News & Updates
2/4/2010 - Attention All Nurses at Sunnyside Community Hospital
Re: Shift Differential Pay for Sick Time
It has come to our attention that the hospital has declared to change past practice. We have sent them a cease and desist letter.
In the past, nurses who are hired to evening and night shift are paid their evening and night shift differential when they are on vacation, holiday, or sick time. Article 7.9 of our CBA (Current Bargaining Agreement) states the following:
- 7.9 Compensable Hours. Time paid, excluding overtime, shall be considered as time worked for purposes of computing salary, pension coverage, and benefits (the percent of holiday, sick and vacation).
It has been the past practice and our interpretation to pay the evening and night shift nurses their shift differential. If you are hired to evening/night shift and are not paid your shift differential for sick time, please contact Janice Schell, your Grievance Officer. If you have any questions, please contact one of your officers.
Sincerely,
Carmen S. Garrison, BSN, RN
WSNA Nurse Representative
10/07/2009 - Incentive Bonus Days
According to your contract, IBD are defined as:
IBD Program: An Incentive Bonus Days (IBD) shift is an extra shift(s) that a nurse signs up for after the final monthly schedule is posted. All extra IBD shifts will be posted on the final schedule as a "need".
If you are volunteering to work a shift that is open on a posted schedule, you should be receiving the incentive bonus pay. A cease and desist letter has been sent to management informing them that we are encouraging all nurses who fill these needs to request incentive pay on their time cards. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Monroe, your Local Unit Chair.
Wage Scale
YEAR |
11/1/08 (5%) |
11/1/09 (5%) |
11/1/10 (5%) |
Base |
26.19 |
27.50 |
28.87 |
1 |
26.96 |
28.31 |
29.73 |
2 |
27.78 |
29.17 |
30.63 |
3 |
28.61 |
30.04 |
31.55 |
4 |
29.47 |
30.95 |
32.49 |
5 |
30.35 |
31.86 |
33.46 |
6 |
31.26 |
32.82 |
34.46 |
7 |
32.19 |
33.80 |
35.49 |
8 |
33.17 |
34.83 |
36.57 |
9 |
34.16 |
35.86 |
37.66 |
10 |
35.18 |
36.93 |
38.78 |
11 |
36.23 |
38.04 |
39.94 |
12 |
37.32 |
39.18 |
41.14 |
13 |
38.43 |
40.35 |
42.37 |
14 |
39.60 |
41.58 |
43.65 |
16 |
40.78 |
42.82 |
44.96 |
18 |
42.00 |
44.10 |
46.31 |
20 |
43.26 |
45.42 |
47.69 |
22 |
44.55 |
46.78 |
49.12 |
24 |
45.89 |
48.18 |
50.59 |
26 |
47.28 |
49.65 |
52.13 |
28 |
47.28 |
51.14 |
53.70 |
30 |
47.28 |
51.14 |
55.31 |
Photos

Local Unit Officers, Sunnyside Community Hospital (L-R): Linda Monroe, Janice Schell, Linda Ross, Marisela Aguilar
Contract Voted In!
The vote was a unanimous “YES”. Your new contract will be in effect November 1, 2008.
Term:
3 Years (11/1/08 through 10/31/11)
Wage increases:
5% (11/1/08) 5% (11/1/09) 5% (11/1/10)
Step increases:
New step at 28 at 3% above step 26 (11/1/09)
New step at 30 at 3% above step 28 (11/1/10)
Premiums and other compensations:
Shift Differential: Increased evening shift from $2.25 to $2.50 /hr. Increased night shift from $3.50 to $3.75 / hr.
Preceptor premium: Increased from $1.00 to $1.50/hr.
Certification Pay: Increased from $1.00 to $1.50/hr.
BSN/MSN Premium: Increased from $1.00 to $1.50/hr.
Continuing Education Reimbursement: Increased from $250 to $325.
IBD Program: Incentive increased from $5.00 to $6.50.
Recognition of Experience for New Hires: New hires will receive year-for-year credit for recent continuous nursing experience in an acute care facility.
Workplace Issues:
Rosters: Rosters that are provided by the Hospital to WSNA will include each employee’s unit, FTE, and most recent date of hire into the bargaining unit.
Work Schedules: Schedules will be posted at least two pay periods prior to the beginning of the scheduled work period. Currently, schedules must be posted a minimum of two weeks prior.
Release time for negotiations: New language clarifying that more than 3 team members may receive release unpaid time for negotiations.
Family and Medical Leave: New language clarifying that one year of service need not be continuous for eligibility.
Notice of Resignation: New language clarifying that if a nurse gives at least 14 days but less than 20 days notice, he or she will receive 50% of vacation and holiday balance.
Prime Time Vacation: No longer need to be requested in one-week blocks.
The issue of meal and rest breaks has plagued nurse for many years. It has never been about nurses not wanting to take their breaks. It is about real concerns related to staffing and the ability to provide SAFE Patient Care. It is about hospitals having enough STAFF to meet the requirements of the law to provide rest breaks.
Missed meal and rest breaks have a direct relationship to short staffing which can lead to unsafe patient care. Missed meal and rest breaks are a direct result of the lack of commitment to provide adequate staffing. Missed meal and rest breaks force you to work exhausted and lead to increased medical and medication errors, thus putting both Your Patients - and YOU - in jeopardy.
We don’t think it is unreasonable to expect to be able to stop and rest for 15 minutes every 4 hours … do you?
Become a Member
Want to have a voice in your local unit? Want to be able to vote on your contract? Join WSNA today! Simply download and complete the WSNA Membership Application form, and return it to us by fax or mail.
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It's simple. Just complete the Change of Information form and return it to us by fax or mail.
Help us keep your records accurate by letting us know right away when there are changes.