We met with management today virtually for the first time. We conveyed that nurses are exhausted and frustrated, and that the Hospital needs to value and support nurses so that we remain at St. Joe’s and are able to attract new nurses to come work here.

WSNA presented the majority of our proposals today including increases to several premiums such as increasing Callback/Standby, adding a differential for BSN/MSN, boosting resource nurse premiums, adding a float pay differential, and increasing shift differentials. We proposed increasing the pay percentage for per diems, in addition to proposing a number of non-economic provisions to improve our work and increase our retention rates.

We achieved a few tentative agreements too.

We are scheduled for day 2 on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021.

Support your bargaining team by wearing a “I support my bargaining team” sticker on Tuesday. Reach out to your bargaining team members to get your stickers.

Many thanks to our Union sisters and brothers of IAFF Local 31 for letting us use their hall to bargain!

Celebrate Labor Day right: Sport your union sticker!

We head into our second session of negotiations next Tuesday. There’s no better way to celebrate Labor Day next Monday than by exercising our union right to demonstrate our solidarity. We can each do our part by wearing a sticker to support our WSNA RN team.

Thank you, Jennifer Campbell from FBU for helping get the stickers out!

Meet our Oncology Unit Rep Pam

Pam dedicated the last seven years of her career at St. Joe's working to make patient care a priority and give nurses a voice. She's also a wife and care giver to others in her life.

Originally from the Silverdale area, Pam worked in sales and owned a salon. When her husband's mother became ill, she began taking care of her on hospice and it was then that she realized her passion for nursing. It was a natural fit, and with her husband's encouragement, Pam took the leap into nursing.

Before she even went to nursing school, Pam volunteered at St. Joseph's oncology unit. The moment she walked in, she felt like she was home. Several of Pam’s family members had gone through chemotherapy, and she felt like it was a good match. Pam loves learning about how different systems in the body are affected by treatment and continues developing her skills as a nurse. She feels lucky to get to help patients and families who are experiencing a vulnerable time in their lives. In these moments, she approaches the work holistically with them, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive treatment to the people in her care.

Pam's coworkers are the main reason she’s stayed so long in the unit, explaining that “everyone has something different they bring to the team, the nurses are so top notch and specialized in their fields.” It was this dedication to her coworkers that motivated Pam to become a Unit Rep. She wanted nurses to know that someone has our back, that someone will listen and go to bat for us. In taking care of patients who are so vulnerable and working with such volatile chemotherapies, protecting patients and nurses’ licenses is crucial.

Pam thinks that St. Joe's has the potential to be the number one hospital in the state, but that management's not investing in staff education and prioritizing profits over patients stands in the way. Nurses are valuable assets to this hospital and our community. We deserve to be treated as such.

St. Joe's is lucky to have someone like Pam on the oncology unit. Her approach to the work is valuable to patients, families, and colleagues. WSNA is proud to represent nurses like Pam – our members make hospitals across Washington better, safer places!

In Solidarity Your Negotiating Team; Dian Davis, Linda Burbank, Yunna Flenord, Brandon Hardaway, Katy Sargent, Mathew 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.