More answers to questions about the Campus Incorporation MOU
Posted Apr 22, 2026
April 22, 2026
Your questions are important. Today, Confluence Health nurses asked for more information about seniority, what we mean when we say there’s power in numbers, and other groups of nurses who recently joined a larger bargaining unit at other facilities. Answers to your questions on all those topics and more is in our Newsletter here.
RN Invested at Central Weighs In
Many of us know Laura Gaukroger-Holland. It’s hard not to. She started at Central in 1981 and worked in Peds, OB, ED, home health & hospice, and now is a nurse navigator in oncology infusion in the Mares building.
What some of us might not know (but wouldn’t be surprised by) is that Laura was quite the mover and shaker in her nursing career. She started the fetal loss program in OB and the SANE program in ED, managing it for 28 years. It’s no wonder that she is 1 of only 2 nurses that earned the “Nurse of the Year” award twice! Laura also raised a daughter who is now a nurse at Confluence, caring for geriatric patients in our community. Not only has Laura had an indelible mark on nursing and our community in Wenatchee, she has a very specific perspective on what’s happening right now for nurses at Confluence.
Laura is one of the many nurses that supported and voted on an MOU with the Central nurses to join the WSNA contract in 2024, with the full support of Cen-tral RNs. When asked about the recent conversations about people voting no, here’s what Laura had to say:
“I wish I understood better why some Central nurses want to vote no and not support the nurses at Mares joining us. I just went through this when we orga-nized and joined the Central contract 2 years ago. I would have been very upset if we had been treated this way. It makes me sad to know there are RNs that aren’t represented and don’t have the same safeguards as we do. I work in the Mares building now and I would hope that every nurse working under the CH umbrella should have the same protections, benefits and pay potential.
I recently had knee surgery at Mares and I received excellent care. I had firsthand experience with every single nurse along the way making a difference for me as a patient.
I’m going to vote yes. I just turned 70 and I’m retiring soon. Though this won’t affect me, I’m voting yes because I’ve always been focused on what’s best for the community – and that’s all of us nurses finding strength together.”
- Laura Gaukroger-Holland, Nurse Navigator, Central RN, Mare Campus
Building Union Strength in other places
In December, clinic nurses in nearby Ellensburg asked Kittitas Valley Healthcare to voluntarily recognize their addition to the WSNA bargaining unit at KVH’s acute care hospital. The hospital nurse-led KVH bargaining team welcomed clinic nurses to join them at the bargaining table to officially deliver that request. That’s just one of the examples you’ll find in today’s newsletter.
Stay informed and read more in our Newsletter
If you have questions, please contact:
Laurie Robinson RN, Nurse Representative
lrobinson@wsna.org