Highlights below. Your bargaining team recommends a “YES” vote! We substantially increased the wage rates for all nurses, kept (and improved!) our ratios, and kept and realigned Clinical Service Lines while building in safeguards to protect our patients and our licenses.

Ratification vote will be on Thursday, January 12 in the Bunker Conference Room (on G floor of Rainier Tower, facing Wright Park) from 0600-0900, 1100-1400, and 1800-2100. Vote count immediately after. You must be a member in good standing in order to vote.

• Wage Scale – the new wage scale will provide the best wages in Pierce County and will be competitive (and better than, in some cases) with Seattle Children’s Hospital and Swedish. We boosted the base wage to $40.80 (higher than every other acute care hospital in the state except Children’s and Overlake) and Step 25 and higher will be at $78.75 – a 24.13% increase over the current Step 25 rate. This is 9% higher than Overlake’s Step 25, the next highest rate in the state, and 11.5% higher than Children’s Step 25. Children’s nurses don’t make $78.75 until Step 33. These wages were accomplished by increasing the highest current wage rate and then compressing the scale to 25 steps from 33. This has the effect of substantially increasing the wage rates at all steps, even for those over Step 25. As of ratification, Step 25 will be the highest step on the wage scale. In Jan. 2024, wages go up 4.5%; in Jan. 2025, wages go up 3.5%. You can find the wage scale HERE.
• Ratios – MultiCare heard us that we were not letting go of our ratios. They remain in the contract with clear language that delineates that the contract ratios for PCU, Med/Surg, and Women and Infants are only if the nurse has ancillary staff assisting; otherwise, the ratios are lower as specified in the state-submitted staffing plan.
  • Clearer language on EXLO. We spelled out that EXLO is tied to the ratios in the state-submitted staffing plan (which are the same or lower than the ones in the contract). Different managers were paying EXLO in different ways at different times; now it’s one uniform process for the whole house.
• Clinical Service Lines – MultiCare also heard that we weren’t jettisoning our contractual clinical service lines and turning them over to the Staffing Committee’s discretion. We keep clinical service lines in the contract with modifications and safeguards that ensure that departments that are stretched too thin (think, 2M and ED in-patient holds) get the help they need while making sure that nurses who float are oriented, supported, and have access to supplies and meds.
  • The CSLs are realigned so that they’re based on patient level of care, not on specialty
  • We’ve expanded and clarified “guardrails” for nurses who float.
    • Nurses can float within their clinical service line so long as they are competent and capable or have received cross training to a higher level of care or a new specialty.
    • Nurses who float outside of their clinical service line will receive assignments based on skill, competence, and capability. Nurses who float will receive an orientation and will not be required to perform tasks or procedures specifically applicable to the floated unit if they have not been trained.
    • New - All nurses who float outside of their clinical service line will receive a $10.00/hour premium for all hours floated.
  • After ratification, MultiCare will provide the opportunity for orientations and cross-training in areas of the hospital to which nurses may float for 3 months (or longer, given demand). These 4-hour trainings are voluntary and will be paid. Nurses are expected to float regardless of whether they choose to participate in these trainings.

More details will be forthcoming including increased premiums and differentials (preceptor and call among many others), NEW Less Rest opportunity for nurses on call, Student Loan Repayment increased to $400/month pre-tax, clearer IPP guidelines, and expanded Baylor opportunities for the whole house. Full red-lined contract copies will be available for review at ratification. Bargaining team members, Nurse Rep Brenda Balogh, Organizer Crystal Doll, and our attorney negotiator will be at ratification to answer any questions you have. While the bargaining team will receive small stipends for their time at the table ($4,000 each for 14 days of bargaining plus prep days and ratification), nurses will have the opportunity to donate PTO to the bargaining team to off-set the PTO bargaining team members used to keep their pay somewhat stable.

We are so proud of all of you – it was our solidarity, strength, and unity that protected our ratios and won us amazing raises!

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.