Officers

Your votes have been counted, and here are the results:

• Chair – Kaitlyn Fochs – Days CBC
• Vice Chair – Alec Willis – NOC Float
• Secretary – Maxine Shalitmontagne – Days Float
• Treasurer – Louise Peterson – Urology Clinic
• Grievance Officer – Mary Stupek – NOC Float
• Grievance Officer – Trish Bouzek - NOC SCU
• Grievance Officer – Alec Willis - NOC Float

Make sure you congratulate them when you see them around the hospital.

Workplace Violence Committee

We are looking for two interested individuals to join our workplace violence committee. If you would like to represent your fellow nurses and the patients, please get in touch with your nurse representative Stephenie Troftgruben (stroftgruben@wsna.org).

Staffing

Staffing is an important topic in many units. The new staffing law requires all staffing matrices to be posted in a public place.  If it’s not posted in your unit, please let your nurse representative know. The pressure the staff feels about being able to provide the best patient care possible is why we need to follow our staffing matrices that have gone through the HSC. I do want to reiterate that this is the minimum number of staff required to run the unit, so if acuity is high, management is supposed to allow for additional staff.

Everyone is doing great, filing ADOs. We do need everyone to remember to fill out the planned and actual number table.  

Meal and Rest Breaks

I have heard from a few people that they are getting pushback on their meal and rest break waivers. I just want everyone to remember that you are not required to waive any of your state-protected rights around meal and rest breaks. The waiver being used was a collaboration between the labor Unions and the UW leadership. We agree to make this à la carte, so staff can select the options that work best for them. If you have any questions or have concerns, please reach out to your officers or nurse representative.

Leadership 

WSNA Leadership Conference is coming up April 26-28, and we still have scholarship codes available for nurses wanting to attend. The conference will have amazing guest speakers and breakout sessions to kick-start your opportunity to be a leader within WSNA and your Local Unit.  Our goal this year is to have 25 RNs from UWMC Northwest attend this conference and bolster the engagement and membership at UWMC ML for our upcoming 2027-2029 contract bargaining, which will be starting just a year from now.

WSNA Leadership at UWMC will be sponsoring scholarships for registration and conference expenses so that you can attend with little or nothing out of pocket.  Secure your spot in this Leadership Conference so that you can make a difference!  Contact your officers or WSNA Nurse Representative Stephenie Troftgruben (stroftgruben@wsna.org) for more information.