*The WSNA Bargaining Team Recommends a “Yes” Vote*

In-person voting on Tuesday, 12/21, and Wednesday, 12/22, in the tent on the ED Lid 7:30 am -9:00 am, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

• Note: the Hospital conditioned this Tentative Agreement on ratification no later than December 31 and on no labor action (i.e., a strike or strike vote would negate this Tentative Agreement). Given that raises and many other increases become effective the first full pay period following ratification, increases become effective on 12/26/21 only if the vote is held the week before 12/26/21. If the vote were held between 12/26/21-12/31/21, the increases would not become effective until 1/9/22.
  
  • Across the board wage increases of 11% effective the first full pay period following ratification (that is, 12/26/21); 4% wage increases effective the first full pay period following 11/1/22; 4% wage increases effective the first full pay period following 11/1/23.
  • No more “ghost steps”: every step on the wage scale is now filled in – Step 17, 21, and 23 now exist separately from the preceding step. *Wage scales with new steps and all increases will be made available ASAP*
  • Increase to per diem differential: 15% above wage schedule effective 12/26/21 (was 10%). Plus the across the board wage increase, provides for a 16% wage increase for per diems.
    • Per diems may be excused from eligibility requirements with manager approval.
    • Any per diem discharge that violates Equal Opportunity provisions in Article 6.1 will be subject to the grievance and arbitration procedure.
    • Hospital will provide written explanation for per diem discharges upon request.
  • $2,500 bonus prorated by FTE (.9 FTEs will be considered 1.0 for purposes of this bonus; per diem and supplemental part-time nurses will be considered .2).
  • Night shift differential increases to $4.75/hour effective 12/26/21 (an 11.8% increase).
  • Stand-by/Call-back
    • Stand-by pay increases to $4.25/hour up to 60 hours per pay period (a 6.25% increase); for stand-by hours of 60 and above, $5.50/hour (a 25% increase).
    • NEW – Holiday call-back pay to be paid at double-time for a minimum of three hours.
    • NEW – RNs on-call who receive telephone calls related to patient care but aren’t called in will receive the appropriate rate of pay in addition to stand-by pay for a minimum of 15 minutes.
  • NEW – BSN/MSN differential. Effective first full pay period after 3/1/22, nurses with a BSN, MSN, or another equivalent advanced degree in nursing will receive a differential of $1.00/hour for all compensated hours.
  • Charge nurse pay increases to $2.75/hour effective the second full pay period after ratification (a 10% increase).
  • Staffing:
    • Acuity Tool: Agreement that the Staffing Committee will implement an acuity tool pilot program and will work collaboratively to determine the duration of the pilot, review data jointly, provide feedback to expand the tool house-wide, and recommend improvements in the training and communications process. All charge nurses will utilize the tool during the pilot; two charge nurses from each piloted floor will be designated Subject Matter Experts and resources for the other charge nurses.
    • NEW - ADO “buddies”: When a manager is going to discuss an ADO with the nurse who filed it, the nurse may bring another nurse of their choice to the discussion on working time. Neither the ADO nor the manager’s response will be placed in the nurse’s personnel file.
  • Parking and Facility Safety Committee: A committee comprising Hospital security and administration will meet with WSNA nurses regularly to review solutions to parking and facility safety issues; the Hospital agrees not to reduce any existing security measures such as keeping the skybridge open 24/7 as a badged entrance and maintaining a security officer at 19^th & J from 5:15 am through 7:30 am on weekdays, in addition to during the 7 am and 7 pm shift changes.
    • NEW - Additional parking: The Hospital will pay for or dismiss a night nurse’s parking ticket if the nurse had to work over, or will give the nurse paid time to move their car.
  • NEW - Racial Justice Taskforce: 4 WSNA nurses plus the nurse rep and 5 management representatives will meet to develop a Racial Justice Taskforce: goals are to create an infrastructure at the Hospital to address and provide solutions and assistance to racial issues and promote racial justice at, around, and affecting the Hospital. A diversity, equity, and inclusion professional will meet with the group initially to provide training and guidance. Goals include establish meaningful training programs, provide framework for employees who have experienced racial discrimination, been assaulted, or subject to other incidents to receive counseling and support, assess how the Hospital can provide better care to racially diverse patients and the community, and to address holiday observances at the Hospital.
  • Resident nurses:
    • The repayment period for resident nurses will commence when the resident successfully passes the residency examination.
    • The resident can take the required residency examination once they have begun working independently and does not need to complete the residency classes prior to taking the exam.
    • The resident loan repayment document will be modified to state, in bolded language, that the repayment period begins upon successful passage of the exam.
  • Lactation Room: An advisory committee will convene to improve the quality of and access to existing lactation rooms and to discuss adding additional lactation rooms, and to develop communications so that lactating nurses, managers, and break nurses are all aware of the rights and needs of lactating nurses.
  • The Hospital will try not to pull nurses orienting to a new acuity/higher level of care and, if they do, the nurse will be permitted to make up full shifts for each time they’re pulled away, unless the total time is less than two hours (another make-up opportunity will be provided then).
  • Prior to “equitable rotation” cuts, the Hospital will send the Union the current seniority roster.
  • Utilization of Travelers: The Conference Committee will additionally discuss the use of travelers for the anticipated seasonal surge in the Family Birth Center (the CC already discusses seasonal surges in the Winter/flu season).
  • “Do Not Call” List: Nurses can request to be placed on a “do not call” list so that staffing, their manager, or a charge nurse will not contact the nurse on their time off to request that the nurse come in except for unforeseen staffing emergencies (bargaining team clarified that the employer’s failure to staff does not constitute a staffing emergency for the purpose of this section).
  • Grievance and Arbitration: if the Union and Hospital agree, the parties can take an issue before a mediator prior to going to arbitration.
  • Duration: this Agreement lasts until October 31, 2024.

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