The WSNA Cabinet on Economic and General Welfare is proud to announce the Local Unit Awards to be presented during the 2022 Leadership Conference on April 24 - 26. Please nominate someone that you feel has done an outstanding job as a local unit leader.
WSNA nurses share firsthand accounts of understaffing from the front lines.
The public is becoming increasingly aware of a problem nurses have known about for a long time: the nurse staffing crisis that is dangerously depleting our hospitals. The COVID-19 pandemic has both highlighted and accentuated this crisis.
WSNA and the other two primary health care unions in Washington state call for a sustainÂable, accountÂable commitÂment to safe staffing in every departÂment of every hospital in the state.
WSNA members are raising their voices and standing together to win the contracts they deserve. Congratulations to these local units who recently won at the bargaining table (as of November 2021).
David Keepnews has a long track record and distinguished career as a nurse, labor proponent, professor, policy specialist and advocate for our practice. He joins WSNA at a critical time for our members, our union and our profession. David is already bringing his experience, skills and passion to the job.
Press release / Statement
We call on employers to clarify their policies, and we call on the state to ensure workers cannot be forced to return while sick, or disciplined for refusing to work while symptomatic with COVID.
"I became a nurse in 1994 — I feel very fortunate to have had such a rewarding career as a nurse and union member for the last 27 years. I feel nursing is a calling and vocation and not just a job."
Press release
Today a coalition of healthcare workers launched the WA Safe + Healthy campaign calling on Washington legislators to pass safe staffing standards that protect healthcare workers from dangerously high patient loads.
On Dec. 13, join the launch of our statewide campaign to ensure that we can care for patients safely, retain qualified staff, recruit new people into our industry, and create sustainable and resilient healthcare systems for our communities.
Press release
Following the 11th bargaining session with St. Joseph’s Medical Center, nurses represented by the Washington State Nurses Association are launching a strike petition, the first step towards a potential strike if a contract cannot be reached.
Press release
WSNA stands with 32,000 nurses and health professionals including members of our AFT-affiliated nurses at Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals who intend to begin their strike at Kaiser Permanente locations in Washington, Oregon and California starting November 15.
Press release
Hundreds of nurses, patients and community leaders gathered outside St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma on Nov. 3 to demand the hospital improve conditions so nurses can provide safe, high-quality care to every patient.
Press release
Nurses and other frontline workers are calling on hospitals to use the tools and resources they have available to finally begin mitigating this crisis for workers and patients.
Despite the challenges of virtual negotiations during a pandemic, WSNA members are organizing and mobilizing to win great contract settlements across the state. Congratulations to these local units who have fought for and won new contracts so far this year (as of July 2021).
The reality cannot be overstated: Washington hospitals are on the brink of a crisis, and without immediate and impactful action to retain and attract critical workers the state’s health care system could face an unprecedented collapse in capacity and care.
Because Governor Inslee has issued this mandate, health care employers – public and private – have to abide by the mandate. However, all employers still have to bargain with WSNA over the effects of the mandate.
Press release / Statement
As unions repreÂsenting nurses and health care workers in Washington state, WSNA, SEIU HealthÂcare 1199NW and UFCW21 support science-based public health direcÂtives on COVID-19 vacciÂnaÂtion requireÂments for frontÂline health care workers, with medical and religious exempÂtions.
During this year’s Washington State Nurses Convention, we hope nurses across Washington state will feel connected to and supported by others who have also felt the heavy weight of the pandemic on their shoulders.
Press release
Nurses say PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center needs to do more to attract new nurses and retain the nurses it has after a brutal year on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. On April 10, hundreds of registered nurses and supporters rallied at the Vancouver Waterfront to call for safe nurse staffing at Southwest.
These recent murders are only the most violent, visible manifestations of the increased racism against community members of Asian and Pacific Islander descent that has been a dreadful side effect of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I strongly encourage you to work closely with the health care workers and their unions in your facilities as you are developing your COVID vaccine distribution and prioritization plan," wrote Governor Jay Inslee in a letter to hospital administrators on Dec. 15.
Press release
Representing more than 64,000 nurses and frontline health care workers, the Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 applaud Governor Jay Inslee for listening to and addressing the concerns of our members.
Nurses will continue to step up and take care of patients through this pandemic; state health officials and hospitals need to step up and make sure nurses have what they need to stay safe and healthy
