But first, action items!

Join us for upcoming WSNA Local Unit Meetings – updates on bargaining and upcoming actions
Tuesday December 13, 2022

0730-0930, 1930-2130 Bunker Conference Room
-On G floor of Rainier Tower, facing Wright Park
-Easiest way to get there; YOU NEED YOUR BADGE! Go to Team 3 on 5R or 6R. Take the team 3 elevator down to “G”. Take a Left off the elevator, Bunker Conf Room first door on your left.

1300-1500 CR-MMC 1
3rd Floor, near main entrance
-Easiest way to get there: go through front entrance. The Conference Room is opposite of the C Suite.

**Have you signed the Letter to Bill yet?**

If you haven’t seen it, you’ve no doubt heard about the letter to Bill Robertson, asking him to step up and support nurses at the bargaining table. Since he hasn’t shown up at the table, the least he can do is send a carrier pigeon from his ivory tower instructing management to negotiate a good faith contract with nurses that doesn’t mess with our ratios and clinic service lines, and provides a serious wage increase that acknowledges that we’re among the lowest paid nurses in the area (and in MultiCare), and that our work and sacrifices carried the hospital through the last two and a half years.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to sign the letter, see your unit rep, any member of the bargaining team, or any local unit officer, and let management know that you want to be heard and that you demand a fair contract!

If you don’t have a unit rep and would like to help with this action, please contact Crystal Doll at cdoll@wsna.org.

Thirsty Thursdays, tomorrow!

Thirsty Thursdays are our online meeting place for updates and questions. Please join us every Thursday from 2000-2100.

Contact a bargaining team member or your nurse representative for the meeting link.

Blue Friday

Show your true colors Friday! Wear WSNA blue, your WSNA T-shirt, or any WSNA gear you have and show your support for our contract fight. If you are told to remove your shirt, ask if you will be disciplined if you do wear your shirt. If the answer is yes, comply but let Nurse Rep Brenda Balogh (bbalogh@wsna.org) know right away! Some Tacoma General managers have been flouting the law and need some education.

The Update:

We had our 8^th day of negotiations with management on 12/6/22, this time with a federal mediator present at management’s request. The mediator spoke to us and the hospital jointly, and then listened as we educated her on the issues we’re facing at the table, including management’s proposals to take away ratios and clinical service lines, and also the hospital’s substandard wage proposal which would take away 8 years of step increases for the most senior nurses.

We submitted a comprehensive economic package that included a wage proposal with a combination of dollar increases as well as percent increases for all members. The vast majority of WSNA nurses responded to the bargaining survey by saying that retirement was a huge issue. We have made two proposals that management has rejected wholesale without providing a counter; we proposed an innovative new idea that recognizes senior nurses by proposing increases to the amount MultiCare contributes to retirement funds based on a nurse’s years of service to the organization. Raising wages for all nurses will encourage recruitment and providing extra retirement will help retain our more skilled and experienced nurses. We intend to ensure that all WSNA nurses are supported through this contract.

In summary, our package proposes an $8/ hour wage increase for everyone, as well as a 5% increase in retirement contribution for all nurses over 20 years of service in 2023 (the first year of the contract); a $5.50/ hour wage increase for everyone, as well as a 4% increase in retirement contribution for all nurses over 15 years of service in 2024 (this is in addition to the benefit for 20+ year nurses); and a 9% wage increase for everyone, as well as a 2% increase in retirement contribution for nurses over 12 years of service in 2025. These additional increases to retirement contributions would be on top of the 6% contribution that MultiCare provides to nurses with over 5 years of service.

We have also proposed increases in premiums, such as standby, shift differentials, charge nurse premium, preceptor premium, and more, in addition to including callback to rest between shifts (so that, if you’re called back and, as a result, you don’t get the requisite hours of rest between shifts, your next shift would be at 1 1/2x).

MultiCare came to the table with a bare handful of minor responses to previous proposals but didn’t respond to anyone of several big issues that we gave them on November 28-29. If they really want to get this contract done in good faith like they initially said they did, this is not the way to proceed.

Know Your Contract

We have been fielding a lot of questions about some of the issues on the table and how these affect you. These have included questions about Clinical Service Lines, ratios, the current wage scale, and others. Our CBA is always located on the WSNA website www.wsna.org under Tacoma General, or you can click the link here:

MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital - WSNA

Please direct any CBA related questions to your Nurse Rep, Brenda Balogh, at bbalogh@wsna.org.

Stay united, stay strong, and stay blue!

In solidarity,
Your bargaining team:
Danielle O’ Toole, Local Unit Chair, Resource
Liz Leske, Secretary, PACU
Michelle Stevenson, Grievance Officer, Med Surg
Matt Dustin, NT ICU
Mallory Gregoire, Med Onc
Liana Delacorte, ED
Cherrie Griffith, Grievance Officer, Med Surg
Jess Oyler, OR
Cameron Warriner, NICU
Brenda Bowhay, Grievance Officer, FBC
Colin Bishop, PULSE
Morgan Van Fleet, PULSE

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Brenda Balogh at bbalogh@wsna.org.