From the moment we sat down at the bargaining table with Management, we told them that our number one priority was to retain and recruit nurses. We were crystal clear that our wages – the lowest in the area – prevented Skagit from bringing in new nurses, made it hard to keep good nurses (once their Residency Agreements expired, or once a nurse saw how much more PeaceHealth St. Joe’s or Prov Everett made), and generally disrespected nurses who had been working for Skagit for years who not only saw wages sink further and further behind other hospitals but realized that they could leave Skagit and make much more elsewhere. On this last point, this is *especially* true if nurses didn’t receive year-for-year credit toward climbing the wage scale at Skagit because they worked less than 0.8 FTE but would have every year of their part-time service counted at St. Joe’s Bellingham and Prov Everett – both of which count one year of service as one year toward climbing the wage scale.

Let’s spend a minute on this last point – Kyla, a per diem OR RN on the bargaining team, will have worked at Skagit for 18 years in July. Kyla is on Step 9 of the wage scale, $49.97. If she were properly placed on Step 18 (as we proposed!), she would be making $57.96. Still too low, but far more respectful and equitable, given her years of experience as an RN (not to mention her loyalty to Skagit). If Kyla left Skagit today and got a job at St. Joe’s, her wage would jump from $49.97 to $64.06 – a 28% raise. If she went to Prov Everett, she’d be making $69.80; in October, that rate climbs to $72.59.

However…

Skagit has rejected our proposal to give RNs a year-for-year credit when hired, and Skagit rejected our proposal to give RNs year-for-year credit toward climbing the wage scale, despite nearly every hospital around converting to those two systems because those hospitals believe that if you are *truly* serious about recruiting and retaining, you can’t be the one hospital clinging to obsolete pay practices. And if desperately hanging on to those retrograde practices wasn’t bad enough, Skagit proposed 7% in year one (which is still behind Cascade Valley at many steps), and 2.5% for each of the next two years. They proposed some increases to premiums and differentials (certainly not close to what we proposed) but – again! – below those of Cascade Valley. They said these wages were market competitive. And while Skagit said that it’s number one priority is recruitment and retention, we’re wondering which nurse market Management has been comparing itself to. Our proposal would bring nurses up to *this* market – making us actually competitive, and not just on the same level as the next lowest paid hospitals. Remember – when other hospitals agreed to mid-term wage increases (that is, granting raises in the middle of a contract because nurse wages were increasing around them), Skagit refused, setting us even further back. This is a wage crisis of Skagit’s making, and now it’s trying to convince us that 12% spread out over three years makes up for that. Speaking of which…

Brian Ivie hit “send” faster than we did

We can say this about Mr. Ivie’s email – the math checks out: Management’s proposal is equivalent to an increase in 12% over three years. Setting aside the issue of whether upper-level management would be content with a total of 12% over three years (and I think we all know the answer to that), Management also proposed several take-aways yesterday – that is, they proposed to make certain parts of the contract worse. They proposed increasing the amount of mandatory low census to 60 hours every 6 months (it’s now at 48). Management’s reasoning was that with the new wages (the 7%) they’d be paying, they would be “staffing up” and then have to worry about the need to low census when staff was too abundant (we’re not putting spin on that – that was truly the stated reasoning). They proposed ending the retirement benefit that provides for health care benefits if you’ve worked 20 years and are 62 years old until you become Medicare-eligible for everyone who isn’t eligible as of January 1, 2027. And they proposed eliminating the ability to cash-out sick leave beyond 720 hours. Again, in which market are these proposals competitive?

Regardless - Happy Nurses Week

We appreciated the 15 (!) observers who came yesterday and heard what Management had to say. Observers ranged in experience from 3 months to 30+ years and from a variety of units, departments, and clinics (shout out to Hospice!), and we value your input, your support, and your commitment to making Skagit a better place for RNs. We know that nurses are the heart, the brain, and the spine of this hospital even if it isn’t reflected in Management’s proposals. Along with our coworkers, *we* make this place run.

Come observe negotiations next Friday, May 17.

We welcome all WSNA nurses to join us at bargaining. We’ll be at the Skagit Casino Resort. Contact WSNA Organizer Crystal Doll at cdoll@wsna.org or 206/334-8388.

Hear the skinny from bargaining team members and observers on Sip and Chat

Sip and Chat is a great way to ask questions, hear more detailed explanations, and weigh in about bargaining virtually. Every Thursday from 1800-1900.

Follow us on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/wsna_skagit/

In solidarity,
your bargaining team
Liz Rainaud, FBC, Co-Chair; Jessica Magner, Urgent Care, Co-Chair; Rachel Yates, UC, Treasurer; Kim McCann, FBC, Membership; Kyla Malean, OR; Lacey Bernick, PERI-OP

Questions or comments, contact Nurse Representative Sue Dunlap at sdunlap@wsna.org or 425.263.0522 or Organizer Crystal Doll at cdoll@wsna.org.