Your WSNA negotiating team met this week on Monday 10/27 and Tuesday 10/28 and for the seventh and eighth day of bargaining.

On Tuesday, nurses from departments across Kadlec joined the negotiating committee to send a strong, clear, and powerful message to Management that Kadlec needs to do more to ensure that all nurses in all departments get their breaks.

Over these two days, your WSNA bargaining team met with management several times, exchanging proposals and counterproposals.

⚠️ Nurses Priority Issues 

⏱ Meal and Rest Breaks

“We aren’t ready to go there.”

That was management’s response after 17 nurses from 9 different units came to our last negotiation session to observe and speak directly about the urgent need for a dedicated Break RN process.

These nurses shared powerful, firsthand experiences about the inability to take safe, uninterrupted breaks under the current system and the impact this has not only on nurses’ well-being but also on patient safety and continuity of care.

Our proposal for a Break RN position is simple: every nurse deserves a real break, covered by qualified relief staff, so that patient care is never compromised and nurses can take the rest time that the law requires, and the profession demands.

While management did not present a counterproposal and stated they “aren’t ready to go there,” we believe the voices of frontline nurses were heard. Your stories made an impact, but we must keep the pressure on.

This is a call to action:

• Continue to document missed breaks accurately in Kronos.
• Submit ADOs whenever safe breaks cannot be taken.
• Keep sharing your stories with your bargaining team and colleagues — these lived experiences are what drive change at the table.

Management may not be ready to act yet but WSNA nurses are. Together, we’ll keep pushing until Kadlec commits to a safe and reliable Break RN system that respects both nurses and patients.

🛡 Workplace Violence Protections

During our 10/28 session, management presented a counterproposal on the composition of the Workplace Violence Prevention Committee.
This marks a small but important first step, a signal that your repeated concerns about safety and committee effectiveness are finally being acknowledged.

However, this is only the beginning, not the finish line.

Management also stated verbally that further discussion around our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) including our proposals for increased security presence and a weapons detection system should be brought “back to the committee” for continued discussion. While we look forward to having better conversations about nurse safety with proper nurse representation on the Workplace Violence Prevention Committee, we need Kadlec management to collaborate with the Union now on common sense solutions to improve security at all hospital access points.

While we welcome any sign that management is beginning to recognize these issues, this response was deeply disappointing. Asking us to take these matters back to the same committee that has been ineffective, unresponsive, and dominated by management voices misses the point entirely. Nurses have consistently raised the alarm about security vulnerabilities and the lack of meaningful follow-through, only to see concerns minimized or ignored.

We will continue to push for an effective, balanced, and responsive Workplace Violence Committee, and for the implementation of the safety systems our nurses deserve.

Keep documenting safety incidents, reporting workplace violence, and standing with your WSNA team as we demand the safe working environment that every nurse deserves.

 Wages and Advancement

Friday’s wage proposal was management’s latest wage counterproposal: A total of just 7% over three years.

• 2.5% increase at ratification
• 2.25% increases in each of the following two years
• 12% increase at ratification
• 8% increase in the second year
• 7% increase in the third year

We submitted a counter proposal on Tuesday 10/28: A total of just 27% over three years.

The Discussion

Much of the discussion at the table centered on the cost of wage increases and our proposal to move grade advancement to anniversary dates rather than accumulated hours. We made it clear to management that we are unwilling to lower on our wage proposal without genuine engagement and a concrete plan to address the wage compression that many nurses continue to experience.

This compression disproportionately affects long-term and highly skilled nurses those who have given years of dedicated service to Kadlec and deserve to see their experience properly reflected in their pay.

Management’s Focus vs. Reality

Management expressed concern that correcting wage grades would reduce the “overall pot” available for other increases suggesting that fixing wage compression would somehow disadvantage those not directly impacted.
This argument misses the point entirely.

The reality is that every dollar lost through wage compression represents money that Kadlec has already saved at the expense of its nurses. Correcting these inequities is not a “new cost” it is a moral and financial obligation to make nurses whole for years of deliberate underpayment.

⚠️ Cautious Progress

Tentative Agreements (TAs): Yes, we have had TAs over these sessions but again no meaningful movement on the top 3 priority issues. We are proud of achieving TAs (our current count is 29) but we are not ready to hang our hats on these agreements. This is meant to be a list of notable agreements but is not meant to be an exhaustive list of every language change or grammatical improvement.

• Language allowing Unit Workgroups on scheduling to define return-to-work timeframes
• Enhanced Workgroup on scheduling language reflecting the role this workgroup has in scheduling processes and maintenance.
• Per diem commitments will be a subject for discussion under the unit “workgroup on scheduling” language
• Added language to prevent personal leaves not being “unreasonably” denied
• Added “Great” grandparent and grandchildren under bereavement leave to prevent denial
• Added siblings to domestic violence leave
• PTO donation for hardship not related to Medical Leave
• Titling of historic PTO accrual process and “Legacy 1” and “Legacy 2” for clarity and readability.
• All PTO Accrual rates will indicate the per hour accrual rate for readability and consistency
• Improved work restructuring to avoid unnecessary restructuring or rebidding greater than once in a calendar year

💬 What Does It Mean to Have an Expired Contract?

Our contract with Kadlec expires on Friday, October 31. When a collective bargaining agreement expires, the contract doesn’t disappear. Key protections continue under what’s called the Status Quo Doctrine.

Under federal labor law, the Status Quo Doctrine means that the employer must maintain the same  terms and conditions of employment that existed under the expired contract until a new agreement is reached, or bargaining reaches impasse.

This includes:

• Wages, differentials, and premiums
• Health insurance and other benefits
• Scheduling practices and staffing provisions
• Paid time off, leaves, and seniority rights

Management cannot unilaterally change these terms without bargaining with WSNA.

In short, even if the contract has expired, your rights, pay, and protections remain in effect while negotiations continue. WSNA enforces the status quo to make sure Kadlec (or any employer) honors its legal obligations until a new agreement is ratified.

💬 Key Takeaways from Day 7-8

WSNA will continue to push for a safe working environment, a break system that achieves properly staffed planned uninterrupted breaks and competitive wages with meaningful economic recognition for the nurses who keep Kadlec running.

Your solidarity is working management is listening because you’re showing up, speaking out, and standing together.
Stay engaged, stay informed, and keep the pressure on.

The fight does not end here, it strengthens with every bargaining session, every hallway conversation, and every show of solidarity. Together, we will hold the line until we win a fair contract that respects our work and our community.

This is YOUR contract, and we need YOU!

Call to Action

• Complete the Workplace Violence Survey and share your stories! Take the survey now!
• Wear your blue WSNA T-shirts every Wednesday to show management that you stand behind the negotiating team.  (If you need a blue T-shirt reach out to WSNA Organizer Ryan Rosenkranz (rrosenkranz@wsna.org)

Staying Informed

• Stay informed - Read all WSNA communications and status updates from the employer
• Engage and Participate – Watch for important updates on how to support your bargaining team and fight for a fair contract
• Let your bargaining team know if you wish to be an observer during negotiations.
• Upcoming dates: November 18, December 1, 2, 15, 16 (Additional dates in November are being discussed but have not been confirmed)
• Follow on social media platforms:
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/kadlecrns
  • Instagram: @wsna_kadlec
• Make sure you check out your WSNA webpage: Kadlec Regional Medical Center - WSNA

In solidarity, Your WSNA Bargaining Team
Meri Bukovisnky- CDU, WSNA Chair
Crystal Rivera- ED, Member at Large
Milari Romero- ICU, Member at Large
Franklin Alvarez- 7RP
Andrew Blake- Cath Lab
Kelsi Duncan- NICU
Deborah Langston- PACU, Grievance officer
Anita Dennis- PACU, Grievance officer
Jamie White- 9RP, Secretary/Treasurer

Questions? Contact your Bargaining Team Members or WSNA Nurse Representative Jennifer Jackson jjackson@wsna.org