Monthly happy hour

The next happy hour date is Wed., Sept. 5.

Where: 7 Seas Brewery
When: 5-7 p.m.

Please join your coworkers for happy hour! We do it every month after New Hire Orientation. We’ll provide snacks and have a copy of our current contract. We can talk about workplace concerns, contract questions and/or simply hang out and have fun together!

Lunch conversation at Red Elm

Where: Red Elm Cafe
When: Tues., Sept. 18 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Happy Hour isn’t your thing? Join us for lunch and conversation.

Come to lunch at Red Elm (five blocks from the hospital on MLK). Again, we’ll provide food, and can talk about workplace issues or simply relax together.

Some of us attended conferences this month and wrote about our experiences. Check out the awesome things SJMC are up to! If you also would like to attend a convention, let us know!

Rachael De Souza writes:

The Washington State Labor Council Convention was in Wenatchee this month, and I attended as a WSNA delegate. There were many good workshops. I learned about the Janus decision, best practices for LGBTQ workers and our state’s voting rights act, among other topics. I enjoyed meeting people who are pipefitters, aerospace engineers, farm workers, teachers, public sector workers, electricians, food service workers and union staff supporting them. My favorite parts were:

• Rooming with Liz Leske, the co-chair of TG’s WSNA unit, and planning future local events that SJMC and TG can do together.
• Informational picketing at Central Washington Hospital (a WSNA facility). The technical workers, UFCW members, are in difficult contract negotiations. After the picket, management agreed to return to the bargaining table with a mediator!
• Feeling the sense of trust, family and fun shared by labor union members.
• Listening to Elise Bryant, president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, speak about the labor movement and sing traditional labor songs.

The Pierce County chapter of the Washington State Labor Council meets monthly in Tacoma. If you want to learn more about local labor issues, consider coming to a PCCLC meeting. I’ll be there! Write to me for more information.

John Gustafson writes:

I was a delegate to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Conference in Pittsburg PA. AFT has 1.7 million members and all WSNA members are AFT members, too. Edna Cortez, Chair of Seattle Children’s local unit, and I stood up in support of a resolution on Promoting Prevention of Workplace Violence.

During the 4 day conference there were speeches, presentations and much support given to nurses at the conference by Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Governors and Mayors and other legislators. I encourage all WSNA AFT members to get involved. We Care, We Fight, We Show up and We Vote. Please register and vote in the next election.

Would you like to be more involved? Have ideas for an event? Want to see something change? Please let me know! We can make it happen together.

For any questions, please contact WSNA Nurse Representative Sara Frey at sfrey@wsna.org.