Yesterday was the last day of bargaining before both the expiration of the Contract (tonight at midnight!) and our picket (see you at 0630!).  Short-story: management has not meaningfully responded to our biggest concerns about safe staffing, guaranteed meal and rest coverage for every nurse, and providing safe working conditions. We’re dead serious about these priorities, and we’re prepared to walk the picket line—Crocs and all—to prove it.

*No Union Chat tonight!* Enjoy your Halloween.

Keep reading for details on bargaining and the picket!

Informational Picket: Tomorrow 11/1/24

See you at J and 19th Streets tomorrow! Bring your family, friends, pets, (day after) Halloween spirit, and most importantly, your passion and commitment to our patients, our community, and our profession. If you’re off work, join at both morning and afternoon sessions. If you’re working, come out during your meal break — and if you’re denied a break, fill out an ADO!

Picket Schedule:

• 0630-0900 (our fellow nurses will speak at 0800)
• 1100-1300 (rally at 1130 with nurses, labor leaders, local representatives and more)

Don’t forget the picket sign contest! Two creative nurses will each win a $50 Michael’s gift card. Submit your sign photos to SJMC@WSNA.org by 0800 on Monday, November 4 to enter! We’ll have blank signs and sharpies the day of the picket in case you need to make a sign on site.

Bargaining Highlights

Staffing

We presented a comprehensive proposal aimed at ensuring safe hospital staffing with defined ratios, securing meal and rest breaks, empowering the Hospital Staffing Committee, and bolstering weekend staff. We proposed ratios based on Oregon’s recent staffing law. CommonSpirit – St. Joe’s corporate parent – has over 25 hospitals in California (where nurse-patient ratios have been the law for over 20 years) as well as in Oregon. This is a corporation that has implemented ratios in hospitals in other states; Washington nurses deserve the same:

• Emergency Department (trauma), OR, Active Labor & Delivery: 1:1
• ICU, non-active Labor & Delivery, PACU: 1:2
• Progressive Care Unit, postpartum couplets, antepartum: 1:3
• Emergency Department (non-trauma), oncology, telemetry: 1:4
• Med-Surg: 1:5 (until June 2025); transitioning to 1:4 starting July 2025

Units not specified will have ratios set by the Hospital Staffing Committee.

Wages

We continue to hold to “hybrid” wage increases of a mixed percentage and dollar amount. In the first year of the contract, we proposed a 5.5% increase plus a $2.00 raise for each step 5.5% in year two, and 4.5% in year three.

Thanks to the twelve observers who attended yesterday – a special shoutout to Joe on 5^th Floor CVICU and Rebecca on 7^th Floor Med Surg for staying all day as observers! It’s a powerful statement when nurses come on their days off to support their bargaining team. Any WSNA member is welcome to attend future bargaining sessions as an observer!

What does it mean that our Contract is expired? 

Our Contract expires at midnight on 10/31 and we are not extending it. This means that we can picket tomorrow. However, nearly everything else remains in place! You will continue to get step increases, receive the same premiums and differentials, and have the same scheduling system. By law, management cannot unilaterally change any of the terms and conditions of your employment just because the Contract has expired. If your supervisor does change anything because the Contract has expired, let an officer or nurse rep Jared Richardson know immediately!

What’s Next

Tonight, enjoy Halloween—hand out some candy, rest up, and get ready for tomorrow’s picket. Union Chat is off tonight, but we’ll be back stronger than ever. No new bargaining dates are set yet, but we expect to reconvene after election week. If you’d like to observe, email SJMC@wsna.org.

In non-negotiating news, the Hospital Staffing Committee is meeting Monday at 0900 on 11/4/24 in Medical Office Building Conference Room A to hear staffing plans for the ICU, PCU, ED, CDU, 10^th Floor, and Outpatient Oncology units. Come show your support for safe staffing, and let management know that cuts to nursing staff is unacceptable!

Contact Nurse Rep Jared Richardson at jrichardson@wsna.org, 206-741-3608 or Organizer Grace at 206-553.9794 (glamonte@wsna.org).

In solidarity,
Your WSNA Officers and Negotiating Team
Emily Nollmeyer, local unit Co-Chair, Labor and Delivery, day shift
Carina Price, local unit Co-Chair, ICU, night shift
Matthew McGuire, Treasurer/Grievance officer, ED, day shift
Shelly Mead, Grievance officer, ED, day shift
Yunna Flenord, Grievance officer, ICU, night shift
Teresa Kindell, Membership Coordinator, 2S, day shift
Shannon Suchland, Secretary, Walter's OR, day shift
Sally Budack, Co-Secretary, SADU, day shift
Jessica Lenczycki, negotiating team member, Labor and Delivery, night shift
Kate Frazier, negotiating team member, 7^th floor, night shift
Sarah Guillen, negotiating team member, EP, day shift
Kat Jabasa, negotiating team member, Main OR, day shift