Since our last negotiations, Washington passed a new law providing paid family leave medical benefits of up to between 12-16 weeks for eligible employees working in the state. It is funded by taxes paid by employees and employers and will go into effect in 2020 for almost all employees in the state. The brand-new law includes new complex eligibility requirements based on hours worked, lengthy definitions of the personal, family, parenting and military related events which will trigger benefits, and regulations under which most employees in the state will submit claims for benefits directly to the state’s Employment Security Department.

PeaceHealth has exercised an option under the law to self-insure the portion of the state benefit for medical issues of the employee. As a self-insured plan, PeaceHealth was required to agree to cover all its eligible employees, including all WSNA represented nurses at St. Joe’s. Its plan directly mirrors state law.

With this plan, PeaceHealth is only offering what it was already required by law to provide. It must provide the new state benefit whether or not it maintains existing EIB. Hence, we face not a choice between EIB and the new state benefit, but a demand for major EIB takeaways.

We have prepared a document for you that details the differences between the two plans, so you can better understand why we are asking that management preserve the EIB benefit for our nurses' protection while we see if the new program is feasible. We have the option then of reviewing the data and looking at the facts after the trial period has been in effect and addressing at the next contract negotiations. We are not presenting an unreasonable offer to management with this proposal. We are willing to revisit the issue after we have the information we need to make an informed decision.

Please direct any additional questions or concerns to your negotiation team members or email WSNA Nurse Representative Sue Dunlap at SDunlap@wsna.org. They will answer as quickly as they can. In addition, please forward your words of support and encouragement to the bargaining team as they exercise their resolute determination to obtain the best contract for all our nurses!

Questions? Contact Sue Dunlap at sdunlap@wsna.org.