In our last newsletter we addressed questions nurses have been asking in relation to what they can say when talking about negotiations. If you have not read that yet, search Mares WSNA anytime to find our most recent emails sent to you or read that newsletter on your WSNA bulletin board. In that issue we cover more about Your Section 7 rights.

For example, nurses at Mares can safely participate in rallies, sign petitions, or speak to journalists about workplace issues on behalf of themselves and their coworkers, and as long as the discussion relates to improving conditions or advocating for labor rights it is protected by Section 7 of the NLRA and Confluence could not lawfully punish a nurse for that activity. This protection ensures that employees have the freedom to organize and express their concerns in a public forum without fear.
 
Here are some tips and tricks for communicating about your workplace and your union activity:

• Remember that patients’ identities and their personal health information is confidential. Sharing it is not protected by Section 7.
• Wherever and whenever you’re allowed to talk about non-work topics on the clock, you’re allowed to talk about union activity on the clock. If you can chat with coworkers about their weekend plans, you can chat with them about organizing. If you’re allowed to sign a birthday card at the charge nurse’s desk, you can sign a petition for fair retirement benefits there too. If you can wear a Seahawks t-shirt, you can wear a union t-shirt. And if management discourages you from doing this, let your WSNA rep know.
• Talking with your friends about wages and working conditions isn’t rude – it’s activism! When workers compare notes with one another they help everyone improve their workplace. That’s why every WSNA bargaining unit posts their contract publicly online – visit wsna.org/union to check them out.
• Remember that when you speak out on behalf of yourself and your workers, you’re not speaking on behalf of management. Be your own spokesperson, not Confluence’s.
• If a journalist asks you to talk about your workplace, the bargaining process, or your union activity, WSNA can help! Contact a local unit officer, your nurse rep, or your organizer; they can help you schedule a quick training, so you’re set up for success before you give an interview to the media.

Dominick Bonny talks to the bargaining team

Washington State Nurses Union File Unfair Labor Practices Charges Against Confluence Health
Nurses at the Mares Clinic in Wenatchee say they want equal pay for equal work, but Confluence Health is retaliating against them for forming a bargaining unit
The Washington State Nurses Association on Dec. 11, 2024 filed an unfair labor practices charge against Confluence Health with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging the healthcare company has made “coercive statements” to and withheld benefits from nurses working at Confluence’s Mares Clinic campus.

The WSNA’s charge alleges Confluence has been “engaging in bad-faith bargaining” and has been “withholding benefits” from Mares nurses “in retaliation” for their decision to form an independent bargaining unit and demand equal compensation as the nurses who work at Confluence’s Central Washington Hospital, just 2.2 miles away.

Read more about that here. https://substack.com/home/post/p-156048926.

Nurses cast their “vote”

The bargaining team has been running a mock vote on whether the nurses at Mares would accept a tentative agreement without the same retirement benefits as nurses at Central receive for doing equal work. This information is important because the team needs to know that every nurse is behind them as we continue to push management to do the right thing.

Did you fill yours out yet? If you have not, please find a bargaining team member today and ask for your mock vote card. We plan to present these to management at our next bargaining session on 2/13 to show them how important fair compensation is to the nurses at Mares Campus.

Mark that calendar: Bargaining session # 26

Calling all observers! 

Observers play a key role on the bargaining team and show management that the nurses at Mares are paying attention. We’ve seen the difference in how management responds to our proposals when they realize observers are in the room. Our session on 2/13 will be with a federal mediator. Observers should arrive by 0930- make sure you’ve read the observer guidelines.

If you can’t observe be sure to wear blue on bargaining days in support and send a pic of nurses decked out in blue to Mares@wsna.org.

When: 2/13/2025

Where: Confluence Health Campbell Building, 609 Highline Dr, East Wenatchee, WA 98802

RSVP: Jenny Galassi, 206-707-2948

In Solidarity,
Your Bargaining team

Chris Gallup, OR, Co-Chair
Marshall Snoddy, OR, Co-Chair
Megan Baute, GI, Secretary
Caitlin Orange, GI, Treasurer
Mateo Maestas, OR, Grievance Officer
Rochelle Mason, ED, Membership Officer
Waikele Frantz, Rehab/ Medsurg, Unit Liaison

Laurie Robinson
WSNA Nurse Representative
Cell : 206-620-4136
lrobinson@wsna.org

Jenny Galassi
Nurse Organizer
Cell: 206-707-2948
jgalassi@wsna.org