We completed our second day of negotiations. We achieved a few more minor Tentative Agreements including management paying nurses for jury duty without deducting the jury duty fees paid to the nurse as has been the previous practice.

Management proposed its first take-away: St. Joe’s wants to remove the 3 days of unpaid personal leave nurses are eligible to use per article 13.13. Our team members spoke to the importance to have this personal leave available for unforeseen circumstances including mental health days during this stressful time of the pandemic. We also pointed out that many nurses have depleted their PTO banks after furloughs and quarantine that have also impacted some nurses’ ability to qualify for FMLA and PFMLA.

Based on how many ADOs have been filed and how many of you wrote in your surveys that Management’s poor handling of ADOs is an important issue to you, we proposed language that would force the Hospital to take our patient concerns more seriously and not retaliate (or appear to retaliate) against nurses who file ADOs. Management did agree ADOs would not and should not be placed in nurses’ personnel files. However, they were not willing to agree to allow another nurse to join the follow up meeting with management to discuss the circumstances regarding the ADO.

We also talked about nurses having the option to opt out of contact during their off time. Nurses have reported being called and texted multiple times while they are trying to sleep and on their days off. We had an understanding related to a grievance in 2016 that nurses would be able to opt out of being contacted during their time off unless it was an emergent issue. We would like that to be included in our contract. Our negotiating team members spoke to the importance of having this option available.

A special shout out and thank you to the nurses that sent treats to our negotiating team. They were tasty and very much appreciated!

Meet your Cath Lab Unit Rep: Sarah Smith

A Pacific Northwest local, Sarah has worked at St. Joes for 13 years to ensure that patients get the care they need, and nurses get the support they deserve.

Before becoming an RN, Sarah was a nursing aide at Harrison Hospital in Bremerton. She found St. Joe's right after graduating from nursing school at Olympic College, and was given a warm introduction.

After working in critical care and PCU, Sarah landed at Cath Lab in the recovery area, where she works now. She loves the sense of teamwork that comes with the work and says that the patients and medical team are all incredibly supportive.

Sarah is excited to see our bargaining team continue to fight to ensure nurses can do their work safely. Since she became a nurse in 2008, Sarah has seen how hospitals have “chipped away at our pay, at our benefits, at our home and work life balance, all in the name of supporting the hospital.” It’s time for St. Joe's to return this support nurses have given on the front lines of the pandemic.

Sarah is hopeful that nurses can remain united to fight for the working conditions, fair pay, and safe staffing they deserve. She encourages her fellow nurses to consider becoming a unit rep, saying that, “becoming a rep is easy, and it helps give you a perspective on what’s going on.” If you want to become a unit representative, please contact Nurse Representative Barbara Friesen.

Cath Lab is lucky to have a nurse as dedicated as Sarah on their unit. We appreciate her hard work as a unit rep!

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.