In this update nurses can read about the following:

• Save the Dates- Leadership Convention and Lobby Day
• Grievance Updates
• Union Meeting
• Break Buddies

SAVE THE DATES- Leadership Convention. April 26-28

Our Leadership convention will be held in Wenatchee, WA on April 26-28, 2026. Nurses interested in attending should contact their local officers or WSNA Nurse Representative! Nurses may use education funds to cover time off or PTO and our union may have scholarship funds available to reimburse nurses who attend. Learn how to level up as a union nurse!

Lobby Day- Olympia, WA. January 29, 2026

The day starts at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast at the DoubleTree by Hilton Olympia. This will be followed by an education and training session designed to equip nurses with everything needed to speak effectively with legislators. Lunch will be served and from there nurses head up to the Capitol to visit with their own state legislators on issues important to nurses.

Your strong voices and subject matter expertise can make a meaningful impact in Olympia. By attending Lobby Day, you will learn more about WSNA’s legislative priorities and how to advocate for the changes necessary to protect nurses and ensure patient safety. Your voice is critical- register today!

Contract Violations

Our union is working on two grievances that nurses should tune into as they affect all of our nurses at Holy Family.

• Mandatory Low Census- we have received multiple instances of nurses being placed on mandatory low census WITHOUT nurses being asked to volunteer. We feel there are many hands in the pot of how low census is given out. Through the grievance the Employer will be obligated to demonstrate how they actually seek volunteers before assigning mandatory low census.
• Certification Premium- this grievance is at Step 3 to be heard by Susan Scott soon. Nurses are only being paid certification pay for the day they upload their certificates into Genesis. We feel our contract states nurses will be paid to the date they are certified. The Employer has provided responses that demonstrate a systematic unwillingness to flex on this based on their policy. We feel our contract supersedes their policies.

Union Meeting Thursday, Oct. 16, via Teams (8-9 pm)

Join us tonight at 8p for our local union meeting! We will have basic ground rules for virtual meetings including cameras being on, names being assigned to login, and a roll call for the unit you work on. Join with the link below!

Break Buddies

Did you know that under WA state law nurses are entitled to an uninterrupted meal period? You can read that here in the RCW. This means nurses should be provided with break relief, report off to the break relief, and take an uninterrupted meal period. There are emergent circumstances where nurses can be called back from break but if called back for any other reason, that break is considered interrupted and is due compensation.

Did you know that Holy Family has a unit that utilizes a dedicated break nurse? We have heard from hospital leaders that break nurses are not a practical solution. We believe they are the safest solution for our nurses and our patients.

What is a break buddy system? A break buddy system is where two nurses who both have patient assignments provide break relief for each other. This could result in a nurse having 6-8 patients for a time period. This is an unsafe practice and WSNA highly encourages you to file a staffing complaint anytime you are asked to participate in a break buddy system. Nurses should demand full break relief.

Questions? Contact your local officers, hospital staffing committee members, or your WSNA Nurse Rep Alle Machorro at amachorro@wsna.org.