Negotiation update from sessions 7 and 8
Posted Mar 30, 2022
We concluded our 7th and 8th negotiation sessions on March 28-29, our last bargaining sessions before the contract expires on March 31.
The good news: We made some positive movement on a few financial articles; preceptors and Nurse Team Leads (NTLs). NTLs and relief TLs will be compensated at the same rate, $3.25; how they’ll be paid remains the same. Preceptor pay will be going up from $1.50 to $2.25 (a 50% increase!).
Our bargaining team spent a lot of time on management’s proposals regarding the nurse residency competency development program and the professional nurse advancement program (PNAP) (also known as a “clinical ladder”). Management has given up on the Regional Float Pool for the time being.
The exasperating news: Management is still stuck on low, sub-market wage increases that are way below what they can and should pay.
Additionally, management is proposing that nurses who are low censused be mandated to be on call, and they want to extend mandatory call to all of the Childbirth Center nurses. This works against retention of nurses, especially in departments that are already working short. In exchange, management proposed to pay time-and-a-half if called back. We pointed out that the contract currently allows management to pay time and a half if nurses are low censused. Management chooses not to follow that language. This remains a huge take-away that is still on the table at this late date.
Our next sessions are April 10-11. Even though the contract will expire at midnight on March 31, management cannot change any of the current terms or conditions of our employment pursuant to federal labor law. If this happens, please notify a unit rep or our Nurse Representative, Hanna Welander at hwelander@wsna.org.
The WSNA Blue Wave is working!
Your support for us is being noticed! Please continue to wear your T-shirts for the next two Fridays: April 1 and 8.
And please wear T-shirts on our next bargaining dates: April 11 and 12.
(If you need T-shirts, contact hwelander@wsna.org)
In Solidarity and Unity,
Laura Bayes, 4-South; Tracy Pullar and Darlyce Jerde, PCU; Geri Fallacy, Pre-Admit Screening; Robin Cully, Patient Care Support; Rhonda Tull, SSU; Grace Schackel, Cath Lab; Jana Travenshek, CDU
Notification about Off-Site Parking
WSNA has been notified that nurses will be required to park off site during construction of a parking garage. We are sending a letter to management requesting to bargain over this change.
