Yesterday was our fourteenth bargaining session with MultiCare Good Samaritan. For thirteen sessions, we told them why we need ratios to address staffing issues in the Hospital. Session after session, MultiCare told us they could not and would not implement ratios in the contract. But after months of collective action from nurses and an outpouring of community support, MultiCare started to move in the right direction.

At bargaining yesterday, MultiCare passed us a proposal that would provide ratios in exchange for getting rid of the Additional Resources MOU that provides our free flex and free charge nurses. Management’s ratio proposal included ratios that either captured a unit’s current staffing standard or provided a ratio that assigned more patients per nurse than the current staffing standard (i.e., equal or worse to current staffing standards we already have).  

Let’s be clear: the fact that MultiCare finally engaged on our ratios proposal means that our actions are working. But we aren’t going to accept a watered-down version of ratios in exchange for giving up the additional resources that ensure we get our breaks. We know how much our Additional Resources means to us.  We shouldn’t give up those resources to get the minimum staffing protections we need. 

Before MultiCare left yesterday, we passed them a counterproposal that included these ratios:

• Medical/Surgical: 1:4 with ancillary staff
• Progressive Care: 1:3 with PCU patients or 1:4 with med-surg patients and ancillary staff
• Critical Care: 1:1 or 1:2 
• ED: 1:4, 1:5 for fast track
• OR: 1 RN Circulator; 1 Scrub; higher level cases may have a second RN
• PACU: 1:2 
• NICU: 1:2-3 
• Birth Center: 1:1 or 1:2 
• Women and Infant: 1:3 couplets 
• Antepartum: 1:3 stable or 1:1 non-stable

MultiCare is also still proposing wages that are less than Tacoma General wages. They expect us to take less despite the work we do for the Hospital and the communities we serve. We shouldn’t have to give up necessary resources or fair wages to advocate for our patients and the care we provide. 

MultiCare’s settlement over CANMs and their recent pivot to ratios tells us one thing: they are scared of what happens when we come together in solidarity.  

THE ASK: If we want the deal we deserve, we cannot take our feet off the gas. They are looking to see if we will accept a deal that gives us less than other nurses in the MultiCare system. We hear you. We know we are worth more than that. Let’s show them what integrity and solidarity look like. 

• Attend our Local Unit Meeting tonight – we’ll be in-person for our usual virtual 8PM Sip and Chat, but we’ll also be in-person at the Mt. Adams conference room from 6-9PM. Come and grab some WSNA swag – for those that ordered WSNA pride shirts, you can pick up your shirt at the conference room today! 

Join our virtual union update meeting at this link, or dial in to +1 206-485-2614,,440787939#. 

• Observe our next bargaining session on 7/8 from 12-4PM – our observers yesterday gave the bargaining team leverage at the table. Management originally had not scheduled a session until July 20th, but yesterday they came back to us and offered us a date of July 8th. Our next bargaining location has not been confirmed yet – we will send out the details as soon as we have them. Reach out to WSNA Organizer Grace at 206-553-9794 or glamonte@wsna.org for more info. 
   
• Stay updated and make sure your coworkers are kept in the loop – make sure that your email address is updated and remind your coworkers to do the same. When we eventually get a TA and vote on the contract, the vote will be electronic and will be sent to your personal WSNA email address on file. You can update your WSNA contact information here. 

For behind the scenes bargaining content, MultiCare memes, and Blue Friday photos, follow our Instagram @gsh_wsna here. For discussion and questions in a private members-only space, join our Facebook group! Ask an officer or coworker to add you.

If you’re not on social media but still want to stay in the loop and join conversations on bargaining, download the app Signal and join our private discussion group here.

Incoming MultiCare CEO Florence Chang Ignores Town Hall Invite

We were disappointed when both Good Samaritan President Dawn Anuszkiewicz and MultiCare Chief Nursing Officer Caren Lewis declined our town hall invite, saying that they prefer these discussions to happen at the bargaining table. 

MultiCare President and incoming CEO Florence Change ignored the invite entirely. We were hoping that Florence would want to start repairing the broken trust between MultiCare and their nurses, but it seems that it is not one of her priorities right now. Nurses need transparency and accountability from leaders, especially as C-Suite salaries continue to climb into the millions. 

MultiCare Can’t Decide on Market Pricing

MultiCare continues to negotiate with insurance company Premera Blue Cross, saying that “Strong contracts are what allow us to serve our communities the way they deserve...we hope Premera will join us in finalizing an agreement that protects access to care and puts patients first.”  

We are glad to see that MultiCare realizes the importance of a strong contract. MultiCare has been asking Premera for Seattle pricing for care in Spokane and Eastern Washington, arguing that Premera’s current rates are lower than their competitors. 

During our negotiations, MultiCare told us we can’t have Auburn hospital wages because we’re in Pierce County, not King County. 

Which is it, MultiCare? If Seattle rates are appropriate when MultiCare is getting paid, why aren’t they appropriate when it comes to paying the nurses providing the care?

Read the Full Article Here

Paint GSH Blue! 

Your WSNA Bargaining Team is requesting that EVERY NURSE wear their WSNA T-Shirt at work (especially on Fridays and bargaining days)! 

In Solidarity, your WSNA Bargaining Team: 

Co-Chair Savanah James, PCU; Treasurer Aaron Bradley, Palliative Care; Secretary Mindy Groven, PACU; Grievance Officer Emalie Hobi, ED; Jordan Goakey, Family Birth; Nicole Mandeville, ICU; Jennifer Hudson, ED; Jacqueline Dynes, ICU. 

Please contact Travis Elmore Nelson, WSNA Nurse Rep, at telmore@WSNA.org or 206-575-7979 ext. 3117 with questions or to find out what you can do to get a fair contract!