We concluded Day 11 of contract negotiations with Providence St. Luke’s management with some meaningful movement, but it is not enough.

WSNA provided extensive support for our wage proposals for both across-the-board wage increases and enhancements to the wage steps. We shared ample data showing that St. Luke’s nurses are severely underpaid compared to the market and that, because of the very small step increases at the upper half of the wage scale, nurses at St. Luke’s do not have as much wage growth opportunity as their colleagues elsewhere.  While St. Luke’s enhanced its wage proposal, wages at St. Luke’s would fall even further behind Scared Heart in the latter years of the contract under their proposal.  We ALL know recruitment and retention continue to be a problem, and we continue to hear from nurses at St. Luke’s that the wages are too low.

We continue to push for affordable and comprehensive health care with limits on premium increases.

Management still rejects our proposal on changing the low census rotation language that would ensure traveler nurses go home first. WSNA has been loud, clear, and consistent on this point. Management needs to stop giving preferential treatment to traveler nurses, stop assigning daily layoffs to core staff nurses, and stop treating St. Luke’s nurses as second-class citizens. Did you know Sacred Heart and Holy Family send their traveler nurses home first before subjecting core staff to mandatory low census? We continue to press management to change this language and show that they value dedicated FTE nurses.

WSNA has proposed to establish a workplace violence and safety committee.  A critical part of such a committee is a process by which nurses can formally raise workplace violence concerns and have the committee respond in writing to the nurses with an assessment of the situation and any action to be taken.  Providence has agreed to similar language elsewhere but continues to resist making such a commitment to St. Luke’s nurses. We do not want complaints to fall into a black hole, never to see the light of day again.

WSNA also proposed language to strengthen RN voices on the staffing committee. Management has rejected the proposal.

How YOU can support your bargaining team:

1. On bargaining days- wear your WSNA T shirt, button or sticker to show you stand with your team. Take a picture with your coworkers and send it to your nurse rep Alle Machorro at 206-707-2048.
2. Union membership- Join WSNA today. When you become a member, it shows management that nurses are paying attention
3. Read the latest newsletter on how and when to file an Unsafe Staffing Form. Speak up for your staffing conditions.
4. Attend a bargaining session as an observer. Nurses can observe for 4 or 8 hours. Tell an officer or contact your nurse representative.

In Solidarity,
Jeff Dubrawski RN WSNA Chair
Megan Iata RN WSNA Co-Chair
Erika Lee RN WSNA Treasurer
Allison White RN WSNA Secretary
Noel Wise RN WSNA Grievance Officer

Contact your WSNA Nurse Representative Alle Machorro with any questions or to get signed up to observe at amachorro@wsna.org or 206-707-2048.