shift basis to meet patient care needs. Nurses will be expected to perform all basic nursing functions but will not be required to perform tasks or procedures specifically applicable to the nursing unit for which they are not qualified or trained to perform. Nurses required to float within the hospital will receive orientation appropriate to the assignment. …”

Read the rest of the article by clicking the button below.

WSNA has settled an Association grievance on behalf of all affected nurses for failure to accrue time away benefits. This grievance affects 277 RNs who took unpaid low census, aka furlough, in less than one week increments and used code 950. All affected RNs will receive notice from the hospital as to how much annual leave and sick time will be added to your bank. WSNA is mailing a postcard to affected RNs as well, to notify you of this huge win. These hours should hit AL/ST banks on the June 18 pay period. Total number of combined hours that did not accrue time away benefits = 4,778.84, or nearly 525 annual leave hours and nearly 199 sick hours in total. That is a lot of time that Seattle Children’s fought the union on giving to the nurses.

This is a great example of the benefits of having a union and a contract. If you did not have a union, nurses would not have been able to get those hours, because the employer could simply change the policy and do what they want. Nurses would have no recourse. If you use code 950 when taking unpaid furlough hours, you will not accrue AL/ST hours.

WSNA officers were alerted recently that some PACU RNs had changes to their schedules and were not notified. This was not a contract violation, because the changes occurred before the schedule was posted. While the scheduler or manager should give the nurse notice of such changes, as a courtesy, it is the responsibility of each RN to look at the schedule when it is posted for changes. If you do not see such a change and have an unexcused absence as a result, you may face discipline.

Your current contract, or Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), expires July 31, 2022. Your WSNA officers are gearing up early so all the nurses can be educated and strong when we get to the bargaining table early next year. We are using our first ever “pre-survey survey” as a first step in preparation for bargaining. If you complete this five-minute survey, you will be helping yourself to get the best contract.

Take the survey now! http://wsna.to/WSNApresurvey.

Are you missing breaks? Working short-staffed? Floating without orientation? Being denied leave? This online staffing complaint/ADO form was developed by a coalition that included WSNA, other unions and WSHA representatives. Completing the form serves many purposes, including data tracking, bring issues to light, supportive documentation, and discussion tool to make things better. It is not punitive and illegal for anyone to retaliate against you for completing it. (This includes intimidation from a manager).

This form is to be completed for issues including but not limited to:

• The unit is not staffed according to its staffing plan or if mid-shift staffing adjustments are inadequate. (In order to know if your unit is not staffed according to its staffing plan, you must first know what is the staffing plan for your unit. Staffing plans, including nursing and unlicensed staff, are required to be posted on every unit.)

• Missed breaks or earned time denied

• Equipment issues

• Workplace safety concerns

• Concerns with working conditions

If you have reason to complete this form, you first should speak with your manager or charge nurse for that shift in order to try to resolve the concern as quickly as possible. They should escalate in real time if they cannot fully address your concerns. When you complete the online form, you are encouraged to include your manager’s name and email.

After you complete the form a copy of the submitted form immediately goes to you, the WSNA chair and co-chair, WSNA Rep, staffing committee co-chairs, and your manager, provided you have entered his or her email. The Nurse Staffing Committee will review the complaint at their next meeting if it is a staffing concern. The Nurse Conference Committee will review the complaint at their next meeting if it is of other concern.

Find the staffing complaint form at wsna.org/ado.

Questions about this newsletter? Contact any officer or WSNA Nurse Representative Sydne James at sjames@wsna.org.