What’s in this newsletter:

• Nominations for New Officers
• HSC
• KVH Clinic Nurses
• Kittitas Health Valley Healthcare Board of Commissioners meetings
• Grievances
• Mask Fit Test notification
• Kruisin’ Kittitas
• Lauren’s Lap

Officer Nomination and Upcoming Election:

It’s time to nominate your WSNA KVH Officers. Our current officers’ term is up in August. 

Click on the link below to nominate a colleague or yourself!

WSNA/KVH OFFICER NOMINATIONS – Collaboration

You may also text Laurie Robinson with your nomination, 206-620-4136

Step Forward. Lift Others. Lead the Way.

Nurses are the heart of our profession—and our voices matter. One of the most powerful ways to shape our future is through participation in our bargaining unit leadership.

If you’ve ever thought, “Things could be better,” or “I want to help make a difference,” this is your moment.

We encourage you to:

• Nominate yourself—your experience, insight, and passion are exactly what we need.
• Nominate a colleague—recognize someone who leads with integrity, compassion, and strength.

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about caring enough to step up, listen, and advocate. Every perspective matters, and every nurse has something valuable to contribute.

By serving as an officer, you help:

• Strengthen our collective voice
• Advocate for safe, supportive working conditions
• Uphold the standards of our profession
• Support and empower your peers

Together, we can build a stronger, more unified future for nurses and for the communities we serve.

Be the voice. Be the change. Nominate today.

Hospital Staffing Committee:

UKG- The attestation regarding missed breaks does not apply to your time card. On the Timesheet under Rest Break column, pick how many breaks. Do this for both clock in and clock out. There is no code for a missed meal break- just put a note in.

ADOs- Document on each ADO that you have notified the House Supervisor before you submit. We have no expectation this would lead to a punitive situation only that we need verification that leadership notification has been accomplished. 

KVH Clinic Nurses Continue Their Fight for Representation

KVH Clinic nurses continue to fight for the opportunity to be represented by WSNA in the bargaining unit where they belong.

On December 3, 2025, during a contract bargaining session, Clinic Nurse Representative Aime Hale asked management to voluntarily recognize our 35 clinic RNs as members of the existing bargaining unit. Our contract already includes several groups of nurses who work off campus and in clinic settings, including the 4th Trimester Clinic, Cle Elum Urgent Care Center, Wound Care, Informatics, and Home Health/Hospice. Including the remaining clinic nurses is a logical next step and the right thing to do.

Unfortunately, management declined, saying they wanted to discuss the issue after contract bargaining concluded. When WSNA followed up in early 2026, management said wanted to use the Public Employment Relations Commission’s (PERC’s) more formal recognition election process rather than granting voluntary recognition. Though they aren’t as speedy as voluntary recognition, PERC’s election processes most likely would have delayed bargaining by only a few weeks.

In March, WSNA officially filed a petition with PERC seeking to add these nurses to the existing bargaining unit. This time, management outright opposed the request and made a brand new objection: they argued that clinic nurses shouldn’t join the WSNA bargaining unit at all because their jobs are too different from the hospital’s nurses. 

We know that’s not true, but PERC will now need to hold a hearing on September 16 and 17 to separate fact from fiction. Both sides will present their positions through witness testimony and written evidence, and PERC will use that information to decide whether the clinic nurses should join the existing bargaining unit. In the meantime, nearly forty nurses working in the clinics are still waiting to exercise their right to join WSNA. 

Some nurses have asked whether a hearing is required. The answer is no.

Management can still do the right thing by dropping their objection and agreeing to let the clinic nurses vote on whether to join the bargaining unit. That would save time and resources while allowing nurses to stay focused on what matters most: providing excellent care for our patients and community.

No matter where we work or whether we are already represented, we all share the same goal: delivering the highest quality care to our community.

Nurses' voices matter. Let the nurses vote.

We all know clinic nurses and hospital nurses work in tandem to care for patients across the Kittitas Valley.  We're asking KVH management to withdraw their objection to our petition and allow our clinic nurses the opportunity to vote on joining their WSNA siblings and coworkers in the existing bargaining unit. By allowing a vote, management would save time, avoid unnecessary costs, and ensure nurses have a voice in decisions that affect their profession and their patients in our community.

If management doesn’t budge, the PERC hearing in September will be open to the public. It involves witness testimony, cross-examination, and physical or digital exhibits.  Nurses and community members can watch and listen as long as they stay muted. 

Nurses' voices matter. It's time to let KVH clinic nurses have theirs

KVH BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING

At the July 23 KVH Board of Commissioners meeting, the Board voted to discontinue posting meeting recordings on YouTube and to stop publishing full board packets online. Going forward, only basic meeting agendas will be posted publicly.

For nurses and other healthcare workers, this decision raises serious concerns about transparency and access to information. Many caregivers work evenings, nights, weekends, and extended shifts that make attending 5:00 p.m. board meetings impossible. Recorded meetings and publicly available board materials have provided an important way for employees to stay informed about decisions that affect our hospital, our patients, and our community.

During the discussion, Board members cited concerns regarding AI technology and potential legal exposure associated with publicly available recordings. Yet the hospital continues to promote and utilize AI tools internally. This contradiction raises important questions about whether concerns about technology are being used to justify reduced public access to information.

The decision is particularly disappointing given past requests from employees for greater accessibility and transparency. Nurses have repeatedly sought meaningful opportunities to stay informed and engaged in hospital governance, especially when work schedules prevent attendance at public meetings.

Transparency and accountability are essential values in public healthcare. When access to information is reduced, trust can be undermined. As frontline caregivers, nurses have a vested interest in understanding the decisions being made on behalf of the hospital and the community we serve.

WSNA believes employees, patients, and community members deserve meaningful access to information about public hospital operations. We will continue to advocate for transparency, accountability, and employee engagement in decisions that affect our workplace and the care we provide.

Stay informed. Stay involved. Transparency protects everyone.

Grievances:

Work on Day Off: 

During recent Conference Committee and follow-up meetings, the Employer informed WSNA that it believes the Article 9.2 Work on Day Off premium should only apply when management directly contacts or requests a nurse to work their scheduled day off. As a result, the Employer announced that effective July 19, 2026, nurses who voluntarily sign up for open shifts on their days off would no longer receive the contractual premium. WSNA strongly disagrees with this unilateral change in the application of the contract and has taken immediate action by issuing a Cease and Desist Demand, filing an All Affected grievance, and submitting a Request for Information (RFI) on behalf of impacted nurses. The Employer has revised their initial communication that the Effective date is August 8, 2026.

We advanced this grievance to Step 2  as we had not heard back from the Employer in securing a meeting date.  We will keep members informed on the meeting date once secured.

In Lieu of Benefits:

WSNA has learned that nurses recently hired by KVH who elected the 15% salary premium in lieu of fringe benefits were initially informed that they would be permitted to take unpaid vacation time. The Employer has since reversed that position and is now asserting that these nurses must work their full FTE commitment and are not permitted to take any unpaid vacation. WSNA is deeply concerned by this sudden change in interpretation and its impact on nurses' ability to balance work, family, and personal responsibilities. Time away from work is critical to nurse well-being and patient safety, and arbitrary restrictions on unpaid leave raise serious concerns. To protect the rights of affected nurses and challenge this change, WSNA has filed a grievance on behalf of all affected bargaining unit members. We will continue to advocate for a fair and reasonable resolution and will keep members informed as the grievance progresses. We are meeting on August 3, 2026 from 1p-1:30p. We do not have a location for in person. We have set up a Teams link to attend virtually.

Microsoft Teams meeting 
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/241025924540068?p=sQ2Nh08sDrXvKJhfO9 
Meeting ID: 241 025 924 540 068
Passcode: hu3e8yE6 

Mask Fit Test:

WSNA has been provided with the following information regarding an upcoming compliance requirement. Effective August 10, KVH will require all applicable employees to be current on Mask Fit Testing to remain on the schedule. 

We have the expectation that KVH leadership will follow the CBA.

Kruisin’ Kittitas FIRST AID

WSNA and KVH Nurses will be providing a First Aid Station on 

22nd Annual Kruisin’ Kittitas Car Show and Burnouts. This event is Saturday, August 15, 2026, for the  from 10 am-4 pm on Main Street.

We are looking for 10 nurses to volunteer with us. Commitment is roughly 3 hours. We will be indoors and not exposed to the heat and wind (YAY!)

Call or Text Laurie Robinson, WSNA Nurse Representative at 206-620-4136 to volunteer!

We are looking for 12 nurses to volunteer with us on Saturday October 17, 2026. This is our third year partnership with the Lauren McCluskey Foundation to provide basic first aid and water stations on their racecourse. This event focuses on increasing campus safety awareness related to domestic violence reporting in honor of Lauren McCluskey. All supplies will be provided including T-shirts and a free lunch! Commitment is roughly 9 am-1 pm.

Take a moment and indicate your interest here so we can continue supporting this vital community event.

Sign me up!

In Solidarity,

KVH Officers:
Kara Henderson, ED, Chair
Donna McCune, FBP, Co-Chair
Hanni Johnson, ED, Secretary
Erik Berkas, ED, Treasurer
Anji Bryant, SOP, Grievance Officer
Jordan Simon, ED, Membership Officer

Questions/Concerns Contact Laurie Robinson, Nurse Representative, 206-620-4136,  lrobinson@wsna.org.

For more information on how you can get involved contact Jenny Galassi, Nurse Organizer, 206-707-2948, jgalassi@wsna.org.