Action Item: **Sign the Petition: FROM PARKING LOT TO BREAK ROOM TO  BEDSIDE – ST. JOE’S NURSES DESERVE TO BE SAFE AT WORK!** 

Yesterday, we met with management for the fifth time and we presented the last of our affirmative proposals (more below). Management proposed…nothing. We also launched our Safe at Work Petition - keep reading to hear more about what happened today, and make sure to join the Union Chatroom tonight at 1900!

Bargaining Specifics

As we discussed in last week’s Update, management in procedural units has been acting unlawfully to “tag” the least senior nurse to be prepared to be on standby if the nurse/nurses on scheduled standby calls out, basically making this nurse on “secondary” or “bubble” standby for days on end without pay and – more importantly – without bargaining for it. We proposed a call procedure that equitably allocates scheduled call and open call shifts without violating the contract (or the new law regarding mandatory overtime or using call shifts to substitute for proper staffing). Additionally, we proposed that St. Joe’s immediately cease enforcing the “pay back” provision in residency agreements that requires residents to pay a penalty fee if they left before their residency period – this provision has been deemed an unlawful “non-compete” clause by the National Labor Relations Board, the Federal Trade Commission, and the U.S. Department of Justice (fun fact: those agencies refer to these types of “pay back” provisions as TRAPs – a Training Repayment Agreement Provision). Residents – we hope to see you at our Union 101 event at Seven Seas, see below!

Management owes us responses on wages, premiums and differentials, workplace violence, staffing ratios, call…..we expect responses on all of these topics on October 3. Come observe!

Sign the Safety Petition! 

It is clear to every nurse at St. Joes that our safety is not prioritized by management. Every nurse has experienced or knows someone who has experienced a car break-in, patient violence, or workplace harassment. This is not only unacceptable, but also detrimental to the retention of our staff. Petitions will be distributed through your bargaining team and unit reps to be signed!

You can find a printable pdf of the petition here. If you are unable to sign a petition at work, you can always digitally sign a petition and send a screenshot to sjmc@wsna.org or to Organizer Grace at 206-553-9794.

New Nurse Sip and Chat at Seven Seas Brewery

We know that a lot of nurses at St. Joe's are new to unions and what it means to be working during a negotiating year. Whether you're a new nurse, new to St. Joe's, or new to unions, we want to invite you to come and hear from nurses that have been here before! This is a great way to get a better understanding of what exactly is happening at the bargaining table and how it affects you.

Join us for a discussion and social hour at the Seven Seas Brewery on 9/30 from 1700-2100. Food and non-alcoholic drinks on us! RSVP Here - join us for some or all of the time!

Union Chatroom Tonight! 

On our agenda tonight for the Union Chatroom - we'll talk more about what happened in bargaining yesterday, the safety petition launch, and have time to discuss your questions and concerns in a casual virtual setting. Join us for some or all of the time at 1900 tonight!

Blue Friday Reminder + Shirt Distribution!

Make sure to send us pictures of your unit sporting their WSNA blue shirts! Your bargaining team will be in the cafeteria Monday with more shirts (and a copy of the VMFH policy that says it's within our rights to do so).

Shoutout to 2-South ACC for wearing their WSNA blue on negotiating days!

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

You can contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jared Richardson, MSN, RN, at jrichardson@wsna.org or WSNA Organizer Grace LaMonte at glamonte@wsna.org.