• Dian Davis scholarship
• Overpayment repayment
• Final outcome of oozing mattresses with micro tears
• Failing IV pumps
• Contract Corner
• Grievance Gallery
• Manager, can you stop by my office?
• Committees
• WSNA Unit Reps
• Cafeteria time
• WSNA local unit website

Dian Davis scholarship

Recently, Dian Davis, chair of our local unit of WSNA, retired. In honor of Dian’s leadership and dedication to improving the lives of nurses, we are happy to announce the Dian Davis Scholarship. The scholarship provides the recipient with full tuition to the WSNA Convention or the WSNA Leadership Conference. The goal of the scholarship is to support the development and education of future nurse leaders to follow in the footsteps of Dian.

Dian Davis recently retired from St. Joseph Medical Center after a career in healthcare of more than 33 years. In retiring, she is also stepping away from her chair position with our local unit of WSNA. Dian started working at SJMC in the main OR in 1989. Dian became interested in labor activism as SJMC became increasingly corporatized in the early 1990s. Under the new management Dian saw conditions worsening for nurses. Dian was even singled out by management which added to the hostility of her work environment. Her response was to get more involved with the union in order to make sure the contract was enforced and to help protect herself and her fellow nurses. She filed and won her grievance. Dian never wanted another nurse to be treated in the poor manner in which she was treated, and so, she became an advocate for nurses through working with WSNA. “I was involved with our union because I recognized the value of what it means to our nurses. Not just when it comes to the contract and work conditions, but also because WSNA represents Washington State nurses in so many areas and for so many issues local, statewide and on the federal level.”

Dian was a fearless leader for WSNA who never backed down and always showed up and she will be sorely missed. The Dian Davis Scholarship will contribute to the development of future nursing leaders, and at the same time honor someone who exemplifies what labor activism is and how important it can be.

The Recipient of this year’s award is Susan Succone!

Overpayment repayment

The Temporary Restraining Order is still in effect and will remain in effect until March 23, 2023. WSNA is continuing to press management to provide the information we requested that includes itemization of the alleged overpayments. We are also trying to get them to bargain the terms of the repayment as well as a process and procedure to manage disputed overpayment allegations.

Final outcome of oozing mattresses with micro tears

The oozing mattress issue first came to WSNA’s attention via an ADO. At that time WSNA along with the L&D nurses shared our deep concern with SJMC leadership and were told that new mattresses were ordered but that there would be a delay in arrival due to supply chain problems, which would take six to eight weeks. However, when compromised beds continued to be used and those eight weeks passed with no new mattresses WSNA, and nurses filed complaints with the Department of Health (DOH). Subsequently, when the DOH conducted an investigation, they found the complaints had merit. In the end the Labor & Delivery unit got all new beds. In addition, the ED received 11 new motorized stretchers.

Great example of nurses working in solidarity to improve working conditions and patient safety!

Failing IV pumps

A few of the ADOs that have come in lately have been reporting IV pumps that are failing in different ways, but all are troubling. WSNA has been taking this matter to Conference Committee. Management reported they are aware of the situation and are replacing batteries in around 200 of the approximately 900 pumps. They also want nurses to file a IRIS’s and workorders so they can track the number of problem pumps and make a case with CommonSpirit to purchase new pumps, which is fine, but WSNA never sees those. That is why we want you to please file an ADO. Plus you don’t have to be at work to file an ADO. Then when you have the follow-up meeting with your manager, they can help you file the IRIS and workorder.

If you encounter a pump that is faulty or failing, please file an ADO and describe how that affected your patient care and working conditions.

Link to file an ADO: https://www.wsna.org/union/ado.

Our contract provides you the right to take a nurse with you to any ADO follow-up meeting.

When a manager or other supervisor discusses a staffing complaint form (such as an ADO or similar form) with the nurse who made the report, the nurse may arrange to bring another nurse from their department with them to this discussion, which will be held during both nurses’ working time.

No Retaliation!

Our WSNA contract and the law both prohibit retaliation against nurses for filing a staffing complaint/ADO. If you experience retaliation notify one of our WSNA Local Unit Officers or Nurse Rep immediately.

Contract Corner – Rest breaks

Welcome to Contract Corner! Our goal is to get you acquainted with your RN ‘Contract’ (otherwise known as your Employment Agreement or Collective Bargaining Agreement). This is the Contract between the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) and St Joseph Medical Center (SJMC). It is specific to the Registered Nurses at SJMC and filled with important Articles that define or relate to: your working conditions, your protections, the grievance process and more.

8.5 Meal/Rest Periods. Meal periods and rest periods shall be administered in accordance with state law (WAC 296-126-092). Nurses shall be allowed an unpaid meal period of one-half (1/2) hour. Nurses required by the Employer to remain on duty or are called back to the unit during their meal period shall be compensated for such time at the appropriate rate of pay. All nurses shall be allowed a rest period of fifteen (15) minutes on the Employer's time, for each four (4) hours of working time.

We also have a rest break settlement that was the result of a grievance that was filed regarding intermittent rest breaks. In that settlement agreement it states:

Block Rest Periods Shall Be Provided. Beginning January 1, 2017, SJMC will take until no later than April 1, 2018 to fully operationalize the use of Block Rest Periods on all units and departments 80% of the time.

Block Rest Period means a rest period consisting of at least 15 continuous minutes of rest period time during which a Represented Employee has No Work Responsibilities.

No Work Responsibilities means the Represented Employee has transferred all job responsibilities, including patient care of all of his/her patients, to another registered nurse.

The Washington State RCW 49.12.480 also states rest breaks for health care facility employees is to be uninterrupted.

(c) For any rest break that is interrupted before ten complete minutes by an employer or employer's designee under the provisions of (b)(ii) of this subsection, the employee must be given an additional ten minute uninterrupted rest break at the earliest reasonable time during the work period during which the employee is required to receive a rest period. If the elements of this subsection are met, a rest break shall be considered taken for the purposes of the minimum wage act as defined by chapter 49.46 RCW.

Although the law defines a rest break as 10-minutes our WSNA contract and Rest Break Settlement define the rest break as 15-minutes. Our contract is better than the law. Unions can negotiate better than what the law provides, and union contract provisions supersede the law. Therefore, for WSNA members the entire 15-minute break is to be uninterrupted time in which the nurse has no work responsibilities.

If you do not get your entire uninterrupted rest break, please note it in Kronos. Rest breaks are tracked through Kronos and the missed rest break data is reviewed at our quarterly rest break meeting. When the data shows there are an unreasonable number of missed breaks on a unit it identifies there is a problem on that unit that needs to be resolved. This data has also been brought up at the Nurse Staffing Committee by our WSNA committee members when managers that have a significant number of missed breaks on their unit are presenting their staffing plans because the staffing plans are supposed to include a mechanism for nurses to get their breaks.

If they are not recorded it does not appear they are missed. Breaks are important to be at your best and were hard fought for by the nurses that came before us! Please be sure and record your missed breaks.

Link to WSNA contract: WSNA SJMC RN Contract 2021-2024.docx
Link to rest break settlement: https://wsna.to/RestBreakSettlement
Link to rest break law: RCW 49.12.480: Meal and rest breaks for health care facility employees. (wa.gov)

Grievance Gallery

While we almost always try to resolve issues outside of the grievance process there are times we are unable to do so and subsequently file grievances. We have several grievances filed that are going through the grievance process for individual nurses. Out of respect for their privacy we will not disclose those grievances. The following grievances had the potential to affect multiple nurses:

• ESI & WA Sick Law - Settled

WSNA filed a grievance on behalf of Francine Gumina who worked an extra shift, submitted for ESI pay and was denied because she called out sick. WSNA believed the WA Sick Law supersedes the MOU and it was violating that law to withhold the incentive when she called out sick and used earned time to cover those hours. For that reason we believed this grievance could affect more nurses than just Francine and filed it as a grievance for Francine and all affected.

WSNA successfully negotiated a settlement that included a process to submit for up to 3 years of backpay for nurses that were wrongfully denied ESI that was covered by the WA Sick Law. All nurses should have received a letter from SJMC in the USPS mail explaining their error along with the instructions and form to submit for backpay. WSNA nurses have until March 6, 2023 to submit.

The settlement also included editing the ESI MOU to ensure nurses are paid appropriately going forward.

• FBC & NICU – Donning & Doffing

We have a grievance filed that we are holding in abeyance at this time providing the employer the opportunity to do the right thing and pay both retroactive and going forward for the time nurses don & doff the hospital provided scrubs they are required to wear. This time is worked time.

We are currently in the process of negotiating with management to try to settle this grievance. If we cannot come to a negotiated agreement, we will continue with the grievance procedure. Please watch for updates.

• Parking Safety

WSNA filed an Association grievance regarding the unsafe parking areas and vehicle break ins January 20, 2022. This is another issue that was brought to our attention by nurses filing ADOs. We had our Step 3 meeting. Management denied this grievance and is refusing to pay for damages. WSNA has advanced this grievance to arbitration.

• COVID Exposure: All these grievances have been advanced to arbitration
  • A nurse that worked in the ED and contracted COVID. The employer is denying it was a workplace exposure and refusing to pay the nurse for her time off with COVID.
  • An ICU CN that also responds to codes. The employer is denying it was a workplace exposure and refusing to pay the nurse for her time off with COVID.
  • A nurse that was paid for her time off due to her workplace exposure but the employer refuses to pay for the time the nurse was subsequently quarantined due to her child having COVID that they contracted from the nurse.
  • 7^th Floor quarantine. A patient exposed the staff to COVID. The unit was closed to admits and the nurses on that unit were prohibited from floating to other units. Subsequently, mandatory cuts occurred, and the nurses had to use their own earned time or go without pay. WSNA believes since the cause of the loss of work for these nurses was due to a workplace exposure, they should be compensated for the work they lost.

Manager, can you stop by my office to talk?

Did you know union members have the right to have a union representative with them at any meeting that could lead to discipline? This is a right only union members have. Unfortunately it is also common for union members to be unaware of this right. If you are asked to meet with your manager or find yourself in a meeting and are starting to feel anxious or uneasy listen to your intuition and ask if the meeting could lead to discipline. If they answer​“Yes” then you have the right to ask for repre­sen­ta­tion. If they say​“No” and indicate that you don’t need anyone, listen carefully to what is being discussed. If it starts to feel like it could lead to disci­pline, you have the right to invoke your representation rights.

After the employee makes the request, the employer must choose among three options. The employer must either:

1. Grant the request and delay questioning until the union repre­sen­ta­tive arrives and has a chance to consult privately with the employee.
2. Deny the request and end the inter­view immedi­ately.
3. Give the employee a choice of:
   1. Having the inter­view without repre­sen­ta­tion
   2. Ending the interview.

If the employer denies your request for union repre­sen­ta­tion and continues to ask questions, this is an unfair labor practice, and you have the right to refuse to answer. You cannot be disciplined for a refusal to answer questions without union representation. But may get disciplined if you refuse to meet or walk out of a meeting. So if this happens stay in the meeting but do not answer questions. Let them know you will listen but are going to withhold any comment until your union representative is present.

If you need representation contact any WSNA Local Unit Officer or our WSNA Nurse Rep Barbara Friesen bfriesen@wsna.org.

Committees in our WSNA contract

Conference Committee

Conference committee is the place guaranteed by our contract to facilitate communication between management and nursing staff and discuss matters that affect nurses’ working conditions. Our WSNA Local Unit Officers have historically met with management every other month on the third Wednesday of the even month. However, we are trialing meeting every month. Staffing and ADOs are a standing agenda items at every meeting. Other agenda items may include an issue we are trying to resolve collaboratively without filing a grievance or may be something there is no specific contract language about but still needs to be addressed. Minutes are taken at every meeting and posted on our WSNA bulletin boards. If you have ideas, thoughts, or concerns, please make sure you contact one of our Local Unit Reps or Local Unit Officers so the matter can be addressed.

November Agenda – Please see your WSNA bulletin board for the minutes.

• Purpose
• Staffing
  • Recruitment & retention
• Holiday Coverage
• Granting of positions
• FBC
  • Construction
  • Mattresses
• Elsewhere
  • Construction
  • Failing equipment
• Breech
• Follow-up items
  • ED security
  • L&D mattresses
• Downtime ADOs
• ED Triage/Egress
• Conference Committee frequency
• AC follow-up

December meeting was cancelled by management. The January meeting was held, and minutes will be posted after they are approved.

January Agenda - Please see your WSNA bulletin board for the minutes.

• Downtime.
  1. Digital Terrorism plan.
  2. Downtime training for nursing.
  3. Data Breech
• Retention
  1. Update on retention plans
  2. Updates on the “career/clinical ladder”
  3. Wage reopener
• Staffing
  1. 2 south staffing plan
  2. 6:1 & 7:1 ratios med/surg.
  3. RNs being required to split
  4. Splitting rooms (2 patients one room).
• ED concerns
  1. Kudos
  2. There is overcrowding in the hallways
  3. Expansion plans
• Equipment:
  1. IV pumps

Parking and Facility Safety Committee:

This committee will review potential solutions to parking and facility safety issues, including but not limited to maintaining the skybridge as a 24/7 badge entrance, the adequacy of parking escort services and regular security patrols in parking lots/areas especially in hours of darkness, and weapons screening at the Emergency Department entrances.

At the most recent meeting which was held November 2022 Jennifer Schomberg attended and talked for about and hour about security improvements and how safety was a priority for her.

If you have parking and facility safety questions and/or concerns, please contact one of the committee members.

WSNA Members: Matthew McGuire, Oliya Petrova, Tina Masuda

Racial Justice Taskforce:

The purpose of the Taskforce will be to develop a sustainable infrastructure at the Hospital that addresses and provides solutions and assistance to address myriad racial issues and promote racial justice at, around, and affecting the St. Joseph’s community, patients, and surrounding areas.

The committee has selected Effenus Henderson as the trainer that will help our team get started and develop a plan to effectively move forward.

We have had a change in WSNA RJT members. We would like to thank Emily D’Anna and Thalia Cruz for the time they served on this important committee and also welcome Melek Steele and Carina Price.

WSNA Members: Yunna Flenord, Agnes Balangue-Herron, Melek Steele, and Carina Price

Staffing Committee

You can find Safe Staffing Committee information and documents (i.e. Staffing Plans, Meeting Minutes, Charters, Bylaws, Member Roster, Unit Report Out Schedules, ADO Algorithm) on the CommonSpirit Intranet (Nursing Portal).

We have a few open seats for WSNA staff nurses on the staffing committee and would really appreciate volunteers from the med/surg units. The members of the staffing committee are paid at their regular rate of pay for time spent at the meetings, which are held the second Monday of even months. The staffing committee is composed of at least one-half of the members RNs that provide direct patient care and up to one-half hospital administration.

The primary responsibilities of the committee is to semiannually review the components of the staffing plans presented to the staffing committee. For more information about the staffing committee member duties and the law here is a link to the current law: 1714-S.SL.pdf (wa.gov)

If you have any questions, or concerns, please reach out to your NSC Members.

WSNA Members: Shelly Mead, Sally Budack, Amanda Chang, Yunna Flenord, Mathew McGuire, Emily D’Anna

WSNA Unit Reps

We have several positions open for WSNA Unit Reps. This is the most important position to have filled to have a strong and effective union even though the time commitment is minimal. Our goal is a 1:10 ratio (1 rep for every 10 WSNA members). If you want to get more involve with the union, like to be the first in the know about what is happening, and share it with your peers, this is for you.

If you would like more information about the Officer or Unit Rep positions, please contact any Local Unit Officer or Nurse Rep Barbara at bfriesen@wsna.org.