Summer Newsletter
Posted Jun 26, 2024
Sip n’ Chats launched!
Your WSNA bargaining team anticipates negotiating the one-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in the upcoming months. The current CBA expires December 31, 2024. We will share scheduled dates and actions the nurses are encouraged to take in support of bargaining the contract, as well as negotiations updates following each session. We launched the virtual Sip n’ Chat sessions this month where staff nurses across all divisions participated in conversation on several topics. Sip n’ chats will continue in July and every month as needed to address the issues that concern nurses. Here are some topics at present:
What is up with health benefits?
While the staff nurses do have a distinct WSNA contract, the bargaining related to health benefits is in coalition with dozens of other unions who share those benefits in common as county employees, called the JLMIC Agreement. Here is the main contract reference:
Article 7.1 King County presently participates in insured medical, dental, vision, long term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance programs. The plan designs and plan features for the insured benefits are negotiated in the Joint Labor Management Insurance Committee (JLMIC) comprised of representatives of the County and labor organizations, including the Association. The JLMIC has negotiated the benefits agreement for 2023 and 2024. The Association further agrees and adopts all terms and conditions of any successor JLMIC Agreement(s) through the duration of this Agreement or the term of the next successor JLMIC Agreement, whichever has a later expiration.
The JLMIC agreement is posted on the WSNA web page. It is not long and has valuable information that is specific and reliable. Please read it and encourage your peers to, as well!
You may be hearing from non-nurse peers that unions other than WSNA staff nurses are currently or have recently negotiated their CBAs. Any details or comments about what these other unions are being proposed may cause wonder about what it means for the staff nurses. It is true that WSNA is contractually bound to adopt the JLMIC agreement. It is true that the proposed agreement is being taken to a vote of the coalition members this month. The outcome of the vote related to the JLMIC agreement for 2025 will have impacts on the compensation and benefits picture for the WSNA staff nurses. Each staff nurse who is comprehensive benefit eligible makes elections for coverage for themselves and their families, so the impacts will vary per the plan they elect, FTE and the income of the staff nurse.
The employer provided several presentations showing that the cost of providing health benefits to thousands of employees has increased substantially and the prudent fund reserve that has helped keep costs down continues to decrease every year. The prudent fund reserve (PFR) came about as a result of underspending/savings for what had been budgeted for health benefits many years ago under the administration of Ron Simms. It is anticipated that there will be some cost-sharing with some of the current benefit plans. Much of the work during the JLMIC negotiations this year was to first understand what the costs associated with the provision of benefits have actually been; projected to be in 2025; how to prevent or minimize cost-sharing by employees to the greatest extent possible. This is a huge priority. We all know that benefits do not pay the bills, but affordable and accessible health care affects each staff nurse’s financial wellness. Specifics will be shared when the results of the vote are known. Historically, benefits have been very good at the county for employees and families. The economic impact of the JLMIC MOA will be part of the analysis to inform your bargaining team when negotiating the staff nurse’s agreement.
A special note of gratitude
The staff nurses have benefited from the dedicated leadership of Tyler Breier in fulfilling this contract term of 3 years! As Tyler continues working in the Child Care program at the county, teaching at the university level, and caring for a growing family (whew!) We are in awe of this brave, union-strong PHN who jumped into the role early in his career at the county during the pandemic. Bravo Tyler!
Nominations will open for Local Unit positions
Per the staff nurses WSNA local unit rules, nominations (including self-nomination) for the officer positions of local unit chair and local unit vice-chair will open in July. Here is a link to the general description of local unit officer roles. Contact the Nurse Representative with questions to understand the roles better https://www.wsna.org/union/get-involved.
Save Public Health
In coalition with Protec17, OPEIU 8 and Teamsters 117, we continue to work together as the county negotiates with Harborview directly this summer. Advocating for supporting services and union protections for the PH workers is key. Follow updates on https://savepublichealth.org/.
What now?
Please read all updates from WSNA, follow on Instagram @phskc_staffnurses and become a member today if you are not, already. We must approach bargaining from a position of strength and unity. Strong membership is the foundation of that. Reach out to Nurse Representative Tara Barnes tbarnes@wsna.org if you will help build union strength at your work site. This is the staff nurses bargaining unit and contract, do not be fooled into believing that a strong, engaged membership does not matter. Save the date for WSNA unit/site rep training on July 27!
In solidarity,
Nurse Representative Tara Barnes tbarnes@wsna.org