PCU Grievance Update, Negotiation Survey Drawing Winners, and More!

Happy November, Good Sam Nurses!

Our contract expires in just 150 days – are you ready to start preparing for our next round of negotiations? Our colleagues at Tacoma General are currently in bargaining, and we know their wins at the table impact us when we go to negotiate next year. You can write a message here for the TG negotiations team to show MultiCare that we are united across units for our patients, coworkers, and community!

Keep reading to get the latest updates you need to know to stay informed:

💪PCU Group Grievance Update: Show Up On 11/13!

🔦Unit Rep Spotlight: Emma Morrison, Float Pool

⚡November Unit Rep Trainings

💸Consecutive Weekend Pay Update

🎉Negotiations Survey Drawing Winners

PCU Group Grievance Update: The Fight Continues!

Management has denied our request for 3:1 ratios in Step 1 of our group grievance. But this is far from over - we're officially moving to Step 2 to keep fighting for safe staffing.

📅 Step 2 Grievance Meeting

🕐 Thursday, November 13 at 1:30 pm

💻 via Teams at this link

This next meeting is critical. The more of us who show up, the louder and clearer our message becomes: 3:1 ratios are not just a request - they're a necessity for safe, sustainable care.

While speaking up is never required, we'd love for anyone who feels brave enough to share real experiences that show why 3:1s matter - stories of burnout, patient safety concerns, and the toll unrealistic assignments take on our team. These stories are powerful, and they make an impact.

We encourage everyone able to attend to show up – not just PCU nurses! We know that staffing on one unit impacts the whole hospital, and we’re ready to stand together once again.. Safe staffing saves lives - and we're not backing down. 💪

Unit Rep Spotlight: Emma Morrison, Float Pool

“Hi, my name is Emma! I am the union rep for Good Sam Float Pool. I am originally from Florida and came to Good Samaritan on a travel contract. I remember when I first started working here, I was so surprised by the working conditions compared to what I was used to. Most places do not have flex nurses, break nurses, mandated breaks, etc. We have all these things because we have a strong union. A strong union is built through staff involvement and solidarity. That’s why I wanted to become a union rep. I wanted to be able to show my coworkers, float pool, or other units, how important it is to be involved and to show them how the union works for them. I am passionate about workers’ rights and patients’ rights to safe healthcare. Safe staffing saves lives. We are always stronger when we are informed and work together.”

We appreciate all the work Emma does to advocate for safe staffing and patient care! If you have a coworker who you think would be a great unit rep, encourage them to sign up for the next training session.

November Unit Rep Trainings: Keep Our Union Strong!

Want to be more involved in our WSNA union but don’t know how? Have you been a unit rep in the past but need a refresher on what the job should look like? Just want to find out what being a unit rep is all about? Come join us for our virtual unit rep trainings this fall!

The training covers the basics of contract enforcement and workplace organizing. Topics include:

• The role of a Unit Rep
• Our rights at work
• Just cause discipline
• Investigatory Meetings
• Internal issue organizing for your unit
• Actions during contract campaigns

We’ll be holding virtual training sessions for about an hour on these dates:

• Tuesday, November 18, 0900
• Wednesday, November 19, 1500
• Wednesday, November 19, 1900
• Friday, November 21, 1200

Click this link to sign up for a session and get sent a link to attend!

Reach out to WSNA Organizer Grace at glamonte@wsna.org with any questions, or if you can’t make one of the listed training dates but would like to know more. 

Consecutive Weekend Pay Arbitration Update

Last week your union officers spoke with people at HP and Kronos to get an update on the back pay owed to nurses under the recent Consecutive Weekend Arbitration win. Currently, HP and Kronos are doing manual counts for all nurses affected by this. It’s a time consuming process, but we are hopeful that your back pay will reflect on a paycheck coming soon. Because of the Kronos changes in mid 2024, this process has become more difficult. We will let you know as soon as we have an update.

Negotiations Survey Drawing Winners

Thank you to everyone who filled out our negotiations survey this year! We heard loud and clear that the top priorities of nurses at Good Sam are fair wages, safe staffing, adequate break coverage, and workplace safety.

The five nurses who will win an item of their choice from the new WSNA store are:

• Karlyle Pence, Observation
• Chaella Galapon, OR
• Chrisan Kulesa, Float Pool
• Cindy Williams, Mother Baby
• Sean Smith, PCU

We’ll be in contact with the winners of the drawing!

Stay in the Loop!  

As our contract negotiations approach, it’s crucial that every nurse stays informed on what’s happening at the bargaining table and beyond. If you’re not getting email updates from WSNA, check your junk and spam folders. Please make sure to stay subscribed to WSNA for important Local Unit Updates - unsubscribing to one WSNA email unsubscribes you from all future updates. You can update your contact information here. Make sure you follow our Instagram, @gsh_wsna, or ask a coworker to add you to our private Facebook group.

Together, in solidarity, we protect our patients, our community, and each other.

In solidarity,

Ilia Mondoy, Co-Chair; Savanah James, Co-Chair; Mindy Thornton, Secretary; Aaron Bradley, Treasurer; Atalia Lapkin, Grievance Officer; Emalie Ann Hobi, Grievance Officer; Amber-Dawn Wilson, Grievance Officer; and Ruth Gelbach, Membership Officer

Questions? Contact one of your officers or Nurse Rep Travis Elmore Nelson, telmore@wsna.org.

Know a coworker who isn’t in our union at Good Sam, or a nurse who doesn’t have a union where they work? Reach out to organize@wsna.org and an organizer will reach out to you!