Staffing and retention of current staff

WSNA has been hearing loud and clear what Virginia Mason nurses want improved staffing along with being able to retain the current staff working here at Virginia Mason. WSNA has been having many conversations about this ongoing concern with Virginia Mason.

There was a recent letter sent out by your leadership regarding the Broad-Based Award (BBA). We want to make sure that you saw WSNA’s previous communication on Sept. 24, 2021:

“The proposals stated if the agreements were not signed and returned before Sept. 24, 2021, the offers would be withdrawn. WSNA staff along with the Local Unit Officers reviewed the offers and found they were inequitable and also relinquished our union rights to file grievances and Unfair Labor Practices. It included:

• Provisions that do not apply to bargaining unit workers,
• CommonSpirit’s insistence on “meets expectations” as a predicate for receiving the bonus in a year were continuing to show up when nurses are working so short-staffed should be reason enough,
• Nurses must have been employed on or before from Jan. 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, and continuously on the CommonSpirit Health payroll would receive $500 for working a minimum of 800 hours and $375 for working more than 400 hours but, less than 800 hours. Less than 400 hours get nothing.
• CommonSpirit’s insistence that the Union waives its rights to file an unfair labor practice charge or a grievance if the Employer violates any part of the MOU.

WSNA sent CommonSpirit a demand to bargain with the goal of negotiating an agreement that treated all WSNA nurses fairly and union rights were not waived. CommonSpirit leadership did meet with us. Unfortunately, they were not willing to budge on anything. It was a take it or leave it proposal. WSNA leadership along with our Local Unit Officers made the decision to refuse to accept the inequitable offer and file an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board over the Employer’s refusal to engage in good-faith bargaining over this MOU.”

Please let your officers or Michelle Moore, WSNA nurse rep, mmoore@wsna.org know if there are questions or concerns.

Updated LOU for swapping shifts

The current Shift Swapping LOU in the CBA outlines the criteria when changing shifts for a one-month period. There have been in the past and currently are shifts that have gaps in staffing. The LOU was bargained with WSNA to incentivize nurses to change shifts and lend a hand where most needed. Although this has been a significant help, we have heard from nurses that the one-month commitment is too long. We could further utilize this process if we modify the LOU to allow one-week increments for shift change. This would result in a proportionate allocation for the incentive bonus pay. Modify the current LOU to allow one-week shift change increments with adjusted incentive bonus pay, which would be prorated per FTE. The bonus would be paid in the pay period following the completion of the shift swap commitment.

1 week = $625

2 weeks=$1,250

3 weeks=$1,875

4 weeks= $2,500 (no change - full incentive)

Continuation for Extra Weekend Shift Incentive

The extra weekend night shift $600 bonus that was supposed to end on Oct. 31 is extended through the end of November. Please let your officers or Michelle Moore, WSNA nurse rep, mmoore@wsna.org know if there are questions or concerns.

WSNA -VMH Vaccine Mandate MOU

Please see the documents library listing above for this document which is now posted.

CCU COVID room cleaning

It was brought to the attention of WSNA that the COVID rooms in CCU have not been being cleaned by housekeeping and this was being put on the nurses to do. We had no idea that this was happening since last year. WSNA contacted Virginia Mason about this, and Virginia Mason is actively working on a remedy. The EVS team is completing specialized training and undergoing fit testing for the required PPE. Please continue to bring this kind of concern up, so that they can be addressed.

WSNA Nurses Unite for Safe Staffing event

Nurses at the bedside know that staffing levels have reached crisis levels due to burnout, moral injury, and hospi­tals’ failure to take action to retain nurses. But even before the pandemic, so many of us were stretched to the limit, forced to take too many patients, and work long shifts without a break.

We need more than a quick fix – we need action to ensure safe staffing now and in the future.

The Cabinet on Economic and General Welfare invites you to join your fellow union nurses across Washington state for WSNA Nurses Unite for Safe Staffing! This free event will be held virtu­ally on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 8 – 10 a.m.

At this event you will:

• Learn about WSNA’s efforts in coali­tion with other health care unions to create account­ability with enforce­able laws and staffing standards every hospital must meet.
• Find out how you can take action to achieve safe staffing on every unit, in every hospital in Washington state and ensure that hospi­tals take every avail­able measure to ensure our commu­ni­ties receive the care they deserve.
• Hear from state and national labor leaders about how they are standing behind Washington nurses in our fight for safe staffing.

NSO Professional Liability Insurance

All practicing regis­tered nurses should carry their own profes­sional liability insur­ance and WSNA has selected NSO as the program best suited for its members. This plan is designed to meet the unique needs of today’s Nursing profes­sionals. One afford­able annual fee offers a wide range of plan features, including 24-hour protec­tion for you whether you are on or off the job, license protec­tion, assault coverage, deposi­tion repre­sen­ta­tion, personal injury protec­tion and more at no extra cost. For more infor­ma­tion or to apply for coverage, contact NSO at 800 – 247-1500 for individual coverage or 888 – 288-3534 for group practice coverage or visit NSO’s website at www​.nso​.com.

In Solidarity, your Virginia Mason officers

Jane Hill-Little­john, Susan Dunn, Suzanne Baek, and Arlene Alba

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Repre­sen­ta­tive Michelle Moore at mmoore@wsna.org.