These are not isolated comments. These are the words NICU nurses are using in scores of ADOs and postcards sent to CNE Lori Chudnofsky. The message from the bedside could not be clearer: the current situation in the NICU is unsustainable. Nurses are exhausted, fearful for patient safety, and pleading with leadership to take meaningful action before things get worse.

Every shift, NICU nurses continue showing up for our patients and for one another despite critically short staffing, increasing acuity, and mounting moral distress. But dedication alone cannot fix a staffing crisis. Nurses cannot continue carrying the burden of management’s failure to adequately staff this unit.

At Hospital Staffing Committee, management claimed they are doing everything possible to improve staffing levels. We know that is simply not true. MultiCare leadership continues to refuse to meaningfully increase Incentive Pay despite repeated warnings from frontline nurses that the current rates are not enough to bring staff in.

At Conference Committee, Lori stated she was “sorry we didn’t know what we agreed to” regarding the new contract. Let us be absolutely clear: the decision to cap IPP at $20/hour is entirely a management decision. The contract does not prevent MultiCare from offering higher flat dollar incentive rates. If management truly wanted to do everything possible to address this crisis, they could increase IPP immediately. The reality is that they are choosing not to.

Meanwhile, nurses continue working short, missing meals and breaks, given assignments that do not meet contract or professional safety standards, and carrying the emotional weight of knowing our patients deserve better.

ADOs and Postcards to Lori

The ADOs and postcards matter. They are building the record that shows exactly what nurses in the NICU are experiencing, and we need every nurse to continue documenting unsafe staffing and speaking out.

Your ADOs help establish a formal record showing that management is failing to meet staffing plan requirements. We can use those unresolved ADOs as part of complaints to the Department of Health. The postcards send a direct message to MultiCare leadership that NICU nurses are united and demanding action.

When filing an ADO, please make sure to include:

• The patient census
• How many nurses were required according to the staffing plan
• How many nurses were actually staffed

Those details are critical for DOH investigations into unresolved staffing concerns.

If you aren’t sure you have the information for an ADO still fill one out and we can help you out later. What’s important is getting the ADO filed.

This campaign only works if we stand together. Every ADO filed, every postcard submitted, and every nurse who speaks up strengthens our collective voice.

Upcoming Union Meetings

We want to hear directly from you. We will be hosting virtual Local Unit meetings on 5/26/2026 with both morning and evening sessions. We will discuss what actions WSNA is taking to pressure MultiCare, what additional steps may come next, and how nurses can continue building power together.

We will also answer questions and hear your concerns directly.

5/26 Morning Session – 0800
Join the Meeting

5/26 Evening Session – 2000
Join the Meeting

Local Unit Rules Vote Tomorrow 5/14

With everything happening right now, a Local Unit Rules vote may not seem like the biggest priority, but building a strong union infrastructure matters, especially during moments like this.

These rules are an important step toward strengthening our local union and ensuring nurses have elected leadership ready to organize, advocate, and fight alongside you. Ballots will be sent to personal email addresses tomorrow, and your officer team recommends a YES vote.

Nurses Week

We heard the frustration from Mary Bridge nurses who were excluded from Tacoma General Nurses Week activities this year. While WSNA does not control how MultiCare chooses to recognize Nurses Week, we want you to know this: we see you.

We see the exhaustion.
We see the sacrifices.
We see the emotional toll this work takes.
And we see the extraordinary care you continue to provide to our patients and families every single day.

NICU nurses deserve more than praise during Nurses Week. You deserve safe staffing, respect, support, and leadership willing to act before nurses are pushed past the breaking point.

Congratulations to all of the WSNA Nurses Week winners, and don’t forget to send us your Rage Room pictures.

In solidarity,
Crystal Anderson, Chair
Randi Neff, Co-Chair
Michele Christianson, Treasurer
Rosie Robertson, Grievance Officer

Questions? Contact Nurse Rep Jared Richardson, jrichardson@wsna.org.