You have all been making your voices heard, your concerns known and what we need for patient and staff safety. At our Hospital Staffing Committee meeting the employer let us know that they are planning to start a pilot program for break relief! These shifts will be 4 hours from 1100-1500 and then 2300-0300 every day of the week. There will be some logistics we need to work out, if we can launch this with the next schedule for August. A couple of pieces to note regarding these shifts:

1. They are paid at straight time
2. You cannot pre-schedule OT with these shifts
3. The employer will not allow staff to combine all of your meal and rest breaks, but will allow for one  30-minute lunch. We are hopeful they will include at least one 15-minute rest break to be combined for a total of 45-minutes break coverage.

Our understanding is that these shifts will be available in UKG for sign-up. We will share more information as we receive it. This is the first step in getting full break relief at Northwest. Keep filing ADOs and making sure you are clocking out missed meal and rest break if you haven’t waived the timing of your breaks, and don’t get them within the legally allotted time.

Rounding

Your local unit officers and nurse representative will be rounding and bringing around our nurse’s month gifts. Stay tuned for dates and times, we will also be doing coffee hours and potentially other activities over the summer. 

Grievance Filed

WSNA has filed a grievance around retaliation and unsafe working conditions and concerns. What we need are nurses who have experienced these issues please contact your local unit officers or nurse representative Stephenie Troftgruben at stroftgruben@wsna.org.