Your new contract includes language that by July 1st, the hospital would develop and implement, with input by the bargaining unit staffing committee representatives, a break and meal relief system.  During bargaining, the hospital agreed that the break buddy system would not be the primary method of providing break relief and would only be used as a last resource.  The hospital subsequently announced that the plan moving forward would be that charge nurses would be the primary break relief on most units. WSNA immediately reminded the hospital that it also agreed to new language regarding charge nurses.  It will not be the norm for the Charge Nurse to have a patient assignment. When a nurse takes a rest or meal break, they must hand off their assignment and be completely relieved of duty. Clearly, a charge nurse covering another nurse for breaks and meals results in the charge nurse having a patient assignment. We discussed this with the hospital, but management moved ahead despite our objection.

As a result of the implementation of the hospital’s plan, WSNA has filed a grievance. Please continue to fill out ADOs when you are unable to safely leave your patients to take one or more of your rest or meal breaks. Please fill out ADOs when the break buddy system is being utilized. Charge nurses, please fill out ADOs when you are taking these assignments. Be sure to clock it as missed if it is late, interrupted, too short or not taken at all so that you are paid for your missed breaks and meals. Please consider reporting missed breaks to the Dept. of Labor and Industries.

In Solidarity

Your officer team –

Chair - Hannah Collins-Lewis
Vice Chair - Michael Salters
Secretary - Kimberly Travis-Carter
Treasurer - Samuel Asencio
Grievance Officer - Donna Watts
Grievance Officer - Aaron Persinger
Grievance Officer - Kim Adekoya

WSNA Organizer Grace LaMonte, glamonte@wsna.org
WSNA Nurse Rep Sara Frey, sfrey@wsna.org.