May 2026 Newsletter
Posted May 5, 2026
What’s in this newsletter:
- Nurses Week
- WSNA Leadership Conference
- Education
- Hospital Staffing Committee and Conference Committee
- Grievances
- Bargaining Unit Meeting
Happy Nurses Week to the incredible nurses who embody strength, passion, integrity, and unwavering dedication each and every day. Your resilience in the face of challenges, your compassion for those in need, and your steadfast commitment to delivering exceptional care make a profound difference in the lives of your patients and their families. You serve not only as caregivers, but as advocates, leaders, and pillars of support within your communities and among your colleagues. Your integrity guides your actions, your passion fuels your purpose, and your dedication inspires us all—thank you for the extraordinary impact you make every single day.
We will be coming around May 6 to wish you a happy week and bring you some tasty treats. Wear your WSNA T-Shirt in solidarity!
WSNA Leadership Conference
Nurses attending the WSNA Leadership Conference participated in dynamic discussions highlighting small- unit wins and the strength of collective leadership. Through shared experiences and practical strategies, nurse leaders left empowered to advocate more effectively and drive positive changes in their workplace and communities.
We had amazing representation from our Confluence Health nurses!
Todd Avis, Central Case Manager
Simon Morton, Central Resource
Stefanie Gates, Central PACU
Paul Molenaar, Central ED
Ann Francis, Centra PCU
Rita Lovett, Central MOU
Cameron Dacey, Central Residencies
Karen Larsen, Central MOU
Zima Dmitrii, Central ED
Marshall Shoddy, Mares OR
Stacey Holeman, Mares M/S
Chris Gallup, Mares OR
Caitlin Orange, Mares GI
Megan Baute, Mares GI
Education
Have you had a chance to use your Education Paid Leave or education funds yet?
If not, we encourage you to take a look—these benefits are outlined in Article 5.4 of your contract. They can make a big difference when it comes to meeting state licensing and certification requirements, and it’s a great opportunity to invest in your professional growth.
5.4 Education.
Nurses attending mandatory in-person education classes/meetings and in-services, including those for which attendance may be considered in the nurses’ performance evaluations, shall be considered time worked and shall be paid according to Section 5.3, Overtime. If nurses are required to attend mandatory education on a weekend Section 8.8, Weekend Premium Pay applies to all hours spent in instructor-led courses. This includes attendance at CPR, Body Mechanics, Fire and Safety, Infection Control classes and other mandatory in-services. Attendance at voluntary in-service programs may be compensated at the Unit Director’s discretion.
Online education, including recorded staff meetings, for which the staff nurse has greater than four (4) weeks (28 day) to complete, will be compensated at the nurse’s base rate of pay and will not be subject to rest between shift overtime (unless over (forty) 40 hours in one week), or consecutive weekend pay. Certification and BSN pay will be paid on education hours. The nurse may work with their manager to have up to a four (4) hour block scheduled for to complete online education.
Each nurse shall be allowed thirty-two (32) hours of education leave per year; provided such leave is subject to scheduling requirements of the Hospital and approval by the Chief Nursing Officer of the subject matter to be studied. Tuition costs and travel expenses in full or in part for such programs may be paid by the Employer, subject to budgetary considerations. Travel shall be compensated at the effective IRS rate for mileage.
A nurse who is paid for hours attending a non-mandatory educational offering under this Section shall not have those hours considered as worked hours for purposes of computing overtime or determining whether the nurse may be subject to low census upon the nurse’s return to work.
In addition, WSNA offers professional development to help you stay current and enhance your professional competency. Our diverse education opportunities include online classes, in-person workshops and conferences.
Link to WSNA education: Education - WSNA.
Hospital Staffing Committee
March: No new ADOs. The committee followed up on a series of ADOs submitted by an Oncology Nurse Navigator. Some progress has been made, but a concrete solution instead of a temporary solution to the high workload of the submitter is pending.
April: A single ADO from the ED. This will be carried over until this month’s meeting to provide time to review.
Conference Committee
March:
- CNO met with MBU. Will move to floating away from their unit that there will be a 20 min. recall period.
- RNs holding a position and Pool was addressed. A dual site arrangement would create significant challenges related to payroll processes and competency maintenance.
- ED Pool nurses are experiencing the inability to secure shifts that they have scheduled for as the employer reports these shifts must go to travelers. WSNA stated that having 10 travelers in the ED is excessive and that CH is not adhering to the contract regarding bonuses and Pool nurse provisions.
- ED/ICU Flex position- the concern arose that ED staff is being floated off the unit while the ED/ICU Flex staff have not. Any nurse scheduled for the ED will follow a float list to ensure equitability. An ED float is as a sitter only with a 20-minute return to the ED for urgent needs.
- Mandatory Education. If a nurse has outstanding mandatory education, the CBA article 5.4 addresses: “The nurse may work with their manager to have up to a four (4) hour block scheduled for to complete online education.” It is important to meet the schedule to complete.
- Tie Breaking process for positions: CH using a random number generator.
April:
- Nurse was required to use PTO when calling off a Standby shift- CH affirms that it does not require a nurse to use PTO when calling in sick for a Standby shift.
- OR is only allowing the most senior RN to participate in IP. The CBA does not look at seniority for IP. CH will review.
- Floating off a unit to fulfill a holiday. The CBA does not distinguish where the holiday is fulfilled.
- Pre-population of weekends. A unit may need to evaluate the need to require nurses to work every other weekend if a unit is seeing over staff on weekends and understaff during the weekdays. The CBA does not require every other weekend only equitability.
- ED Pool nurses’ grievance is in abeyance while we work through a resolution.
Grievances
- Pool Nurses, All Affected: Pool nurses have self-scheduled for open shifts and availability only to be denied BU work to meet travel nurses FTEs. We believe that this is a violation of 8.15 Incentive Bonus Program: To provide incentives for more RNs to commit to working extra shifts to meet patient needs and to decrease the use of travel nurses.
*This grievance has been placed in abeyance while we work with CH to find a solution.
Bargaining Unit Meetings
To provide a predictable schedule for the members of the bargaining unit, we will be offering a monthly meeting. This will provide members with the opportunity to ask questions and share concerns as well as to stay involved. This meeting will be on May 13. The time and location TBD and we will send out a Hustle text for notification.
Contact an Officer or Nurse Representative for questions or concerns
YOU ARE WSNA
In solidarity,
Stefanie Gates- Chair
Isaiah Ray- Co-Chair
Open- Secretary
Simon Morton- Treasurer
Paul Molenaar- Membership
Brittney Lamb- Grievance Officer
Todd Avis- Grievance Officer
Laurie Robinson Nurse Representative
lrobinson@wsna.org
Jenny Galassi Nurse Organizer
jgalassi@wsna.org