St. Joseph Hospital

St. Joseph Hospital is moving forward with restructures.  Some of the units are reducing the total FTE for their units which may result in layoffs. This could result in utilization of the bumping process.

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Hospital and WSNA have crafted a one-time non-precedent setting Memorandum of Understanding regarding bumping for the displacement and layoff process for the restructures of Imaging, Endoscopy, Short Stay and CRU.

Nurses who could potentially be affected by the bumping process will receive a letter from Administration about the process.

WSNA will be there with you at the restructures and the bumping process if utilized.

Your WSNA/St. Joseph Hospital Executive Team: Roni Kelsey, Sarah Newell, Kimberly Finger, Geri Falacy, Emma Hamilton, Janie Carter, Teresa Roedell, Kristie D’Angelo, Shawnee Moreland, Tracy Pullar, Michelle Corzine

Your WSNA Local Unit Chairs & WSNA staff met with hospital administration this morning.
 
Our united demand for respect has been heard.

• There will not be a house-wide change to mandatory 8 hour shifts.
• The current list of unit restructures will be continuing to meet hospital’s operational needs.
• We will be meeting with hospital administration more next month about future restructures.

Together
Everyone
Achieves
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TEAM WSNA

Administration had no new responses today and continues proposing restructures.

WSNA’s position is unchanged; no elimination of current 12 hour shifts and move to 8 hour shifts through attrition.

Plan: Wait for administrations response

Congratulations!

By standing together in solidarity and unity, through your hard work and efforts, you have gotten administration’s attention.

WSNA continues to stand with you.  We oppose the unilateral implementation of mandatory 8 hour shifts on any unit by utilizing the restructure and layoff process.

WSNA continues to believe the way to achieve these goals for the hospital’s bottom line and with minimal impact on the personal and professional lives of nurses would be through attrition.

Allow nurses the opportunity to maintain positions they have held and within which they have provided award winning care to the community, until such time as they vacate their current position.

What can you do?

1. Go to the forums.  Scheduled by administration in response to your outcry of concern about how and why they plan to implement the change to a new staffing plan.  Tell Administration what you've been telling WSNA all along.  Be as thoughtful and professional advocating for yourselves as you would be advocating for your patients!
2. Sign the petition.  You can download (click here) and mail in a copy of the petition (Due by December 10th)
3. Complete the WSNA Nurses' Voice Survey, click here.

This is a reminder that the petition needs to be returned by December 10th.

Read the full text of the press release.

Thank you to everyone who came to the WSNA Local Unit meetings and shared your thoughts and concerns!
 
You requested the story of what is happening at St. Joseph Hospital be transcribed into a written format.
 
In addition, you requested talking points to help articulate what is taking place.
 
For both of these, read this detailed memo (PDF)

Management is moving forward with their plan to eliminate 12 hour shifts.

Actions you can do to help!

• Watch the Bellingham Herald for an ad from WSNA.
• Watch the Bellingham Herald for an article about the rally.
• Watch the WSNA email and Local Unit website for a nursing survey.
• Save the date and plan to attend a Public Rally on December 1st -
• location to be determined.
• Plan to help circulate petitions to the public at and after the
• Public Rally.
• Make sure that you have a WSNA car sign in your car.

Wear WSNA pins everyday to show you support WSNA and our efforts!
 
 

• WSNA learned from the nurses at St Joseph’s the plan to eliminate 12 hour shifts.
• WSNA sent a Cease & Desist letter to Nancy Steiger on November 9, 2011.
• WSNA held a Local Unit Meeting and met with the St Joseph’s Nurses on the 9th.
• WSNA will be meeting with management November 16, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.
• WSNA will share the results of the meeting on November 18 at Local Unit Meetings.

WSNA is appalled with management’s plan!

Actions you can to do to help!

• Wear blue to work on Wednesday, November 16, 2011.
• Wear blue show up and be present at the HEC Building at 0830 on November 16, 2011 for 30 minutes to show your support for maintaining 12 hours shifts.
• Wear WSNA pins everyday to show you support WSNA and our efforts.

We hope to see everyone who is not working outside the HEC building on November 16th at 8:30 a.m. in blue!

WSNA has learned from Bargaining Unit Nurses -- the hospital plans on eliminating 12 hour shifts.

WSNA is not in agreement with eliminating current 12 hour shifts at St. Joseph Medical Center.

WSNA notified administration on 11/9/2011 that we are not in agreement.

Stay tuned and watch your home email, local unit website and local unit bulletin boards for updates.  If you are not currently receiving WSNA email at home, please send your contact information to bfriesen@wsna.org.

For questions and concerns contact any of the following;

Co-Chair    
Roni Kelsey
ICU/STAT RN – Day Shift
ronikel@frontier.com 
(360) 318-8167

Co-Chair
Sarah Newell
Childbirth Center – Day Shift
smnaiden@aol.com
(360) 384-6560

Nurse Representative 
Barbara Friesen, BSN, RN
bfriesen@wsna.org
(206) 575-7979, Ext. 3056

Nurse Organizer
Tara Goode, BA, BSN, RN
tgoode@wsna.org
(206) 575-7979, Ext. 3038