Fighting for my coworkers and my patients
Our patients deserve us at our best. If Providence wishes to continue delivering its promise of “quality, compassionate health care for everyone,” they should want us at our best, too.
News
The Heart of Providence, Sierra Little, RN
We don’t enter each negotiation with a list of demands, but rather the gut-wrenching question of “what will they take from us this time?” That reality is the saddest of all.
Our patients deserve us at our best
We deserve to be appreciated. We deserve to be able to take a “mental health day”, or to stay home with our sick kids if they need us. We deserve to feel safe when we go to work. We deserve safe staffing, to be able to provide the very best care possible for our patients. We deserve these things, but most importantly, our patients deserve us at our very best, on what could be one of the worst days of their life.
Washington State Nurses Hall of Fame nominations due Nov. 30
Is there someone who has changed your professional life and the lives of others? Now is your opportunity to nominate a person you admire for inclusion in the Washington State Nurses Hall of Fame for 2020!
It’s Election Day – Turn those ballots in!
A friendly reminder from the WSNA-PAC Board that today, Tuesday, November 5, is Election Day – no postage is required to mail your ballot!
MEDIA RELEASE: Providence Kadlec nurses vote to authorize strike
RICHLAND, Wash – After two days of voting, Kadlec members of the Washington State Nurses Association voted by an overwhelming majority to authorize a strike.
MEDIA RELEASE: Providence Sacred Heart nurses vote to authorize strike
SPOKANE, Wash – After two days of voting, Sacred Heart members of the Washington State Nurses Association voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.
Sometimes walking is the last, best option
Providence Sacred Heart and Providence Kadlec consider their options after more than a year of negotiations.
My journey to becoming an active member in WSNA
Sadly, I believe the moral decline and proposed unethical treatment of employees by Providence violates my religious convictions, and I can no longer remain neutral. While I still do not agree with some of the tactics and philosophies of unions on a global scale, I am now ready to be an active member with a voting voice through WSNA.
Joyce McMurphy, RN: An Open Letter to Providence Executives
After almost 20 years of service to Kadlec, Providence now wants to “reward” me by decreasing my PTO accrual hours, cutting nearly two weeks per year... It makes me sad to think that all you are looking at is the bottom line, and not how you are affecting my life and how you don’t think I am worthy of the PTO that I am earning after giving Kadlec 20 years of service.
WSNA statement on Governor's Executive Order on vaping
Vaping products present a serious public health risk, and we commend the Governor for taking immediate action and a multi-pronged approach.
Kelsi Duncan, RN: I'll strike if I have to
"Our goal is not a strike - our goal is a fair and just contract." We had a recent union meeting, and that phrase was said a few times, and for me it really hit home.With strike assessment and preparation now in full swing at Kadlec, the threat becomes more and more real.Make no mistake: I will strike if I have to, without hesitation. But that is a scary thought.
We won! Now what? Learn about legislation that impacts nurses
Attend an event in our Fall Leadership Series. Learn what you can do as a nurse to ensure successful implementation of new laws aimed at preventing workplace violence and protecting overtime and breaks for healthcare professionals.
Five Washington state nurses inducted as AAN fellows, one inducted as NCSBN fellow
WSNA would like to congratulate five Washington state nurses on being named 2019 fellows by AAN, and one on being named a NCSBN fellow.
Opioid overdose drug available in pharmacies
Naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, will be available at pharmacies throughout Washington after Dr. Kathy Lofy, state health officer, signed a statewide standing order on Aug. 28.
Unions are on the rise in Washington — with good reason
A new report details how union members in Washington state earn significantly higher wages and are more likely to get health care and retirement benefits than their non-union counterparts.
Florence Nightingale musical to tour Seattle area in 2020
WSNA members are invited to “Nightingale: A Musical Regarding the Life & Passionate Nature of Miss Florence Nightingale,” playing at various Washington venues in 2020.
Some medicines and driving don’t mix
The Department of Health and the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission are working with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to help spread the word about impaired driving from prescription and nonprescription drugs.
Remember to vote
A friendly reminder from the WSNA-PAC Board that Washington state’s Primary Election is Tuesday, August 6 – no postage is required to mail your ballot! The WSNA-PAC has endorsed candidates in two special election legislative races.
WSNA, SEIU 1199NW, UFCW21 win Mother Jones Organizational Award from State Labor Council
WSNA won the Mother Jones Organizational Award on July 26 at the annual Washington State Labor Council convention for our work on rest breaks legislation. Co-recipients were SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW21.
Rally for patients before profits at Providence headquarters
WSNA members from Sacred Heart and Kadlec joined hundreds of outraged nurses, health care workers, state labor leaders, public officials and union activists from across Washington on July 26 to hold a “Rally for Patients Before Profits” at Providence corporate headquarters.
Interview with Matthew McGuire, St. Joe’s RN, on why he has “no reservations” recommending the TA
Bargaining team member Matthew McGuire: "This TA gives us a strong contract that I have no reservations recommending."
Cutting corners on RN benefits and working conditions proves costly for St. Joseph Medical Center-Tacoma
Nurse turnover at SJMC is, for lack of a better word, obscene, and incredibly costly.According to WSNA membership data, SJMC turned over 276 nurses in 2017, and 248 in 2018. This comes out to a turnover rate of 24.2% and 20.9% each year, respectively – rates much higher than national averages.
Member post: SJMC nurses demand better
Why nurses demand and deserve better than what St. Joseph Medical Center-Tacoma has offered.