WSNA has been hearing loud and clear what St Joes nurses want in our next contract, improved staffing, safety inside and outside of the hospital, and wages that will make nurses want to stay at St Joes. Our negotiating team has told this to management over and over for nine sessions. They have flat refused our staffing proposal, countered our safety proposals with an advisory committee, and ended the 9th day with wage proposals of 3% plus a 1% market adjustment effective the first pay period after ratification if we reach a tentative agreement by Nov. 1, 2021, otherwise it will be the second full pay period, and 2.75% & 3% the full pay period Nov. 1, 2022 and Nov. 1, 2023, respectively. No increases for shift differential.

If you want better than this, then step up and join us, so we are 1200 nurses strong telling management to Do More, Do Better! Sign the pledge that you will come to the Nov. 3 picket and then come to the picket. Unit Reps have pledge sheets you can sign.

Informational Picket on Nov. 3
7 – 9 a.m.
&
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Near the SJMC Emergency Room. Look for the WSNA Blue!

Bring the nurses you work with, your family, friends, and neighbors. Let management know they have to Do More and Do Better. If you’re working that day, drop in for a few minutes on your break to show your support.

Informational Picketing FAQs

What’s an informational picket? Nurses walk, carry picket signs, and hand out leaflets on the public side walk in front of the hospital, in an effort to share our message of concern with the community.

Is it similar to a strike? No. We are not asking people to not cross. Staff scheduled to work should go to work. Patients scheduled for care should go and get their care. The specific purpose of the action is to communicate the issues we have at the table with the public. If you are working, you are free to come join the picket line before or after your shift, or on your break.

Is it legal? Yes. It’s not just legal, it’s our right as a union member!

Who can picket? Everyone. By everyone, we mean EVERYONE: you (all RNs, full-time, part-time, per diem, residents) your family, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues and your pets!

Why involve the community? We serve and advocate on behalf of our community every day. The issues we are dealing with directly impact them. They not only need to hear but will understand and support why we are concerned about the lack of staffing, our inability to recruit and retain nurses. In light of management’s recent decisions, we cannot simply suspend negotiations and ignore the real problems that exist.

How can I help? If you are scheduled to work, go to work. Join the line before/after a shift, on breaks/lunches. If it’s your day off, join the line. Most importantly, ask you friends and family to walk the line with us.

Can I get in trouble if my manager doesn’t like it? No. It is illegal for managers to question or discipline any nurse for talking about or participating in an info picket. The National Labor Relations Act specifically protects participation in this type of union activity.

Is this on paid time? No. Nurses participating in the informational picket will do so on their own time.

So thankful Katy is on our WSNA team!

Katy Heffernan has a 2-year-old that thankfully still naps. She enjoys having that time to herself to think. While no one in her family worked in healthcare, she knew she wanted to be a nurse when she was a kid. She even recently found some kid art that she made prophesizing that she was going to be a nurse when she grew up.

And here Katy is, a nurse in our Cath Lab and an RN member of our negotiating team. This comes as little surprise as she values teamwork. “In the Cath Lab it is a real small tight knit family and community. Each person is really good at their perspective jobs, and we rely on that. We have mutual respect for each other’s contribution and discipline. We are flexible and work with each other to make sure patients have good outcomes. This translates well for the work we do at our WSNA table. We also need each nurse to step up and be part of the team for this effort to be successful.”

In Solidarity,
Your Negoti­ating Team: Dian Davis, Linda Burbank, Yunna Flenord, Brandon Hardaway, Katy Heffernan, Matthew McGuire, Shelly Pollock, Chelsey Roos, Emily D’Anna, Ken Richardson, Sally Budack, Naomi Kincade

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Repre­sen­ta­tive Barbara Friesen at bfriesen@wsna.org.