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Officers

Chair

Chris Jakubowski

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Secretary/Treasurer

Doug Harper, RN

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Grievance Officer

Janet O. Bower, RN

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Grievance Officer

Casey Brown

Membership Officer

Claire Rovang


WSNA staff contact

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Don't be fooled

Refuse to be harassed

 Our WSNA local units have let us know that the so-called “Freedom Foundation” has emailed nurses at the UW Medical Center Montlake and Northwest campuses using an optout.org email address. Opt Out is a campaign in Freedom Foundation’s long-running efforts to curtail worker power and destroy unions. We will not be fooled.

Unfortunately, the state cannot legally stop the Freedom Foundation from getting our names, birthdates, and email addresses, but we can ignore their messages.

The Freedom Foundation wants us to think things would be better if we didn’t have our union or that nothing would change if we just stopped paying our membership dues. That’s just nonsense. Our membership and solidarity with each other are the only things that allows us to speak with one unified voice and achieve contract gains that protect the public, our patients, and our professional lives.

So, who is the Freedom Foundation and why will they try to convince us to give up our union voice?

The Freedom Foundation is, at its core, anti-worker and anti-union. Their goal is to undermine unions so they can implement an extreme agenda that includes cutting health care, pensions and wages of workers, undermining funding and privatizing public services, and attacking the rights of underrepresented communities. The Freedom Foundation’s Opt Out campaign is an attack on workers. Learn more about how Opt Out is working to undermine worker power at: "Opt Out Today" Overview (accountablenw.org)

Freedom Foundation harassment tactics and how you can stop it:

Freedom Foundation operatives have been known to show up at facilities where employees work. They have harassed union members at their homes. They have even gone to the homes of workers and claimed to be a representative of the worker’s union. The good news is that if we are informed and ready, we can stop them and their dirty tricks. Here are some tips to protect yourself if you are contacted by the Freedom Foundation.

Freedom Foundation email harassment and how you can stop them

Contrary to what the so-called Freedom Foundation said in emails targeting WSNA nurses, our active involvement in our union is what keeps us strong. We have negotiated with management agreements that our members have ratified time and again. We need 100% membership and involvement so we can keep pushing, keep advocating, and keep winning at the bargaining table and at the State Legislature for our members and our community. Here are some ways you can block unwanted email from the Freedom Foundation:

  • Reporting email as SPAM or Junk: Outlook and other email servers will often allow you to report messages as spam, which helps to identify and filter similar messages and those from the same sender as spam.
  • Blocking a Message: Another option, if you employer uses Outlook, is to block a message. This option will add the sender of the message to a block list and automatically mark any message from them as junk.
  • FTC Do Not Call Registry: If you receive an unwanted call from the Freedom Foundation you can report it to the FTC’s do not call registry (National Do Not Call Registry).

 REMINDER: Do not reply to any email you receive from the Freedom Foundation from your work email. The emails we have seen from the Freedom Foundation to our members invite you to “respond to this email with any questions you might have.” Don’t let them lure you into violating state policy by using your work email to respond.

We are in this together

As union nurses we know we do our best work when we work together and our commitment to each other through our union is no different. Now more than ever we need every nurse to stand together in our union to ensure the best care for our community and the strongest voice for our profession.

Let’s not be fooled or harassed by an organization that aims to destroy our unity and our power.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact Nurse Representative Ed Zercher for Montlake at ezercher@wsna.org or Stephenie Troftgruben for Northwest at stroftgruben@wsna.org.

Resources and tools

Document unsafe conditions

If you find yourself in a situation that you believe creates unsafe conditions for patients or for you, you should complete a Staffing Complaint / ADO Form as soon as possible.

By completing the form, you will help make the problem known to management, creating an opportunity for the problem to be addressed. Additionally, you will be documenting the facts, which may be helpful to you later if there is a negative outcome.

WSNA also uses your ADO forms to track the problems occurring in your facility. When you and your coworkers take the important step of filling out an ADO form, you are helping to identify whether there is a pattern of unsafe conditions for you or your patients at your facilities. This information is used by your conference committee, staffing committee, and WSNA labor staff to improve your working conditions.

Learn more

Representation rights

As a union member, you have the right to have a representative present in any meetings with management that could potentially lead to disciplinary action against you.

If called into a meeting with management, read the following to management when the meeting begins:

If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, I respectfully request that my union representative be present at this meeting. Without representation present, I choose not to participate in this discussion.

Find out more about this crucial right and how to exercise it to ensure your fair treatment and protection.

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Continuing education offerings

Enhance your professional competency with WSNA's free online courses.

Earn CNE contact hours through topics like Cultural Humility, Telehealth Assessment, Workplace Violence Prevention, and more. Convenient and self-paced, our courses provide practical knowledge for your daily work. Expand your skills and stay up-to-date with the latest nursing practices.

Visit cne.wsna.org to access our courses and earn CNE contact hours.

Visit cne.wsna.org