November 2022 Newsletter
Posted Nov 7, 2022
BSN Premiums: Are you getting yours?
It has come to our attention that nurses who should be receiving their BSN premium are not. We strongly believe that there is a problem during the hiring process in “Talent Acquisition.” Please check your paystubs, especially if you have never looked for your BSN differential.
Working Consecutive Weekends
Nurses who are asked by management to work consecutive weekends are not required to waive your consecutive weekend pay. Please see article 7.8 Weekends in the WSNA contract, which states, in part: In the event a nurse is required to work either Saturday or Sunday on two (2) consecutive weekends, all time worked on the second weekend shall be paid for at the rate of one and one-half (1 1/2) times the nurse’s regular hourly rate of pay, unless the nurse voluntarily agrees to work on the weekend either at the time of hire or thereafter (including any trading of weekend work).
Note: Sunday to Monday, 1900-0730, does not count as a weekend day. See the contract for further details.
Scholarships for 2023 WSNA Convention May 17-19 at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center
Your WSNA Officers will offer ten financial scholarships for nurses to attend the 2023 WSNA Convention. It will be first come, first served Please get in touch with hwelander@wsna.org if you are interested. For more details visit https://www.wanursecon.org/.
Unit Reps and Bulletin Boards
Your Co-Communications Officers, Kai Rapaport and Bethany Smith, both from 3rd Surgical, have been busy. They have been contacting your Unit Reps and recruiting nurses to be Unit Reps where we have vacancies. It is important to build a communication infrastructure, especially when there are big issues going on. All of the unit bulletin boards are being updated with names listing Unit Reps and WSNA Officers. Kai and Bethany are planning a get together and food will be provided. Watch for an update! If you want to be a Unit Rep, please get in touch with Kai at kainui98@gmail.com or Bethany at bee.smith0701@gmail.com.
Nurse Staffing Committee (NSC)
We recently sent a survey to all NSC Reps to inquire how they are being treated by management. We learned that several nurses had been admonished for speaking up in support of nurses that completed Staffing Concern Forms and ADOs. The NSC is meant to be collaborative and everyone comes to the table with equal power. Your new NSC Co-Chair, Martha Phillips, is a strong advocate for all of you!
Safety and Security
Last year, your WSNA Officers, Robin Cully and Jenn Engelhart worked collaboratively with the Emergency Department leadership team, the Director of Safety, Chuck Prosper, and Elliott Kuida to implement safety measures. The recent deaths of two health-care workers in Dallas on a childbirth unit left everyone shaken. Improvements can be made everywhere to protect workers and patients. If you have ideas and suggestions, please send them to hwelander@wsna.org.
Student Loan Repayment Program
The program finally launched on October 17, 2022. You should have received an email to your PeaceHealth email account. Check out all the details!
Current Grievances for All Affected Nurses
- BSN Premium not paid
- Recognition for previous experience
- Hospice House Mandatory Low Census
- Childbirth Center:
- PTO Denials
- Education Leave
- Master Schedule Changes
- Callback in Special Care Nursery and Mother-Baby Unit
- Callback Minimum of 3 Hours
Professional Nurse Advancement Program (PNAP)
When we were negotiating PNAP, we agreed to several things at the table regarding qualifications for participation. Firstly, we discussed that nurses with corrective actions should not be automatically barred from participation. However, the application materials indicate that anyone with a corrective action step 1 is ineligible. Apply anyway! The PNAP committee will review all applications.
Secondly, management has excluded “union” committees from PNAP. Participation in WSNA activities are varied; for example, the PPE Committee, Workplace Violence and Safety Committee, Safety Committee, and Nurse Staffing Committee. WSNA holds leadership conferences and conventions which award you continuing education credits. Other committees are connected through WSNA such as NWRN, ANA, PNAP, etc. We believe that summarily dismissing these with a broad stroke is overreaching the intent of our bargaining sessions. If you have any questions about the status of your application, please contact your WSNA Nurse Rep at hwelander@wsna.org.
WSNA 2023 Nurse Lobby Day
February 2, 2023
8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Olympia Hotel at Capitol Lake
2300 Evergreen Park Dr SW
Olympia, WA 98502
Join us for WSNA's 2023 Lobby Day in Olympia on Thursday, Feb. 2 starting at 8:30 a.m., and help bring a voice for nurses to the state capitol.
Nurses continue to battle their way through a worldwide pandemic, but not without a cost. As the rest of the world starts to put the pandemic behind them, nurses continue to deal with the lasting impacts of COVID-19. This legislative session, WSNA will continue to advocate for funding for safe staffing and increased funding for the nurse education pipeline.
Note: This event is for WSNA members only. You can learn more on the wsna.org website at https://www.wsna.org/calendar/nurse-lobby-day-2023/.
The end of Washington’s State of Emergency
The Governor’s Proclamation was lifted October 31, 2022. You may still use EIB with no waiting period for absences due to COVID. COVID continues to be a federally declared pandemic. Presumptive eligibility will also continue. Nurses who contract COVID are presumed to have acquired it on the job which makes you eligible for workers compensation. Check out the link for further information:
Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Hanna Welander at hwelander@wsna.org.