As you are aware, the county is continuing with its plans for redesigning components of Women’s and Infants Services. Ultimately their plan will result in restructuring how public health services are delivered in the community, and the layoff of some PHNs.

Your local unit chair, Paul Kunkel, and I have had two meetings with management to date to address and identify the repercussions of their proposals and nurses’ protections under your current WSNA contract.

Last week WSNA officers and I met as a group with PHN Site Representatives to identify and address some of the questions and concerns PHN nurses have about this work redesign and layoff.

We want to make sure that nurses’ voices are heard and their years of experience as experts in the field of public health are recognized in this process.

We heard that nurses are not feeling they have been included in Management’s processes, are not clear why layoffs are happening and do not know how they will be affected – individually, department wide, and community wide.

Here is what we know from our communications with management:

The county continues to plan for reduction in staff. Layoffs won’t go into effect until 12/31/2019. Between now then there is a lot of work to be done – and a lot of unknowns.

Initially, there were 15 PHN positions slotted for layoff. It is likely there will be fewer nurses laid off as eligible nurses apply for and are granted VSP. Also, management has indicated there may be Nursing Supervisor positions opening up as a result of VSP. Management has committed to looking at internal candidates who may be affected by layoff to fill these open positions.

Of the 15 positions originally slated for layoff It is now looking like there may be fewer than 10 nurses facing layoff. BUT – it remains to be seen how many nurses will seek VSP or leave employment for other reasons, etc., between now and the time layoff notices go out. And – there is a considerable amount of time between layoff notifications being sent and layoff actually happening (12/31/2019). A lot can happen in the meantime.

WSNA Officers and Nursing Representative are working with management to determine:

• How and where work gets done with the redesigned system
• Where nurses in the affected programs will work – e.g on a mobile team, at a fixed site? If fixed - at which fixed site?
• The process and timelines for bumping into another nurses’ position if a nurse is laid off

The current contract describes nurses’ rights in the event of a layoff. Article 17 describes these rights.

Options include accepting a vacant position, bumping into another nurses’ position, accepting layoff and being placed on a recall roster. Layoff is determined by seniority and geographical location.

At this time we have not agreed on exempting any programs from the bumping process. On May 21, WSNA Officers and SeaKing Nurse Representative will be meeting with Doreen Hersh to discuss details of the proposed layoff. Look for a communication from us following that meeting.

Additionally, members of WSNA Leadership plan to meet with Patty Hayes, PHN Director, to address nursing’s interests in these changes to the delivery of public health services.

If you are a CHS nurse, please watch your email for the link to a survey that will help your officers and me get a better idea of what you need from us.

We have also scheduled conference calls on Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m. and Monday, May 20 at 7 p.m. for the CHS nurses. Call in numbers are included in the email containing your survey link. This email may end up in your junk folder, so please check there.

If you have questions please contact me at the number/email below.

Thank you!

Sue O’Donnell, WSNA Nurse Representative
206-575-7979, ext.3045
sodonnell@wsna.org