Your WSNA team of registered nurses has met with the employer both on Friday, September 16 and again on Tuesday, September 20 for our first and second contract negotiation sessions.

This year, Montlake RNs alongside Northwest RNs are bargaining as a team to achieve the best wages and benefits for the contract beginning July 1, 2023.

Both UWMC and WSNA exchanged partial economic proposals including wages and premiums. WSNA introduced an aggressive but realistic wage proposal in response to a lack luster opener by the employer. WSNA proposed an immediate $3/hr. raise followed by another $3/hr. raise on March 1, 2023 then 4% on July 1, 2023 and then another 4% July 1, 2024.

The employer’s last counter of the afternoon continued to miss the mark. UW expressed that they had no issue lagging behind nearby hospital wages due to superior benefits… we don’t agree.

The employer went as far as to consider wage comparables from hospitals in Tacoma and Everett. That tactic is clearly not working when it comes to recruiting and retaining RNs.

We believe that UW needs to act swiftly to implement raises that make them competitive with the other strong wage increases achieved at neighboring competitor hospitals such as Children’s and Swedish.

The counter from UW allowed our team to better understand the employer's disconnect in how to achieve becoming the “employer of choice”.

Your team also proposed premium benefits such as:

• Vacation and Sick benefits will accrue for all hours worked above a designated FTE
• Both CBAs will be amended so that rest-between-shifts and Bereavement leave apply to per diems
• True-up placement of UW neighborhood clinic RNs on wage scale
• Shift Differential - Increase evening to $3/hr; increase night differential to 16% of hourly base
• Call (Standby) Premium – 25% of applicable base rate for time spent on call
• In House Float Premium-- $5/hr for all in house floats
• Dialysis Premium (currently only applicable to ML) - $4/hour due to skills required and difficulty recruiting RNs for Training
• NICU and Perinatal Services Resource RN premium- $2.50/ Charge RN premium as these are comparable in duties and expectations (was previously $1.50/hr at ML NICU only) to be expanded to NICU and Perinatal at both facilities effective upon ratification.

We are also reviewing a proposal for Double Time Incentive shifts.

Your team of registered nurses is dedicated to fighting for the wages and benefits that RNs deserve after years of sacrificing time and pay to serve your patients.

Our next bargaining session is set for Tuesday, September 27.

When we fight, we win!

In solidarity,
Your contract bargaining team

UWMC Northwest team of registered nurses:

Liz Tassani – ED
Kari Christianson - OSC
Josef Mansour – ED
Grace Jones - ICU
Heidi Glendenning – Childbirth Center
Jerrome Sicat - OSC

UWMC Montlake team of registered nurses:

Teresa Wren- Labor and Delivery
Chris Jakubowski- Cardiovascular Procedures
Jan Bower- Operating Room
Doug Harper- Neonatal Intensive Care
Erika Speckhardt- 5SA
Lizzy Ryden- Emergency Dept
Bri Leenders- Emergency Dept

Questions? Contact one of the WSNA Nurse Representatives - Ed Zercher at ezercher@wsna.org, Sara Frey at sfrey@wsna.org or Stephenie Troftgruben at stroftgruben@wsna.org.