Collective Bargaining

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WSNA agreements continue to raise the bar for nurse involvement in staffing decisions, education, benefits, recognition for experience, job security, residency programs, health and safety issues, ability to use earned time, hours of work and many, many more issues. Thirty-one collective bargaining agreements were negotiated by WSNA in 2007-2009. These agreements set new standards in nurses’ salaries with the most senior staff nurse base salary (step 30) topping fifty dollars an hour in several hospitals.

WSNA continues to enforce our contracts by whatever means are the most appropriate. This includes grievances and arbitrations, Unfair Labor charges and in rare cases, lawsuits. We are careful and judicious when we take these actions, and our record of success is impressive. Whether it was an arbitration regarding missed rest breaks, alleged HIPAA violations, failure to provide meal breaks, unjust discipline or forced flu shots, WSNA used our full resources to protect nurses’ rights and patient safety. We have prevailed in scores of grievances, handled over two dozen arbitrations and been successful in several Unfair Labor Practices in the last two years.

RNs from Ocean Beach Hospital rallied with WSNA staff and members of the community in April 2008 during contract negotiation to highlight their concerns of chronic understaffing. A new contract recognizing the important role of RNs and enhancing the recruitment and retention efforts of nurses was ratified.

Staffing issues, which are of course patient safety issues, have taken center stage in many of our activities. Public Health has been under assault and our Local Unit Leaders and Staff have been aggressive in educating the public, legislators and patients about the grave impact cuts have on the safety of our communities. We’ve been in grievance hearings, arbitrations, the courts, at L&I and in the halls of the state legislature speaking up about important issues like fatigue and the danger that poses to nurses and patients (missed breaks!), the danger of forced overtime, and budget cuts and layoffs.

We launched the WSNA Labor School in 2008, and our annual Leadership Conference for our Local Unit members continues to be at capacity. We have crisscrossed the state providing classes on Safe Patient Handling, the new Staffing Law and more.

Local units represented by WSNA

About WSNA

2007-2009 Biennial Report

Introduction

• Introduction
• Overview
• Centennial

Areas of Achievement

• Safe Nurse Staffing
• Nurse & Patient Safety
• Public Health
• Environmental Health & Safety
• Nursing Shortage
• Collective Bargaining

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