Since the start of negotiations, we have been clear with MultiCare: Charge Nurses are WSNA nurses. The charge nurse role is critical to a safely run unit. These experienced leaders have the clinical skills to make decisions that affect patient outcomes. Charge nurses are responsible for matching patient acuity to the skills and abilities of nurses on shift, run codes, ensure correct low census and floating order is followed, and act as a resource to everyone on shift. They are quite literally the hub of a unit – providing an anchor for all the doctors, nurses and families to connect to in taking care of our patients.

This requires charge nurses to be physically present on the unit. Clinical Assistant Nurse Managers (CANMs) are just not there. This role is important, but worth noting is that it is primarily administrative. This means they are in large part in meetings or in an office – not on the unit, where patient care happens.

When MultiCare started requiring Clinical Assistant Nurse Managers (CANMs) on certain units to take two charge shifts a week, they made it clear that they see charge nurse duties as an afterthought to office duties and productivity metrics. MultiCare has told us that they are not interested in discussing the role of CANMs with us at negotiations because it is not a bargaining unit position. If this is the case, why are CANMs doing bargaining unit work?

The answer is simple: MultiCare wants all nurses to do more with less.

In the case of CANMs, they want them to do two jobs for the price of one. We’re fighting back against these attacks on our union and standing up for the charge nurse role. Today, we are filing a Unit Clarification (UC) petition with the National Labor Relations Board arguing that CANMs are doing bargaining unit work and as such, should be added to our unit and represented by WSNA. We are filing this petition across all WSNA MultiCare facilities to ensure that the CANMs at Tacoma General and Mary Bridge NICU are also properly classified.

We know that asking CANMs to do office duties alongside their charge duties is a stressor for them. There is high turnover for this job, and many CANMs have expressed that they would rather be doing their administrative work than taking a charge shift. One person responded to the CANM survey by saying “Our CANMs are wonderful but it isn't fair that they are required to do two charge nurse shifts a week per their management…I think it keeps them from their administrative tasks more.”

What’s UC petition? 

This petition, called a Unit Clarification Petition (UC), is filed to seek clarification on the scope of a Bargaining Unit. We are contending that charge nurse duties are solely the work of WSNA bargaining unit nurses – MultiCare should either agree to fold CANMs into the Bargaining Unit or stop requiring CANMs to do charge nurse shifts.

What’s our contract say? 

Article 4.13.1: Bargaining unit nurses, with the appropriate knowledge, skills, and ability, will have priority when a charge nurse assignment(s) is determined as needed.

The fight so far: 

WSNA has filed grievances on CANMs at all MultiCare WSNA facilities. At Tacoma General, they won an expedited arbitration process in their last contract, which will be heard in June. In addition to going through the grievance process, we have read MultiCare over 50 testimonials you sent in from the CANM survey that provide examples of times when asking CANMs to do two jobs has put patient and nurse safety at risk. We continue to bring these testimonials to negotiations, but MultiCare has refused to engage at all on this issue.

What can I do to help?

 Fill out the CANM survey! We are still reading survey responses to MultiCare at the table. With the federal mediator coming to negotiations on Monday, it’s more important than ever to share your experience with CANMs in the charge role. You can fill out the survey here.