Sacred Heart nurses showed up in unprecedented numbers to vote today, and we voted overwhelmingly to ratify our contract. We fought hard for this contract, and we should all be proud of the solidarity we showed over more than a year of bargaining.

You can expect to see your ratification bonus and a 5% pay increase in your next full paycheck.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

Jan. 16, 2020
Times: 6-9 a.m., 2-5 p.m., 6-9 p.m.

Children’s Hospital, 4th Floor. Garabedian/WA Trust Room

Your negotiating team recommends a YES vote.

Contract Highlights:

• 5% raise upon ratification – a total of 10% over the life of the agreement (expiration: 12/31/2022).
• $2100 ratification bonus prorated by FTE.
• $500 supplemental nurse ratification bonus when a minimum of 400 hours worked in 2019.
• NO Changes to PTO/EIB accrual and NO short-term disability!
• Stronger and contractually enforceable safe staffing language.
• Zero tolerance of workplace violence and improved workplace safety language.

We can answer any questions you may have around this during the vote as well.

Want to see the proposed changes prior to Thursday?

Must be present to vote. Only members in good standing are eligible to vote.

Questions? Contact Jaclyn Perkins BSN, RN Nurse Representative at jperkins@wsna.org.

Contract Ratification Vote
Jan. 16, 2020
Times: 6-9 a.m., 2-5 p.m., 6-9 p.m.
Children’s Hospital, 4th Floor. Garabedian/WA Trust Room

Your negotiating team recommends a YES vote.

Click here for a detailed summary of the tentative agreement and list of proposed management takeaways that WSNA fought off.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

Recognize our hard work over the past year at the WSNA Strike HQ Open House.

Show your ongoing unity and support for our Providence union coalition partners by attending the Candlelight Vigil tomorrow evening at 5 p.m.

While our bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with Providence Sacred Heart this morning, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 continue their bargaining – including at Sacred Heart and Holy Family.

Today, the three unions bargaining contracts with Providence-run hospitals, released a unity statement, articulating our ongoing commitment:

Unity of Unions Leads to Tentative Agreement for WSNA – Coalition Continues Push for Agreements at All Providence Hospitals

This morning the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) announced the reaching of a Tentative Agreement in contract negotiations with Providence at Sacred Heart in Spokane. Over 13,000 nurses and health care workers of our three unions have been in contract negotiations with Providence for months to protect patient care and safety. SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW, UFCW 21, and WSNA stand united for patient care and safety, and our unity has made us strong. This was the key to reaching the Tentative Agreement at Sacred Heart with WSNA. Now we will continue our hard work and unity to ensure that every worker at Providence gets a fair contract that helps protect patient care and safety and improves the working conditions at all these Providence hospitals across Washington.

Now is the time to show our support for the service and maintenance workers at Sacred Heart and Holy Family, represented by UFCW 21, as they continue tough negotiations for fair contracts.

The Candlelight Vigil is on!

Candlelight Vigil Jan. 8, 5 p.m.
Cowley Park (across from WSNA Strike HQ)
602 S. Division St., Spokane

Strike HQ Open House, 4-7 p.m.
44 W. 6th Ave.

Join us before or after the Candlelight Vigil to celebrate our hard work over the past year, ask questions about the Tentative Agreement, and support our UFCW 21 colleagues in their ongoing bargaining.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

Early this morning, after a 20-hour marathon negotiating session—and 33 hours over 2 days—our Sacred Heart bargaining team reached a Tentative Agreement with management. We’ll have more information today and inthe days to come as you consider this TA, but here are a few key points we want to highlight:

• NO takeaways on PTO/EIT, no short-term disability changes

• We captured every penny of the full amount of retro that the employer would have paid out. The distribution is in the form of a ratification bonus: $2,100 for full- and part-time nurses (prorated by FTE) and $500 for supplemental nurses working more than 400 hours in 2019

• Total wage increases of 10% for the duration of this contract, including 5% increase upon ratification

• Strong, enforceable language on staffing and workplace safety

Solidarity gotus here. After 14 months of negotiations, your steadfast commitment won the day. From the earliest informational meetings to our strike preparations, you had the courage to stand up to Providence’s scare tactics and bullying and demand a fair deal for yourselves and investment in patient care.

Our ratification vote is scheduled for January 16, vote times and location details to come.

Local unit meetings today - Jan. 7

Spokane Labor Council, 510 S Elm

Learn about what happened at the mediation and ask your questions.

Sessions will be held at 8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

We hope to see you there!

Your Sacred Heart bargaining team is proud to recommend this tentative agreement to the membership, and we look forward to sharing the details with all of you.

In unity,

Your Sacred Heart negotiating team - Stevie Lynne Krone - 9N, KT Raley-Jones – CICU, Clint Wallace – ICU,LaDonna Reel – MB, Darryl Johnson – CICU, Nonie Kingma – AGPU,Vicki Benson – Radiology, Linda Clanton - IV therapy, David Emerson- 7N

This morning, your bargaining team and representatives from the three unions representing Providence workers across the state made the decision to delay delivery of 10-day notice for a strike. The three unions representing 13,000 health care workers at 13 Providence hospitals statewide reached the decision after ongoing discussions with Providence resulted in significant progress on the key issue of earned benefits.

The parties will go back to the table to continue bargaining their respective contracts.

Your bargaining team is committed to working through outstanding shared interests regarding patient safety, workplace violence prevention, and recruitment and retention.

Over the last 24 hours joint discussions with all three unions – UFCW 21, SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW and WSNA – and Providence have resulted in the most significant progress to date. As a result of this progress, and the commitment to hold ongoing negotiations during the coming days, the unions have agreed to pause today’s filing of the 10-day notice of a strike.

This breakthrough would not have been possible without the outstanding engagement of nurses at Sacred Heart. We stood up for ourselves, authorizing a strike and preparing to go out if necessary, and the pressure we have mounted made a difference! It would not have been possible without the unity we have shown with UFCW 21 and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW in our pledge to coordinate actions as we take on Providence.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org or send an email to SHMC@wsna.org.

We just sent a press release out alerting the media to the press conference we’re holding tomorrow morning to announce our strike plans. We’ve already heard from major media outlets that they will be there, and we invite you to join us. The press conference will be held at Strike Headquarters, 44 W. 6^th Avenue, Spokane.

This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. We’re ready.

MEDIA ADVISORY:
Thurs., Jan. 2, 2020

STRIKE DATE SET: NURSES AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS AT SACRED HEART, HOLY FAMILY TO ANNOUNCE STRIKE PLAN JAN. 3
13,000 caregivers from WSNA, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 escalate action as patient safety crisis continues

WHO: Nurses from the Washington State Nurses Association at Sacred Heart Medical Center and UFCW 21 service and maintenance workers at Sacred Heart and Holy Family Hospital.

WHAT: Press conference announcing intent of 13,000 workers to strike at Sacred Heart and 12 other Providence hospital locations across Washington state.

WHEN: Friday, January 3, 8:30 a.m.

WHERE: WSNA Strike Headquarters, 44 W. 6th Ave, Spokane.

SPOKANE—The nurses and healthcare workers of the Washington State Nurses Association, UFCW 21 and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW will announce their intent to strike in press conferences Friday to be held in Seattle and Spokane.

After months or in some cases years of negotiations, caregivers at Providence facilities across Washington state say contract proposals put forth by Providence still do not address workers’ serious patient care concerns or fix ongoing unfair labor practices.

At Sacred Heart, nurses have proposals on the table that include safe staffing levels that guarantee enough nurses to care for every patient, common-sense workplace violence prevention measures to protect nurses and patients, and protection of paid time off and sick time nurses have earned. UFCW 21 members at Sacred Heart, Holy Family as well as in other Providence hospitals across the state including St Mary’s in Walla Walla also have similar proposals on the table to address patient care and safety, protecting earned time off so we can stay home when sick without losing pay or feeling pressured by management, and also be able to have a compensation package to recruit and retain quality staff to care for our patients.

After more than a year of negotiations, Sacred Heart nurses join with 13,000 Providence health care workers in their intent to strike for patient safety.

Sacred Heart nurses and other health care workers from UFCW 21 are also considering a strike because of Management’s multiple unfair labor practices, including interfering with nurses’ right to concerted activity and failing to bargain in good faith. In addition to other illegal conduct, management has engaged in illegal intimidation, interrogation about union activities, direct dealing, threatened retaliation for protected union activity, prohibiting lawful union insignia, unilateral changes in working conditions, and failing to timely provide information for bargaining.

Caregivers from all three unions believe Providence has committed multiple unfair labor practices at bargaining tables across the state.

Health care workers from WSNA, UFCW 21 and SEIU Healthcare 1199NW at Providence facilities across the state are unified in their intent to strike. Together, we are taking on a multi-state system with a corporate-wide strategy to cut benefits for health care workers. Providence is a $24 billion corporation that sits on an $11 billion cash reserve. They can afford to provide good benefits and wages to the nurses and healthcare workers they employ.

~~~~~~~

About WSNA
WSNA is the leading voice and advocate for nurses in Washington state, providing representation, education and resources that allow nurses to reach their full professional potential and focus on caring for patients. WSNA represents more than 17,000 registered nurses for collective bargaining across the state.

About UFCW 21

UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 45,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, and other industries in Washington state.

About SEIU Healthcare 1199NW
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a union of nurses and healthcare workers with over 30,000 caregivers throughout hospitals, clinics, mental health, skilled home health and hospice programs in Washington state and Montana. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW’s mission is to advocate for quality care and good jobs for all.

This is a critical week in our strike preparation, and we have lots of information to share. Join our Providence Coalition conference call (tele townhall) on Thursday and stay tuned for more information soon.

Providence Coalition Conference Call (Tele Townhall)

Have you gotten the text about our all-member Providence Coalition conference call on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.? This tele townhall will include important strike information that we want everyone to hear and offers the opportunity to ask questions of the leadership from WSNA, UFCW 21 and SEIU 1199NW. Look for another text tomorrow from WSNA if you haven’t already RSVP’d for this event. If you are not receiving texts from WSNA, please email SMHC@wsna.org to get the details.

Mediation Jan. 6

We have a mediation session scheduled for Monday, Jan. 6.

Local unit meetings Jan. 7

Learn about what happened at the Jan. 6 mediation and ask your strike questions. Email SHMC@wsna.org with any questions you want addressed so that we can be better prepared to respond.

Sessions will be held at 8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Candlelight Vigil and Strike HQ Open House Jan. 8

On Jan. 8 at 5 p.m. we’ll be holding a candlelight vigil at Cowley Park, across from Strike HQ. Stop by Strike Headquarters before or afterwards! HQ will be open 4-7 p.m.

Picket Captains

We’ve got a great start on building our list of Picket Captains, but we could use a few more. Won’t you consider signing up? We’ll be holding trainings on Jan. 9 and 10 at Strike Headquarters. Email Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org to sign up as a picket captain!

Student Debt Clinic

We still have room in our Student Load Debt Clinics. WSNA is partnering with our national union the AFT to host Student Debt Clinics to help you prepare financially for a strike by managing student loan debt during and after a strike.

Clinics will be held at Strike Headquarters on Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Jan. 4 at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

DO YOU OR SOMEONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAVE STUDENT LOAN DEBT?

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO MANAGE FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS WHILE ON STRIKE?

WSNA is partnering with our national union the AFT to host Student Debt Clinics to help you prepare financially for a strike by managing student loan debt during and after a strike.

Clinics will be held on Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Jan. 4 at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. at Strike Headquarters, 44 W. 6th Ave., across from Sacred Heart.

We don’t want your student loan bills to add to your stress during a strike. If you have federal student loans, there is a vital lifeline for workers that could help you manage your student debt while on strike: income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. Income-driven repayment plans are available in some form to all federal student loan borrowers and may drop your monthly student debt bill immediately – and continue to do so after a strike is won.

WHAT ARE INCOME-DRIVEN REPAYMENT PLANS?

Income-driven repayment plans are repayment plans that base your monthly payment on your adjusted gross income and family size rather than how much you owe. Your payments through these plans can be as low as $0 a month, particularly when your income has gone down, or when you reasonably believe that it will go down, because you are on strike or for any other reason. These plans are free to enroll in.

HOW DO INCOME-DRIVEN REPAYMENT PLANS COMPARE TO OTHER OPTIONS LIKE DEFERMENT OR FORBEARANCE?

Income-driven repayment plans are usually better for most borrowers than programs like deferment or forbearance – which can leave you with a lot more debt and should typically be avoided if possible.

With income-driven repayment plans if you’re unemployed or between jobs, you’ll be asked to pay as little as $0 a month in any income-driven repayment plan, and that will keep you current on your loans and moving toward eventual loan discharge.

Register now. Student debt clinics will be held on Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Jan. 4 at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Need more information? Download the WSNA Strike Financial Tip Sheet or financial preparation tips from AFT.

Other questions? Send an email to SHMC@wsna.org.

As our families gather together to celebrate the holidays and welcome a new year, we’re coming together as nurses to win the contract we deserve at Sacred Heart.

We’re working to settle a fair contract without a strike. But if a strike is what it takes to get a deal that treats every member with the respect you’ve earned, then we’ll be ready.

That’s why we’re ramping up our Strike Committee preparations.

If we walk off the job, each Strike Committee will play a critical role in our success—and you’ll play a key part on the picket lines and/or in a strike committee. Here’s a brief description of each committee and ways you can be involved.

PICKET LINE COORDINATION COMMITTEE helps determine sites for picketing and picket schedules; organizes picket schedules to ensure each site has enough picketers; provides information and support to picketers including communicating ground rules and expectations; oversees picket activities including signs and chants; and tracks picket line participation.

Sign up to be a picket captain today! E-mail SHMC@wsna.org if interested.

STRIKE HEADQUARTERS COMMITTEE provides input on headquarters location; ensures staffing and supplies at HQ; provides equipment needed to support pickets; serves as the central hub for strike info for nurses and the public; coordinates food and beverage for picket lines; and coordinates transportation of materials to and from picket lines.

We will be hosting an open house at our new Strike HQ in early January, hope to see you there!

FINANCIAL COMMITTEE develops a budget to support the strike and picket lines; manages and tracks expenses; provides personal financial tips/prep for nurses; provides loan information and student loan forgiveness program info to nurses; identifies and provides community resources to support striking nurses.

DO YOU OR SOMEONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAVE STUDENT LOAN DEBT? WSNA is partnering with our national union the AFT to host Student Debt Clinics to help you prepare financially for a strike and manage student load debt during and after a strike.

Clinics will be held on Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Jan. 4 at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Register for the clinic.

CHILD CARE COMMITTEE connects volunteer child care with those in need; identifies additional resources for child care during strike; and provides list of childcare resources to striking nurses.

Families, including spouses/partners and kids of all ages, are very much encouraged to stand together at the picket lines in solidarity and remind Providence that this affects more than just the nurses on the units during our working hours. We are planning to have designated kid-friendly break areas to give kids a break from the cold and a little something to do during picket line shifts. Please fill out this short survey so we can assess the needs of our nurses with kids to be able to support each other and our families during the strike/picket line shifts.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE monitors and tracks member questions concerns and rumors; responds to member questions, concerns and rumors with agreed-upon positive messages.

Be sure to send your strike questions to SHMC@wsna.org.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE serves as media spokespeople as assigned, in addition to negotiating team members; coordinates outreach to union, faith leaders, physician groups, local business and community for support of strike. Please share this flyer with your friends and family on how they can support our Sacred Heart nurses.

EMERGENCY STANDBY COMMITTEE can recommend to Oversight Committee whether to assign striking nurses to temporarily cross picket line and return to work in response to “unforeseeable emergency circumstances” that requires staffing above and beyond normal levels to preserve lives. With approval from Oversight Committee, the Emergency Standby Committee will assign nurses to cross the picket line, and monitors the emergency situation to determine when the emergency no longer requires those nurses’ work.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE identifies employment opportunities and compiles a list of those opportunities; provides a list of employment opportunities to striking nurses.

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE is comprised of each strike committee’s chairs, including the negotiating team and elected unit officers. The Oversight Committee oversees all strike-related activities, coordinates with WSNA staff, and approves all objectives and actions.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org or send an email to shmc@wsna.org.

In our Dec. 18 email, we promised you a more detailed breakout of Providence’s latest proposal and how it will affect all of us. It’s not a pretty picture. On issue after issue, Sacred Heart management continues to take their marching orders from Providence headquarters, including reducing or eliminating PTO and EIT, and refusing to accept common-sense contract language on safe staffing and workplace violence prevention. We deserve better.

Here’s a rundown of what management’s proposal means for you:

Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Current nurses maintain accrual, but new nurses move to new plan, creating two-class system.
• Zero additional PTO offered to offset elimination of EIT and sizeable gaps in new STD and state Family and Medical Leave plan. Nurses will need to dip into PTO to cover the 7-day waiting period.
• Nurses will need to use PTO to top off STD and SFML coverage to reach full income replacement.

Short-Term Disability (STD)

• This is much like an insurance plan, not an earned benefit like EIT. A third party determines whether you’ll receive any coverage and how much.
• Offers only partial income replacement
• Nurses already have access to purchase short-term disability plans at reasonable prices.

Earned Illness Time (EIT)

• Proposal includes elimination of EIT. While current nurses may continue to access any earned time in the bank, when that’s used up, it’s gone.
• Elimination of EIT accrual.

State Family & Medical Leave Act (SFMLA)

• Intended for serious illness only, not “sick days.” Up to $1,000 per week, with 7-day waiting period during which you will have to use your PTO.
• Funded primarily by working taxpayers, including nurses at Sacred Heart.

Medical Benefits

• Allows Providence to increase premiums more than they can now
• Allows Providence to charge nurse a higher percentage of the total premium, with Providence paying a lower percentage.

Safe Staffing

• Rejected our proposal to ensure staffing levels that allows nurses to take meal and rest breaks and utilize available time off.
• Rejected our proposal that safe staffing ratios be maintained at all times including meal and rest breaks

Workplace Violence

• Rejected our proposal for Providence to:
  • station security personnel around the premises
  • establish security stations in strategic areas of the hospital
  • require security personnel be posted at the rooms of violent patients
  • enhance time-off benefits for nurses injured as a result of workplace violence

Retro Pay

• Providence has refused WSNA’s efforts for full retro pay every nurse, from supplemental to full-time nurses. Instead of full retro, they have instead offered a $1,500 bonus that is pro-rated according to FTE. In Providence’s proposal, supplemental nurses receive no raise in 2019, 0.5 FTE nurses receive $750, etc. We will continue our push for full retro pay for every nurse including supplementals.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org or send an email to shmc@wsna.org.

As you know, we were unable to reach an agreement with management during our last mediation session on Dec. 11. Our strike preparation and coalition work has been effective at moving management closer, but there is still a long way to go.

We want to make sure every member understands that Management’s “improved” proposal is still based on substantial takeaways that will affect current and future nurses alike. They are part of a corporate strategy by Providence to reduce benefits for nurses and other health care workers, all so they can pocket the savings.

The latest Management proposal includes:

• Eliminating Extended Illness Time. While current nurses will be able to continue using any EIT they have accrued, once that’s gone, it’s gone. No EIT for new nurses.
• Providence is trying to use Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program as corporate welfare. The program is designed to help everyday people whose employers DON’T offer paid leave. It was not designed as an excuse for multi-billion dollar corporations to shift costs to taxpayers.
• Management is offering NO additional Paid Time Off to compensate for loss of EIT and the need to fill the significant gaps in STD and the state Family and Medical Leave program. You will use up more PTO before you can access STD. And, many new nurses will accrue PTO at a lower rate than current nurses over the life of their employment.
• Providence’s Short-Term Disability plan remains as skimpy as ever, with no coverage for family illness, a 7-day waiting period and only a percentage of regular income replacement, STD’s shortfalls will have to be topped off by your PTO. It is not a guaranteed, earned benefit but is administered by a third party that could deny coverage. Claims for STD disability will receive much more scrutiny than is currently given to EIT requests.

We remain committed to preserving benefits for ALL nurses, today and in the future. Look for a more detailed breakout later this week.

Please read our latest public Fact Check pushing back on Providence St. Joseph Health’s corporate misinformation. As they ramp up their PR campaign we must arm ourselves with the full story and stand united to protect our benefits and win improvements in working conditions.

Our strike committees continue to meet, put plans in place, and receive training.

Now, we’re pleased to announce that we have secured space at 44 W. 6th Ave., across from Sacred Heart, for our Strike Headquarters!

Moving forward, all strike committee meetings will be held at Strike HQ. As we get Strike HQ up and running, we’ll be sending out more information about picking up materials, making picket signs, and otherwise supporting our strike.

Top officers and member leaders from our three unions (UFCW 21, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and the Washington State Nurses Association) recently met with Governor Jay Inslee to express our concerns about how Providence is negotiating with us and the very real risk of a strike if this is not resolved soon. He committed to call Providence CEO Rod Hochman and has now done that.

Governor Inslee’s message to Mr. Hochman was clear: This negotiation is a serious issue for Washington State.

He expects Providence to do the right thing and bargain with us in good faith.

Providence United Coalition stands with UFCW 21 bargaining teams

Sacred Heart bargaining team member Linda Clanton and WSNA Senior Director of Strategic Initiative Anne Tan Piazza as well as leadership of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW joined UFCW 21 members from Sacred Heart and Holy Family on Monday, Dec. 16. This is one example of how we are working even more closely since signing our new Unity commitment last week and pledging to work more closely for patient care and safety.

WSNA members and staff stood in solidarity with AMR EMTs and paramedics from Teamsters 690 in Spokane Dec. 17 as they picketed for a fair contract. We stand with those who provide care and support while transporting the injured and sick.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

As promised, we continued our advocacy for safe staffing and a safe workplace for our nurses and patients. And we continued to fight back on Management’s proposals to eliminate EIT and slash PTO while shoving the cost of sick time onto the backs of hardworking taxpayers through the state’s new Family and Medical Leave plan. Our strike preparation and coalition involvement have been effective in moving Management’s proposal, but there is still a long way to go.

Management’s proposal still includes a short-term disability plan. Their proposal allows nurses employed as of Dec 31, 2019 to retain their current PTO accrual while nurses hired after January 1, 2020 would be subject to the new PTO accruals. Their proposal also eliminates EIT accrual after 2019, freezes EIT banks for current nurses, and allows EIT balance to be used for all purposes currently allowed as well as topping off new short-term disability or Washington paid family leave plan.

Our resolve to continue fighting to maintain our benefits for ALL nurses has not waivered. Full steam ahead with our strike preparation.

For a complete strike update, progress on strike committee prep, and details on mediation, be sure to attend the upcoming local unit meeting tomorrow.

Local unit meeting
Dec. 12, 2019
8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m.
Spokane Labor Council
510 S Elm

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

Yesterday morning, just one day before we entered a critical negotiation at Providence Sacred Heart, the Spokesman-Review published a story that is incomplete and inaccurate. Frankly, the story could have been written by corporate PR at Providence.

This article was a hit job by Providence. Management gave the Spokesman misleading information in a way that is timed to weaken our position at the bargaining table as we work to secure a fair contract that protects our earned benefits and invests in patient care. We are pushing back hard, and we need every worker and ally to know the facts and help us fight back.

WSNA is contacting the Spokesman-Review to demand they address the incomplete information in the article, and the fact that they did not even approach WSNA for comment despite explicitly mentioning our contract negotiations.

In the meantime, we must ensure that our members and our community know the facts, not the corporate spin. This email includes critical information to help unmask this story for the corporate hit job it is. Let’s look at some of the critical information and the real truth.

IS SACRED HEART LOSING MONEY? NO. The article claims Providence Sacred Heart has been running in the red since 2016. But the facts tell a different story. Sacred Heart has been profitable two of those three years when you include non-operating revenue, which can cover everything from securities investments to parking and real estate. This income more than made up for operating losses in 2016 and 2017.

CORPORATE PROFITS ARE SKY-HIGH:Providence Sacred Heart is part of Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH), the third-largest health system in the United States. In the first half of 2019 alone, PSJH made over $1 billion in profit system-wide. Indeed, the corporation is making enough money to pour $300 million into their own venture capital firm. Certainly, there is enough money to invest in frontline workers and patient care, and far more than enough to cover any alleged operating losses at a single hospital.

EXECUTIVES MAKING MILLIONS: Providence is making enough money to give CEO Rod Hochman a 157% raise between 2015 and 2017, bumping his total compensation to more than $10 million. Top executives at Corporate Headquarters aren’t the only ones getting huge raises. Current Chief Executive at Sacred Heart Peg Curry earned more than $1.2 million in 2018 including a one-year bonus of $131,812. As Chief Nursing Officer, Susan Stacey’s total compensation increased by 35% between 2015 and 2018 including bonuses totaling $97,638. Previous Chief Executive Officer Alex Jackson’s total compensation increased by 47% between 2015 and 2017 including bonuses totaling $668, 468.

Total compensation for highest Sacred Heart employees:

MONEY GOING OUT OF SPOKANE TO CORPORATE: Belonging to a larger health system means that more money is leaving the Spokane community. In 2018, Providence Saint Joseph Health charged Sacred Heart more than $200 million in home office costs relating primarily to administration, not direct patient care. Of the nearly $900 million in net patient revenue that Sacred Heart earned in 2018, home office costs absorbed more than 20% of Sacred Heart’s revenue. From 2015 to 2018, home office costs increased nearly $40 million, a 24% increase. By way of comparison, over that same period, Sacred Heart employee salaries, wages, and benefits increased 16% (WA DOH).

NURSE TURNOVER COSTS MILLIONS: Even the industry lobbyist quoted in this story acknowledges that a shortage of qualified nurses and the high cost of nurse turnover is driving operating losses in healthcare. Studies show that the average hospital spends $4.4 to $6.9 million each year to recruit, train and orient new nurses - $52,100 per nurse, on average. How can Providence expect to recruit and retain qualified nurses at Sacred Heart if they steal our earned benefits and cut staffing to the bone? Their proposed contract will only lead to more turnover, higher costs to replace departing nurses, and more trouble recruiting replacements.

THIS DOES NOT ALIGN WITH PROVIDENCE’S MISSION: Providence’s stated mission reads: “As expressions of God's healing love, witnessed through the ministry of Jesus, we are steadfast in serving all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.” It is offensive and hypocritical for Sacred Heart to turn around and complain that Medicare and Medicaid patients are hurting their bottom line—especially when Sacred Heart is operating in the black and Providence St. Joseph Health system is earning billions in profits.

OUR COMMUNITY STANDS WITH US: As we have seen over and over, our community stands with us. Let’s engage with respect and solidarity to beat back this corporate spin.

WHAT NURSES CAN DO TODAY: We need to make sure our community knows that story is nothing more than corporate spin. Here are a couple of ways you can help RIGHT NOW:

• Talk to your colleagues and make sure they saw this email with the real story
• Write a Letter to the Editor of the Spokesman-Review! We have a Letter to the Editor Toolkit available
• Share our public statement in response to this story on social media.

We’ll continue to stand together, speak from our values and advocate for a fair deal for ourselves and investment in our patients. That’s the only way we will beat back these corporate smears and secure a contract we can all be proud of.

We head back to the negotiation table with a federal mediator on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

We will continue to fight back on offensive Providence Sacred Heart proposals to eliminate EIT, slash PTO and shove the cost of sick time onto the backs of hardworking taxpayers through the state’s new Family and Medical Leave plan. And we will continue our advocacy for safe staffing and a safe workplace for our nurses and patients.

In the meantime, strike preparations are in full swing.

Sign up today to be a strike picket captain! Email WSNA Nurse Rep Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org to sign up.

For a full strike update, progress on strike committee prep, and get the latest Dec. 11 mediation news, be sure to attend the upcoming local unit meeting on Thursday.

Local unit meeting
Dec. 12, 2019
8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m.
Spokane Labor Council
510 S Elm

You are welcome to submit your questions to SHMC@wsna.org in advance or contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org

After many months of taking action together, and also coordinating our unions and taking strike authorization votes, our unions’ leadership feels that now is the time to take the next steps in our campaign. We recently made a unity commitment to heighten our level of coordination and express our pledge to each other as we move ahead on our campaign for fair contracts. In a historic moment, UFCW 21, SEIU 1199NW and WSNA leadership have pledged to coordinate efforts that will move us all forward as healthcare workers and achieve the critical advances needed at Providence to provide better patient care and safety.

The essence of our unity commitment is: If you take on one of us, you take on all of us.

CNO Susan Stacey sent out an email on Monday with an underhanded implication that WSNA’s tentative agreement at Kadlec has a direct impact on our contract negotiations at Sacred Heart. This is false. It is wrong and offensive, again.

We remain as committed as ever to doing whatever it takes – up to and including going on strike – to get the contract Sacred Heart nurses deserve. That hasn’t changed.

Our next negotiation session with a federal mediator is scheduled for Dec.11.

We will continue to fight back on offensive Providence Sacred Heart proposals to eliminate EIT, slash PTO and shove the cost of sick time onto the backs of hardworking taxpayers through the state’s new Family and Medical Leave plan. That hasn’t changed.

We are moving forward with strike committee meetings and trainings to make sure we’re prepared to strike. That hasn’t changed.

The only thing that has changed as the result of the TA at Kadlec is that they have a TA at Kadlec. No matter what Providence Sacred Heart tries to tell you.

Mark your calendar:

Local unit meeting
Dec. 12, 2019
8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m.
Spokane Labor Council
510 S Elm

You are welcome to submit your questions to SHMC@wsna.org in advance.

Sign up today to be a strike picket captain, e-mail WSNA Nurse Rep Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org to sign up or if you have questions.

When our negotiating team met with Providence management on Friday, we stood firm in our resolve not to accept the Providence plan to slash PTO, give up EIT and accept an unacceptable short-term disability plan.

Guess what happened at Kadlec late Monday night? Management blinked. And we saw the benefits of the collective power of our Providence union coalition campaign in action.

Nurses at Kadlec, who no longer earn EIB and moved to a short-term disability plan in their last contract, stood firm and refused to accept management’s demands to slash PTO and raid their earned EIB.

Congratulations to our Kadlec team in reaching a tentative agreement that preserves the current PTO accrual and cap for all current WSNA nurses. More details on the Kadlec agreement to come.

Our collective unity and willingness as a coalition to strike if necessary forced Providence to cave on key issues that will help at all open bargaining tables, including at Sacred Heart.

The solidarity demonstrated by Sacred Heart and Kadlec nurses together with all Providence workers across the state forced Providence off their PTO proposal and will set an important precedent for preserving current PTO accruals and caps. This shatters Providence’s claim that they will slash PTO.

At Sacred Heart, we will continue to build strike committees and our negotiation team is working to schedule another mediation.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

Mediation

We continue to fight for a fair contract and prepare for a strike. We had another mediation session today. We reached a few tentative agreements. We successfully fought off management’s changes to the grievance procedure as well as reductions to supplemental nurse premiums and management’s proposed increased work requirements for supplemental nurses. We continue to try to work through the core issues, but management has not changed their position on them.

We heard you loud and clear regarding your continuing concerns about management’s STD proposal, which includes:

• 7-day waiting period
• Coverage does not extend to families
• Only 65% income replacement
• Loss of EIT and reduced PTO accrual

Management continues to propose stripping away hard-fought health insurance protections from the contract and continues to reject our common-sense staffing and workplace violence proposals. Your WSNA bargaining team has proposed wage increases that will be retroactive to 1/1/19.

See a detailed grid of WSNA and Management proposals below.

Strike preparation

A great crowd of members kicked off our Strike Committee work at our meetings this week, digging into the logistics of picketing, finances, internal and external communications, child care, employment opportunities, emergency standby and strike headquarters. We are confident we will be ready to go when a strike is called!

We continue to work in coalition with UFCW 21 and SEIU 1199 in our statewide effort to push back on Providence’s hardline negotiations at tables across the state. 15,000 Providence workers have now voted to authorize a strike. We are stronger together!

Community engagement

We have been out in the community talking to community and labor groups and have been overwhelmed by the support we are getting. On Nov. 18, Local Unit co-chair Stevie Lynne Krone was invited to join UFCW 21 members in speaking to the Spokane City Council. The group discussed contract negotiations and the impact on the community.

Nearly 3,000 community members have signed our petition supporting Sacred Heart nurses! Check out our full page ad in the Spokesman Review this Sunday.

And, continue to share our petition with family, friends and community members!

www.NursesAtTheHeart.com

Where we stand in some of the key proposals after mediation:

Make sure to come to our Local Unit meetings to ask questions and learn more!

Any questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

Coming next week:
Strike Committee meetings &
Local Unit meetings to update you on mediations

Spokane Labor Council
510 S. Elm

We continue to meet with management for bargaining AND we continue to prepare for a strike. Next week, strike committees will start their work in earnest. We also have a mediation session, followed by Local Unit meetings.

Nov 20, 8 p.m. – Strike Committee Meeting (2-hour session)
Nov 21, 8 a.m. – Strike Committee Meeting (2-hour session)

Mediation date Nov 22!

Nov 23, Saturday - Local Unit Meetings
8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m.

All meetings will be held at the Spokane Labor Council, 510 S. Elm.

Keep those petition signatures coming.

Since we ran our full-page ad in the Spokesman-Review, more than 2,500 people have signed on to our public petition.

Keep sharing the petition and encouraging community members to sign! Here are some of the great words of support we have gotten so far:

Our Providence Sacred Heart nurses are the “heart” of Spokane healthcare. While much of the focus of caregiving is on the actual physical care that is given, Sacred Heart nurses provide an overwhelming amount of care on a social, emotional, and psychological basis. Our Sacred Heart nurses invest their love and care in individuals and thus the long-term future of the Spokane community.

Providence nurses have been my backbone and support through all of my medical, pregnancy, childbirth, and emotional needs. These nurses are the ones who take HOURS out of their day to give every single person individualized care. I stand with you providence nurses. You deserve better than this.

After suffering a medical emergency and after the death of my mother, I just don't know how I could have handled things without YOU-my wonderful nurses!

Most recently, my mother has received exceptional wonderful care from nurses caring for her condition and her spirit as she enters the last stages of her life. I am also most grateful to the SH L&D nurses for their problem solving, teamwork and care of my daughter as they helped her and her beloved bring my beautiful granddaughter into the world. We owe them so much. Sacred Heart owes them more! They deserve safer working conditions, better benefits and better pay! Stop being greedy SHMC Management!!

Any questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

Our overwhelming “yes” vote on strike authorization made a difference at the bargaining table – but it wasn’t enough to get us an agreement that meets the needs of nurses by ensuring safe staffing at all times, better protection against workplace violence, and providing the time we need to take care of ourselves and our families.

Key dates coming up:

• Nov. 10 – Check out our full page Sunday ad in the Spokesman Review with our open letter to the community signed by more than 1,000 Sacred Heart nurses.
  
  
• Nov. 20 (8 p.m.) & Nov. 21 (8 a.m.) - Strike committee training.
  
  
• Nov. 22 - Our next negotiation session with a federal mediator.
  
  
• Nov. 23, Saturday (8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m.) – Local unit meeting

Common Questions:

• It’s time to sign up for benefits, what shall I do? WSNA recommends nurses sign up for their benefits as they routinely do. The pending threat of a strike does not change this process for you.
  
  
• Changes to our retirement plan? Management must bargain with WSNA before changes can be made to your retirement plan.
  
  
• Not getting email newsletters from WSNA? Don’t miss important updates. If you or someone you know isn’t getting the WSNA e-mail newsletters, please contact your Nurse Rep or speak with WSNA membership at 1-800-231-8482 ext: 3023 or by email at membership@wsna.org.

In the meantime, we need to keep up the pressure – from nurses and members of our community. Here’s what you can do to help us pressure Providence to give us the contract we deserve:

• Share the public petition and encourage your friends and neighbors to sign on
  Sacred Heart is our community’s hospital. Encourage everyone you know to tell Providence that Spokane loves its nurses and supports us in getting “a fair contract that ensures safe staffing and maintains earned benefits so we all can receive the exceptional care we expect from Sacred Heart.” You can use this flyer for public outreach and share this link -https://NursesAtTheHeart.com
  
  
• Reach out to businesses and community organizations
  Are you member of a church, a volunteer organization, a club? Fill out a “Community Connections” card so that we can reach out and get the community on our side

Media coverage you may have missed

We continue to get great media coverage on TV, radio and in print. Here’s some of our most recent coverage.

• THE INLANDER: Nurses and hospital workers at Sacred Heart and other hospitals across the state are poised to go on strike (10/31/19)
  
  
• KHQ SPOKANE: Sacred Heart nurses say strike will happen if a fair contract doesn't (11/1/19)
  
  
• THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW: Nurses, Providence unable to agree on new contract at 1st bargaining session since strike authorization (10/31/19)

Any questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

Sacred Heart nurses knocked it out of the park with our turnout and overwhelming majority support for a strike at the strike authorization vote! Our vote made a large impression at the bargaining table today. We met with the mediator again, and Management modified its proposal somewhat:

• They increased their wage proposal to 3% (effective ratification, not retroactive); 2% (effective 1/1/20); 2.25% (effective 1/1/21); 1.5% (effective 1/1/22). [By contrast, your WSNA bargaining team has proposed wages increases that will be retroactive to 1/1/19.]

• They proposed a new expiration date for the contract: 6/30/22.

• With respect to their Short-Term Disability proposal, they modified their proposal to allow nurses who have 20 or more years of service as of 12/31/19 to have their EIT banks frozen and grandfathered for use for all purposes currently allowed as well as topping off STD or the WA paid family leave.

We heard you loud and clear regarding your continuing concerns about management’s STD proposal, which includes:

• 7-day waiting period
• Coverage does not extend to families
• Only 65% income replacement
• Loss of EIT and reduced PTO accrual

We will continue to press Management to give us a fair proposal. Management continues to propose stripping away hard-fought health insurance protections from the contract and continues to reject our common-sense staffing and workplace violence proposals. Your WSNA bargaining team has proposed wage increases that will be retroactive to 1/1/19.

We will continue our strike preparations. Our goal is not to strike, but we will be prepared if we have to. Our goal is a fair contract.

ICYMI - Here’s a roundup of media coverage of our strike authorization vote:

Spokesman-Review - Sacred Heart nurses vote to authorize a strike

KHQ - More than 1900 Sacred Heart nurses vote to authorize strike

KXLY - Sacred Heart nurses vote overwhelmingly to go on strike

KREM - Strike looming at Spokane's Sacred Heart

Stay tuned for the next Local Unit and strike committee meeting date. It’s not too late to sign up for a strike committee.

In solidarity!
Your negotiating team,
Stevie Lynne Krone - 9N, KT Raley-Jones – CICU, Clint Wallace – ICU, LaDonna Reel – MB, Darryl Johnson – CICU, Nonie Kingma – AGPU, Vicki Benson – Radiology, Linda Clanton - IV therapy, David Emerson - 7N

Any questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

Sacred Heart nurses showed up in record numbers to vote on October 24 and 25, and by an overwhelming majority, we voted to authorize a strike.

Your voice matters, and your bargaining team heads back to the table on Oct. 29 with a clear message to management that we are willing to do whatever it takes to get a fair contract, including going on strike.

When a strike is called, WSNA will give the legally required 10-days’ notice to Providence Sacred Heart prior to the strike.

With this vote, we made a clear and powerful statement that we will keep fighting for safe staffing and working conditions that allow all of us to care for our families and our patients. Meanwhile, Providence seeks to slash nurses’ earned benefits, including sick time, even as its multi-state system is collecting record profits and giving extravagant raises to executives.

We are standing up in the face of troubling and illegal actions by Providence, actions aimed at diminishing our power, including interfering with nurses’ right to concerted activity and failing to bargain in good faith. We believe management has committed multiple Unfair Labor Practices. We have filed a ULP against Sacred Heart, and WSNA will declare a ULP strike if there is one.

We will continue fighting for a contract that protects our families, our patients and our community.

Your negotiating team,

Stevie Lynne Krone - 9N, KT Raley-Jones – CICU, Clint Wallace – ICU, LaDonna Reel – MB, Darryl Johnson – CICU, Nonie Kingma – AGPU, Vicki Benson – Radiology, Linda Clanton - IV therapy, David Emerson - 7N

Now is the time to step up and say, “no more.”

We have rallied, we have picketed, we have bargained in good faith for a full year. But Providence continues to make every effort to steal our hard-earned sick time and hard-earned PTO while pocketing nearly $1 billion in profits in 2019 alone.

It’s time to tell Providence corporate that Spokane is OUR home and Sacred Heart is OUR hospital. And we will strike if we have to.

We believe management has committed Unfair Labor Practices. WSNA has filed a ULP against Sacred Heart and we will declare a ULP strike if there is one.

We have scheduled vote times throughout the day on two consecutive days to give as many nurses as possible the opportunity to vote. Please note that vote times will be strictly enforced and limited to the voting times listed below. Make your voices heard on Oct. 24 and 25.

Unfair Labor Practice Strike Authorization Vote:

October 24 and 25

Carpenters Hall
127 E Augusta Ave., Spokane, WA 99207

Times (same for both days)

8-10 a.m.
1-3 p.m.
4-6 p.m.
8-10 p.m.

Each session will begin with a presentation on bargaining issues.

Sometimes walking is the last, best option

We don’t want to go on strike. We want a fair contract. Sometimes, though, withholding our labor is the only way left to stand up for our patients and ourselves.

If you haven’t already, read WSNA’s blog post “Sometimes walking is the last, best option.”

“Standing together in solidarity on the strike line is the biggest “no” our profession has to offer. No more marginalization of patient care, no more slashing of the benefits that allow us to take care of our families and our patients, no more treatment of staff that leads too many to walk away.”

“Sometimes, allowing a hospital to continue along its current path is more harmful than any negative consequences resulting from a strike. In such instances, and when all other alternatives have been exhausted, we are called to act collectively on behalf of our patients.”

“A strike is particularly critical when the employer engages in bad faith bargaining and commits other unfair labor practices. Nurses must be free from illegal coercion and intimidation so they can effectively advocate for their patients' needs. Such unlawful management tactics cannot stand unanswered…”

Questions?

Please submit your questions and potential concerns so we can be prepared to respond at the strike vote coming up.

Any other questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

We can do this! We all hope we don’t have to strike, that Providence will come to the bargaining table on Oct. 29 ready to address to our concerns about huge cuts to our benefits, employee well-being and patient safety. But we need to be ready – to authorize a strike and to walk the line if that’s what we are forced to do.

Two Sacred Heart nurses share their stories about the value of EIT to take care of their families and getting ready to strike if we have to.

Vicky Stinson’s journey to becoming an active member of WSNA

“Sadly, I believe the moral decline and proposed unethical treatment of employees by Providence violates my religious convictions, and I can no longer remain neutral,” writes Sacred Heart RN Vicky Stinson. “While I still do not agree with some of the tactics and philosophies of unions on a global scale, I am now ready to be an active member with a voting voice through WSNA.”

"…if I had not been able to use my EIT, my parents would have had to move from their farm into a nursing home.”

“We cannot let the EIT and PTO go by the wayside. I had six children over those 39 years at Sacred Heart Medical center, and because my husband was self-employed, we utilized that EIT as I had those children, as they might have been sick, and I got paid 100% of all that I had saved up for.”

This tip sheet offers ways to prepare financially for a potential strike.

We have scheduled vote times throughout the day on two consecutive days to give as many nurses as possible the opportunity to vote. Please note that vote times will be strictly enforced and limited to the voting times listed below. Make your voices heard on Oct. 24 and 25. Solidarity!

Unfair Labor Practice Strike Authorization Vote:

October 24 and 25

Carpenters Hall
127 E Augusta Ave., Spokane, WA 99207

Times (same for both days)

8-10 a.m.
1-3 p.m.
4-6 p.m.
8-10 p.m.

Each session will begin with a presentation on bargaining issues.

Questions?

Please submit your questions and potential concerns so we can be prepared to respond at the strike vote coming up.

WSNA Organizers will be in the cafeteria over the next week during the following times:

Monday, 10/21 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, 10/22 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, 10/23 3 to 8 p.m.

Any other questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

We are gearing up for our Strike Authorization Vote on the 24^th and 25^th!

It is so important to make your voice heard by casting a ballot at this critical juncture in our fight for a fair contract. We encourage every WSNA member at Sacred Heart to come out to the vote

More of your questions answered

Many of you have seen the “FAQ Regarding Strikes” communications from management. It raised as many questions as it answered. Here are WSNA’s responses.

Will I get fined if I cross the picket line?
NO.
WSNA is not going to fine you — we’re going to support each other. It’s not in WSNA’s Bylaws and Local Unit Rules, and WSNA has NEVER imposed fines against nurses who choose to work during a strike. If it comes to a strike, we certainly hope every Sacred Heart nurse will join us on the picket line to make the strike as effective as possible as we work to achieve our goals at the bargaining table. Crossing a picket line erodes camaraderie in the workplace, prolongs the strike and negatively impacts our efforts to work as a team once the strike is settled. But, no, we will not fine you if you choose to go to work.

Do I have be a member of WSNA?
If you want to vote on strike authorization, you must be a WSNA member in good standing. We are proud that the vast majority of nurses at Sacred Heart are members of WSNA—our unity makes us strong! If you are not a member and want to join (and vote in the upcoming strike authorization), you can complete a WSNA member application. If you choose to have your dues deducted from payroll for the next year, you don’t have to pay anything up front. If payroll deduction is not selected, three months advance payment will be required.

Will I be harassed at work if I don’t support the strike?
WSNA does not support harassment of any kind. We don’t want to harass anyone – we want to talk to each other about the very important decision on whether to authorize a strike.

WSNA is committed to providing accurate information and answers to your questions and concerns.

Other questions?

Please submit your questions and potential concerns so we can be prepared to respond at the strike vote coming up.

Any other questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

Our goal is a contract that addresses our staffing concerns, protects our earned benefits and demonstrates respect for our professionalism and dedication. We are also protesting management’s unfair labor practices. We don’t want to go on strike, but we will strike if we have to.

With the upcoming strike authorization vote, we know there are many questions. Here are the answers to the top questions we have heard thus far:

1. Does management have a plan to staff and deliver care during a strike? What will happen to my patients?
   
   Make no mistake about it—if we go on strike it will be FOR our patients.
   
   If a strike is called, we will give Sacred Heart the required 10-day notice so that administration can plan for patient care. In addition, WSNA’s strike preparation includes establishing an RN Emergency Standby Team Committee that would solicit volunteers to work in the case of an emergency. You can sign up for this and other strike committees by submitting this form.
   
   The ANA Nursing Code of Ethics states that “the nurse, through individual and collective effort, establishes, maintains, and improves the ethical environment of the work setting and conditions of employment that are conducive to safe, quality health care.” By demanding that Sacred Heart Medical Center address nursing staffing and patient safety issues, we are doing nothing less than making an ethical stand on behalf of the patients we serve.
   
   
2. How long will the strike last?
   
   The vote on October 24 and 25 is to authorize a strike. Duration of the strike will be determined based on multiple factors including consultation with our negotiating team at a later time by the WSNA Cabinet on Economic & General Welfare when a strike is called.
   
   
3. Who is eligible to vote on October 24 & 25 at the Strike Authorization vote?
   
   Only WSNA members in good standing have the right to vote in a strike authorization vote in their bargaining unit.
   
   If a bargaining unit nurse is not a WSNA member (e.g. new hire, agency fee payer), but wants to join WSNA in order to vote, they may do so by completing a WSNA member application and signing dues authorization that includes incurring an obligation to pay WSNA dues for at least a year. If payroll deduction is not selected, three months advance payment will be required.
   
   
4. Can I mail in my vote?
   
   No, votes must be made in person during the provided voting times.

Other questions?

Please submit your questions and potential concerns so we can be prepared to respond at the strike vote coming up.

Come talk to a WSNA organizer this week in the cafeteria during the following Cafe Times:

Tuesday, Oct 15 - 3 to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct 16 - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday, Oct 17 - 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Unfair Labor Practice Strike Authorization Vote:

October 24 and 25

Carpenters Hall
127 E Augusta Ave., Spokane, WA 99207

Times (same for both days)

8-10 a.m.
1-3 p.m.
4-6 p.m.
8-10 p.m.

Each session will begin with a presentation on bargaining issues.

Any other questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

Our bargaining team recommends a “yes” vote

We have been bargaining for over a year. We have rallied and picketed and negotiated hard. Unfortunately, Sacred Heart remains insistent that they be able to take away our Earned Illness Time and cut our PTO, stealing back thousands of hours of earned benefits.

Another reason to strike is that we have seen management commit multiple Unfair Labor Practices, illegal actions aimed at diminishing our power, including interfering with nurses right to concerted activity and failing to bargain in good faith. We have filed our first ULP charge and if it comes to a strike, will declare a ULP strike.

Our strike assessment and strike preparations have demonstrated that we are strong, and we are prepared to continue our fight for a fair contract.

Our bargaining team has worked as hard as we can at the bargaining table to push back on the take-aways management has proposed. Now we need every single nurse to stand behind us by voting YES. Yes, you are willing to strike if you have to. Yes, you will stand on the picket line. Yes, you will send the most powerful message to management that we are not backing down.

Strike authorization vote times and location

October 24 and 25

Carpenters Hall
127 E Augusta Ave., Spokane, WA 99207

Times (same for both days)

8-10 a.m.
1-3 p.m. (adjusted time)
4-6 p.m.
8-10 p.m.

Each session will begin with a presentation on bargaining issues.

Now is the time to make our voices heard!

WSNA Café Time

Once again, WSNA Organizers will be in the cafeteria. “Hey Rod” cards can be turned in here, and we will have information that pertains to negotiations.

Tuesday, Oct 15 - 3 to 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct 16 - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thursday, Oct 17 - 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

Providence Sacred Heart wants to eliminate your Earned Illness Time and replace it with the state’s new, worker-funded Paid Family Medical Leave plan and a Short-Term Disability plan administered by a third party.

We always knew it was a bad deal, which is why we’ve been fighting so hard to keep the sick time we’ve earned. But when you break it out, like we did in the graphs below, it is even more apparent that Providence is trying to push the cost of sick time back onto you – and pocket the savings.

We deserve to keep the benefits we’ve earned. We deserve to take time off – for ourselves or our family members – with full pay. Let’s keep fighting!

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

By now you’ve probably seen the guest opinion in the Spokesman-Review from Sacred Heart CEO Peg Currie. It is a retread of old arguments that we know represent significant takeaways from nurses—all in order to boost profits for Providence.

Let’s take it from the top.

Providence’s charity care falls far behind other health systems

“Our patients and employees are the heart of our mission, and we are committed to serving everyone in this community, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.”

THE TRUTH: Providence’s charity care policy - the policy stipulating when they will offer free or reduced bills to the poorest patients — falls short of its peers in Washington state. Providence’s corporate arm in Washington limits eligibility for free or reduced care to patients with family incomes less than 350% of the federal poverty level (FPL), far below other health systems.

For a hospital system with a mission to help the most vulnerable patients and with profits to make that mission a reality, Providence makes its choice clear: profits over patients.

Providence benefits proposals represent huge cuts, less financial security

“… we have put together a comprehensive and flexible time-off package benefiting all employees. This package provides greater financial security and more flexibility when unexpected needs arise.”

THE TRUTH: How does cutting our PTO and eliminating our Earned Illness Time, which we can use for both ourselves and family members, provide “greater financial security”? The short answer is IT DOES NOT.

Among the takeaways Providence is parading as “comprehensive and flexible”:

• Their proposal: 5 weeks of PTO for new hires and 7 weeks of PTO for longer-term employees.
  
  But, wait! That includes holidays. And sick time. And vacations. And personal days. And you have to accrue it—it isn’t just dumped in your account upon hire. Subtract from that elimination of our Earned Illness Time, and what Providence is proposing represents a huge takeaway, NOT “greater financial security.”
  
  
• Their proposal: Replacement of EIT with short-term disability, for which you “can receive 65% income replacement for up to 25 weeks with no pre-existing condition exclusions.”
  
  But wait! That’s 65% of your income instead of 100%. And only for you, not your family. And, only if approved by a third-party administrator. You’ll have to dip into your PTO to get up to 100%. Thanks, Providence.
  
  
• Their proposal: “Coordinate with Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave effective in 2020, providing eligible employees up to 12 weeks of partial income replacement in the event an illness or injury, or to care for a new child or sick family member.”
  
  But, wait! Doesn’t that come out of my paycheck? YES, most of it does. Workers are funding the bulk of the state’s program. Not Providence.

THEY SAY: “We are committed to creating an exceptional and supportive work environment for our employees so we can continue to attract and retain the best people. Our proposals reflect the value we place in our employees by ensuring they stay healthy and are supported when they most need it.”

Are you feeling supported and valued?

Just because they say it, doesn’t make it true.

LOCAL UNIT MEETINGS TOMORROW

For more information and discussions of mediation, strike assessment and other issues that concern you, please join us at one of the local unit meeting sessions on Wednesday, Oct. 2.

Sessions start at 8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and will be at the Spokane Labor Council - 510 S Elm.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN, at 800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

We completed our 14^th session of negotiations, our third with a federal mediator. We reached tentative agreements on a few issues, including fighting off management’s horrible variable shift proposal. Still, there is much work to do. Providence brought in a benefits adviser to provide an overview of the proposed Short-Term Disability plan. WSNA brought in a benefits expert to explore the plan benefits themselves and what impact the new plan may have on Providence’s bottom line. Providence claims that its proposed plans are better overall for nurses than the current PTO and EIT benefits. We do not agree. What seems clear to us is that Providence will, in many instances, pay far less for longer illnesses than it does under the current PTO/EIT structure and that State-provided benefits (funded mostly by employee-paid premiums), and not Providence’s STD plan, will pay for most of the benefits. To date, Providence has refused to answer our questions as to how the new plans will impact its bottom line. What do they have to hide?

Come to the next local unit meeting to hear more about what happened at the table:
Oct. 2, 2019
Spokane Labor Council
510 S. Elm
8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m.

Our next day of mediation is Oct. 29.

Upcoming events! Spokane Labor Council Labor Rally on Oct. 16!

Your WSNA negotiating team at Sacred Heart has decided to host a booth at the upcoming Labor Rally! Please join them in solidarity!

Food, drinks, door prizes, music, family entertainment lots of fun and surprise guests!

One-dollar donation for food, beverage and door prize entry.

Children 12 and under are FREE!

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN, at 1-800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org.

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center has informed us it will start collecting premiums for the state-mandated Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) as of Sept. 6. The PFMLA provides a new state-run insurance benefit which will allow eligible employees to receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave for:

• Bonding after the birth or placement of a child.
• An employee's serious health condition.
• A serious health condition of a qualifying family member.
• Certain military events.

As an insurance benefit provided by the state, there are premiums; and the PFMLA allows employers to charge employees a portion of the premium. The premium rate for 2019 is 0.4% of the employee’s wages, with the employer required to pay at least 36.67% of the premium, and the employee covering the rest.
There are a few important things you should know about the PFMLA:

• Employees are eligible to use PFMLA benefits beginning Jan. 1, 2020.
• There is a 7-day waiting period, except for birth or placement of a child.
• You must file a claim with Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD), notify the employer of the request, and meet certain eligibility requirements.

The benefit you receive under PFMLA is a percentage of your weekly wage. The maximum benefit that you can receive is $1,000 per week. It has been estimated that a nurse making $80,000 per year would hit the $1,000 limit.

This in no way means WSNA has accepted management’s leave proposals at the negotiating table. This is a an insurance program required by the state.

United we stand!

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN, at 1-800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or jperkins@wsna.org

Once again, management has put out a misleading “WSNA update” about our Aug. 28 bargaining session implying that it came from WSNA or was a joint communication with WSNA.

Don’t be fooled. It was not.

Here are the facts.

As we stated in our previous communication, we made progress on a couple of issues and got management to withdraw their absurd proposal to force nurses to come to work even when they are not on call. While we have made this progress, management should have not even come to the table with such a proposal, much less spend so many months insisting we agree to it.

We have much more work to do and are ready for the challenge. WSNA is bargaining in good faith and have stated our priorities on protecting our current benefits (EIB, PTO, stability in health benefits) as well safety for our patients and our nurses. We continue to push forward our strike assessment, which is in full swing!

Our next mediation session is scheduled for Sept 23.

Come to the next local unit meeting, Sept 4 and find out how you can help your fellow WSNA colleagues! We will be discussing management’s recent communications and give you an update on our strike assessment progress.

Spokane Labor Council
510 S. Elm
8am, 1:30pm, 4pm, 8pm

Day 13 of negotiations, and our second day of mediation is complete. While dozens of issues remain on the table, we made progress on very important issues to the bargaining unit. We successfully fought off Management’s proposal to force nurses to come to work even when they are not on call. Conversations on recognition for past experience were a large part of the day, with effective discussions.

While we appreciate the movement, large issues remain on the table including the loss of EIT in exchange for a Short Term Disability plan, variable shifts, which includes rotation between “adjacent” shifts (e.g., day-evening, evening-night), workplace violence and safe staffing issues. Your efforts made a difference at the negotiating table and Management is feeling the pressure put on by the nurses.

Rapid Response Organizers (RROs) are out and making progress! If you have not talked with your assigned RRO, come to the local unit meeting to find out who you should connect with. Strike Pledge forms and Strike Committee forms will also be available for sign up.

Don’t miss out on the next local unit meeting!
Sept 4, 2019 at Spokane Labor Council - 510 S. Elm
Sessions starting at: 8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Questions? Call WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 1-800-231-8482 or jperkins@wsna.org. To reach a WSNA Local Unit Officer call 1-866-305-5612

Next mediation date: Sept 23, 2019

We have officially launched preparations to strike, and nurses have turned out! WSNA is actively providing training to the 90 plus newly-formed Rapid Response Organizers. Hundreds and hundreds of nurses turned out for local unit meetings to get their questions answered about striking, signed strike commitment petitions and signed up for strike committees. Solidarity is in the air.

Three things you can do to take part in our strike preparations:

1. Sign the strike commitment petition and pledge that “If it is necessary, I will vote to authorize a strike, join my co-workers on strike and participate in picketing on all of my assigned picket shifts.”
2. Sign up for strike committee.*
3. Be informed, stay engaged.

As we launch the strike preparation and assessments, there will be questions from your colleagues, patients and the public. How we talk about our bargaining efforts at Sacred Heart matters. That’s why we’ve put together some guidance on what you can say to educate those who may ask about our issues – and get them on our side!

We’ve bargained in good faith, we’ve held rallies, we’ve picketed. How much more will it take for Providence to listen to us?

How about the help of ZDoggMD? Dr. Zubin Damania is a Stanford-trained hospital physician and champion of nurses who tackles difficult problems in healthcare using a multimedia approach. He has 1.4M followers on Facebook and 46.3K followers on Twitter. You may know him from his Nurses Week videos and for standing up against workplace violence—he even commented on Nurses Playing Cards!

We’re trying to get ZDoggMD’s attention so he can use his platform to highlight our fight for patient safety and a fair contract. Below are sample Facebook posts and tweets you can use to get on his social media radar.

If you're comfortable using social media, start with one of the examples below and craft your own post. Paste the copy in and remember to add the tags, especially ZDoggMD (or he will not be alerted). Then share your post publicly. If enough people do it, maybe he will notice and choose to highlight this issue!

Facebook:

ZDoggMD (tag: @ZDoggMD), the Washington State Nurses Association (tag: @mywsna) nurses at Sacred Heart RNs - Nurses at the Heart (tag:@NursesAtTheHeart) in Spokane, Washington are sick and tired of Providence St. Joseph putting profits before patients. They made $24.4 billion in profits last year and are paying their CEO more than $10 million. Meanwhile, management is trying to gut our sick time while refusing to commit needed resources for safe staffing and patient care. https://wsna.to/2Z12DsB #ProvidencePatientsBeforeProfits

ZDoggMD (tag: @ZDoggMD), I'm a proud Washington State Nurses Association (tag: @mywsna) nurse at Sacred Heart RNs - Nurses at the Heart (tag: @NursesAtTheHeart) in Spokane, Washington. Providence St. Joseph needs to maintain staffing levels that ensure I can give my patients safe, high-quality care. Management is refusing to make that commitment. Shouldn’t the largest health system in Washington offer affordable healthcare and fair sick time to staff? https://wsna.to/2Z12DsB #ProvidencePatientsBeforeProfits

ZDoggMD (tag: @ZDoggMD), Providence St. Joseph is trying to squeeze more profits out of our Washington State Nurses Association (tag: @mywsna) nurses at Sacred Heart RNs - Nurses at the Heart (tag: @NursesAtTheHeart) in Spokane, Washington by increasing our responsibilities and cutting our hard-earned benefits. It’s a classic case of a putting profits before patient care. What gives? The largest health system in Washington can do better. https://wsna.to/2Z12DsB #ProvidencePatientsBeforeProfit

Twitter:

@ZDoggMD, the @mywsna nurses at Sacred Heart in Spokane, WA are sick and tired of @psjh raking in huge profits while trying to gut our sick time and refusing to commit resources for safe staffing and patient care. https://wsna.to/2Z12DsB #ProvidencePatientsBeforeProfits

@ZDoggMD, I'm a proud @mywsna nurse at Sacred Heart in Spokane, WA. @psjh needs to maintain staffing levels that ensure I can give my patients safe, high-quality care. Management is refusing to make that commitment. https://wsna.to/2Z12DsB #ProvidencePatientsBeforeProfits

@ZDoggMD, why is @psjh trying to squeeze more profits out of @mywsna nurses at Sacred Heart in Spokane, WA while increasing responsibilities and cutting benefits? Classic case of putting profits before patient care. https://wsna.to/2Z12DsB #ProvidencePatientsBeforeProfits

Check out ZDoggMD’s humorous video,
“You’re Welcome (Thank You Nurses!)”

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

Please remember: posting to Facebook or Twitter requires an active Facebook or Twitter account. The accounts must be public for ZDoggMD to see your posts. For Facebook posts, please tag organizations (as shown in the screenshot) if you know how. ZDoggMD will not be alerted about your post unless you tag him.Questions about tagging? Email Matt Vivion, WSNA's digital media specialist, at mvivion@wsna.org.

We are getting ready. Now is the time to step up!

Come hear the key issues at stake during negotiations, have your strike questions answered and get prepared for what’s next.

Attending in addition to our negotiations team will be:
Mike Sanderson, Attorney, Director of Collective Bargaining
Anne Tan Piazza, MBA, WSNA Senior Director of Strategic Affairs
Gerard Friesz, AFT/WSNA Providence Campaign Organizing Director

Management’s recent communication update sent to the nurses of Sacred Heart was not jointly written with WSNA. We do not support it and are disappointed in the continued reinforcement of proposals that include loss of sick time and inadequate staffing for the nurses.

WSNA has proposed increases to accruals, wages, and safe staffing yet we feel our proposals have fallen on deaf ears. Management wants you to accept the loss of your hard earned EIT in exchange for an unpredictable Short-Term Disability plan. A few things you should know:

1. We believe that Sacred Heart is proposing a Short-Term Disability plan for financial reasons and not to provide “better” benefits for its nurses. We believe they want to remove the liability of the accrued EIT hours that you have worked hard and long to earn off their financial books.
2. Management has indicated in their communication that you will earn PTO at your current accrual rate for another year. But what they fail to mention is that under their proposal, PTO accrual rates will go down for most years of service after that! Furthermore, when your loved ones are sick, you cannot use Short-Term Disability at all but must use your PTO after your EIT goes away. The question becomes, when will you ever get a vacation?
3. Management has told you that you can use your EIT balances for 2 years, but what they don’t tell you is that they are proposing to “freeze” your EIT banks. New hires will not receive any EIT, and current nurses will not be able to accrue any more EIT. Nurses will only be able to tap into their EIT over the next two years under certain conditions. Then, it will go away - for good.
4. Management has proposed that you must go through a third-party administrator to have your claims for Short-Term Disability approved.
5. Management has said “they have heard your concerns and they have addressed them” in their recent communication. What WSNA has heard from you, is that you want to save your sick time. Therefore, we don’t feel management has addressed any of your concerns at all.

What is really going on at the table?

WSNA has proposed safe staffing language and increases to wages. We have proposed across-the-board increases of 5% in the first year, 3.75% in the second year, and 3.75% in the third year, plus enhancements to the current step schedule. We are proposing that first year wage become effective retroactively to Jan 1, 2019. Management is proposing 2% (effective when the contract is ratified), 1.75% the second year, and 1.5% the third year.

Management has also proposed to add “variable” shifts to the Adult and Peds ED. This would create positions that include mandatory rotational shifts from day-evening, evening-night etc. In the event the hospital finds this to be beneficial, they are proposing language to have it expand to additional units. This is not okay and not safe! Not only will nurses not have adequate rest, but your family life will become disrupted!

Enough is enough…

It’s time to put the nurses into critical action once and for all. WSNA Leaders will be holding Rapid Response Organizer training (RRO) to begin strike assessment. As we engage in our fight for the contract that our patients need and our nurses deserve, we have to be prepared for the battle, one that may lead to a strike if necessary. The fight for a fair contract will require organizing a credible strike threat against Providence Sacred Heart. Rapid Response Organizers will have the important job of talking to nurses and assessing their readiness to strike if necessary to get the contract patients need and nurses deserve. If you have signed up to be an RRO or feel you can serve in this role, please attend one of the trainings listed below. We need all hands-on deck!

We have spoken, now it’s time to act! Activist RRO Strike Prep training:

Aug 20, 2-hour training sessions at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Spokane Labor Council - 510 S. Elm)

Aug 22, 2-hour training sessions at 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (Teamsters Hall - 1912 N. Division St.)

There is much work to be done before a strike authorization vote. We will be discussing our plans to engage every RN to present a strong united front telling administration we stand united, and we have had enough!

If we want better, we have to do more.

Sign up to be an RRO if you have not done so already!

SAVE THE DATE! Local Unit Meetings to Launch a Strike Assessment!

As promised, your WSNA officers and bargaining team are moving forward with local unit meetings to launch a strike assessment. Come get your questions answered about a potential strike, sign up to be an activist in this movement and show management enough is enough!

Teamsters Hall - 1912 N. Division St.
Wednesday, Aug 21: 8 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Do you want meaningful staffing language in your contract? Are you beyond ready to tell management that you will do whatever is needed, for however long it takes, to have the staffing we need to deliver safe patient care every shift and to protect our hard earned benefits? Every single one of us is going to have to be ready and willing to sign up for strike committees, sign up for picket shifts and commit to standing in unity if we are going to succeed.

At these meetings, we will address your questions about a potential strike and what we need to do to make this a successful strike.

If you have any questions on negotiations or other happenings at the table, call Jaclyn Perkins BSN, RN, at 1-800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or contact by email at jperkins@wsna.org.

On Friday, July 26, our nurses from Sacred Heart and Kadlec joined hundreds of outraged nurses, healthcare workers, state labor leaders, public officials, and union activists from across Washington to hold a “Rally for Patients Before Profits” at the corporate headquarters of Providence St. Joseph Health, the state’s largest health system.

We brought our message directly to multi-millionaire executives because managers in our local Providence facilities have refused to address urgent problems including workplace and patient safety concerns, cuts to sick time and paid time off, competitive benefits and wages to recruit and retain nurses.

The rally represents over 20,000 workers from throughout the Providence system in almost every job title. The shared problems they are experiencing have become so extreme that they have prompted the workers’ four different unions – OPEIU Local 8, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 21 and the Washington State Nurses Association – to create the “Providence United Coalition” to support each other and jointly hold executives accountable for solutions.

The response from Providence? A statement to the media that “the most effective venue for discussing labor contracts is at the local bargaining tables” and “We have full confidence that our local leaders, who are bargaining these contracts, have presented strong pay and benefits packages that are aligned with our values and advance our commitment to creating an exceptional work experience for our caregivers.” Really? If that were true we wouldn’t have been compelled to travel across the state to try and get our message across. We wouldn’t have rallied and picketed. We wouldn’t be launching strike preparation.

Resolution calling on Providence St. Joseph Health to put Patients before Profits

At the Washington State Labor Council Convention on July 27, delegates passed a resolution calling on leaders of local unions to send letter to the Providence board of directors calling on them to listen to healthcare workers and immediately negotiate fair union contracts; and the Washington State Labor Council to stand in solidarity with healthcare workers in their fight to make Providence return to the founding core values of Compassion, Dignity, Justice, Excellence and Integrity, and put patients before profits.

Prep for launch of strike assessment

As we ramp up in our fight for the contract that our patients need and our nurses deserve, we have to be prepared for the battle, one that may lead to a strike if necessary. The fight for a fair contract will require organizing a credible strike threat against Providence Sacred Heart. Rapid Response Organizers will have the important job of talking to nurses and assessing their readiness to strike if necessary to get the contract patients need and nurses deserve.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org or or 206-575-7979, ext. 3118.

WSNA Local Unit Officer Contact (For Sacred Heart Nurses ONLY) – Voice Tel 1-866-305-5612.

As we ramp up in our fight for the contract that our patients need and our nurses deserve, we have to be prepared for the battle, one that may lead to a strike if necessary. Our next step as we prepare for the launch of an official strike assessment and preparations is talking to each of our 1,900 nurses at Sacred Heart and assess their readiness to strike if necessary for a fair contract.

Fighting for the contract our patients need and nurses deserve: Join the fight as a Rapid Response Organizer

Winning the contract our patients need and nurses deserve requires fighting against Providence Sacred Heart's corporate greed. To prepare for this fight, we are recruiting Rapid Response Organizers (RROs) for every unit and on every shift.

Who are Rapid Response Organizers? Unit nurses who agree to communicate with their unit colleagues to make sure nurses are informed and engaged in the contract campaign.

Why do we need you to join us as a Rapid Response Organizers? The fight for a fair contract will require organizing a credible strike threat against Providence Sacred Heart. Rapid Response Organizers will have the important job of talking to nurses and assessing their readiness to strike if necessary to get the contract patients need and nurses deserve.

What is the immediate task at hand for Rapid Response Organizers? RROs will be talking to every nurse at Sacred Heart about our campaign to win a fair contract and assess support for a strike if necessary to protect patients, ensure safe staffing, enhance working conditions and secure the wages and benefits that nurses deserve. RROs will also have accurate information about our campaign and be able to respond to any rumors from management intended to intimidate people during the contract negotiations process.

Will Rapid Response Organizers receive support to do this work? Yes! RROs will receive the training and resources they need to complete their work. WSNA staff organizers and nurse reps will be assigned to RROs and be with you every step of the way. They will be your resource throughout the campaign - answering questions, troubleshooting and otherwise providing you the tools you need to do this important work.

There are over 30 units at Sacred Heart. In order to reach every nurse on every unit and shift, we have set a target to recruit 80 RROs by August 15th.

Are you ready to fight to keep our PTO and EIT?

Want to stand up to Providence and demand they put patients before profits?

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

We had our first federal mediation session on July 10. We brought the mediator up to speed on issues that we face and shared our perspective on those issues with him. We exchanged some proposals with management, but not much progress has been made. Management continues to push unsatisfactory wages and unsatisfactory staffing and workplace violence language. They continue to insist on replacing EIT with a Short Term Disability plan. We have made proposals to ensure that we recruit and retain the best nurses that we can and to ensure that our fellow nurses and our patients are safe.

Something has to change, and it is time to unite. We are working to make our unit stronger every day. More to come soon on further actions and next steps. If you have not stepped up to the plate, now is the time. We need all hands on deck. If you can offer your help, please contact your Nurse Rep to discuss next steps.

Our next day of federal mediation is set for August 28.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

At WSNA, we don’t want you to miss out on important upcoming events. Much is happening with our Coalition work. Read below to find out how you can offer your support.

UFCW Informational Picket:
June 27 from 2-5 p.m. at the corner of 8^th and McClellan.

The workers of UFCW are in difficult contract negotiations at SHMC and are facing the same proposals at the table that the nurses have already received. They are holding an Informational Picket and can use your help. Come on June 27 to the informational picket and show support for your fellow union brothers and sisters!

Renton Rally:
It’s time to stand together and rally for fairness!

When: July 26 at 12:30 p.m.
Where: Providence Headquarters at
1801 Lind Ave SW, Renton, WA 98057

Buses will be available for transport to and from Spokane for a $10 fee. Buses will leave at 6:30 a.m. and return at 7 p.m.

Hot dogs/snacks will be served!

UNITED WE STAND! DIVIDED WE BEG!

Upcoming important events:

Your WSNA bargaining team is heading to mediation. We have July 10 booked for this.

UFCW Informational Picket! June 27 from 2-5 p.m. Corner of 8^th and McClellan. Please come in solidarity!

Renton Rally!
On Friday, July 26, join hundreds of fellow union members from across Washington for a spirited rally at Providence Headquarters to stand up for quality patient care and good jobs. We are all experiencing the same attacks from Providence as the corporation prioritizes excessive executive pay, profits and branding above the needs of patients and frontline workers. Last year, Providence raked in $24.4 BILLION in operating revenue and $165 MILLION in operating profits. The CEO Rod Hochman had a 157% increase in total compensation to $10.5 MILLION in 2017, and the top 15 Providence execs had over $41 MILLION in total compensation last year.
It’s time to stand together and rally for fairness!

When: July 26 at 12:30pm
Where: Providence Headquarters. 1801 Lind Ave SW, Renton, WA 98057

Buses will be available for transport to and from Spokane for a $10 fee.

Hot dogs/snacks will be served at the rally.

Experiencing an issue? Need Representation? Voice Tel will get you in touch with one of your Local Unit Officers. Leave messages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and someone will return your call.

Voice Tel 1-866-305-5612

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jacklyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

Our 11th session closed with Management still proposing to discontinue EIT and to implement a Short Term Disability plan. They are also proposing possible higher increases for premiums, including charging a premium to nurses who have no dependents. We have decided to bring in a Federal Mediator to help with the bargaining process.

Come to the next local unit meeting on June 14 at the Spokane Labor Council, 510 S. Elm. Meeting times are from 8 to 9 a.m., 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., 4 to 5 p.m. and 8 to 9 p.m.

Attorneys from WSNA Headquarters, Michael Sanderson, General Counsel and Director of Collective Bargaining, and Timothy Sears, WSNA Corporate Counsel, will be present along with Anne Tan Piazza, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, to answer your difficult strike questions.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Rep. Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN, at jperkins@wsna.org or 206-575-7979, ext. 3118.

WSNA Local Unit Officer Contact (For Sacred Heart Nurses ONLY) – Voice Tel 1-866-305-5612

Day ten of negotiations is complete. Management continues to demand the ability to post positions that would allow Management to force nurses in those positions to switch between night and day shifts as frequently as every six weeks. We are concerned about the fatigue and quality of life issues nurses in such positions would face. Management also continues to propose forcing nurses in units with mandatory call to come to work on their days off even when they are not on call. These proposals are reflective of a disturbing management preference to save money on staffing by imposing risky, unreasonable burdens on our nurses with little concern about how they affect our lives.

Management is also proposing an insulting 0.5% guaranteed across-the-board wage increase each year of the contract and to implement a Short-Term Disability program, phasing out EIT.

WSNA continues to propose compensation that will attract and retain great nurses. We continue to focus on improving health insurance, improving safe staffing and reducing violence against nurses. We also proposed to increase Tuition Reimbursements as well as make a nurse eligible for this benefit after 90 days, instead of the current one year.

Overall, we feel progress continues to be a challenge with Management and there continue to be many important issues on the table.

On June 14, WSNA will be holding local unit meetings to discuss, and answer any possible questions you may have regarding strikes. Meetings will be held at the Spokane Labor Council, 510 S. Elm. From 8 to 9 a.m., 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., 4 to 5 p.m. and 8 to 9 p.m.

Attorneys from WSNA Headquarters, Michael Sanderson, General Counsel and Director of Collective Bargaining, and Timothy Sears, WSNA Corporate Counsel, will be present along with Anne Tan Piazza, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, to answer your difficult strike questions.

Next days to bargain are June 4 and June 19.

NOTICE: If you are not getting WSNA emails, please call the WSNA office at 206-575-7979 and make sure your information is up to date. Also, check your spam or junk folder! We are hearing that lots of emails are ending up in spam or junk inboxes. This is communication you can’t afford to miss!

Take the PLEDGE! Ask your family members, friends and acquaintances to take the pledge to support Sacred Heart nurses. In the event community support is needed, WSNA will use this information to reach out and ask them for help as we push for a fair contract.

Come decorate your own picket sign or help assemble the signs at the party. If you are working during our informational picket on Thursday, this is a great way to show your support for the team! You can pick up your Nurses Week gift at either the picket sign-making party or the Unity Picket!

Picket Party - May 8 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Spokane Labor Council. 510 S. Elm
Unity Picket – May 9 2-5 p.m. Intersection of 8^th and McClellan

In solidarity:
Your Negotiating Team
Stevie-Lynne Krone - 9N, KT Raley-Jones – CICU, Clint Wallace – ICU, LaDonna Reel – MB, Darryl Johnson – CICU, Nonie Kingma – AGPU, Vicki Benson – Radiology, Linda Clanton - IV therapy, David Emerson - 7N, Lee Ayers – PACU, Inga Matheson – CICU, Abigail Berry – OR

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN, at jperkins@wsna.org.

“RN Strong” shirts are online and ready to order! Grab one for your whole family, or your whole unit. Don’t delay, order today!

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

Want to support the nurses at Sacred Heart? Wondering how you can help? "Save our Sick Time" t-shirts are ready for ordering and can be purchased individually. For around $5 per shirt, with your help, these shirts will help get the message out to the community.

Healthy nurses = healthy patients.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

Day #9 of negotiations is complete. We did make some progress this day, including reaching a tentative agreement dealing with internal transfers. Currently, if the new assignment was not working out, there was not a mechanism by which the nurse and Management could agree that the best solution was to return the nurse to their former position. Now, that is an option.

However, important issues such as Short Term Disability and other takeaways are still on the table. Management is still proposing an insulting 0.5% across-the-board wage increase in each year of the contract. How does it intend to recruit and retain nurses with such an offer?

We continue to push for better wages, safer staffing, improved benefits, greater protection from workplace violence, and more control over our work lives.

More information will be presented at the next Local Unit Meeting, including information regarding the upcoming picket and other actions you can take to support your fellow nurses on your WSNA bargaining team.

April 24 - 8-9 a.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m., 4-5 p.m. and 8-9 p.m.
Spokane Regional Labor Council (NEW Location!)
510 S Elm St #1, Spokane

The informational picket will occur May 9 from 2-5 p.m. at the intersection of 8th and McClellan.

Come to the sign making party the night prior and make your sign for the picket! May 8 - 5:30-7:30 p.m, Spokane Regional Labor Council building.

Questions? Contact a Negotiation Team member or WSNA Nurse Rep, Jaclyn Perkins BSN, RN at jperkins@wsna.org.

Recently Management sent a “Bargaining Update” to all WSNA RNs. Reading this update, some nurses may have concluded that it was a joint communication from Management and WSNA. IT WAS NOT. WSNA had no role in preparing the “update” which was, instead, prepared solely by Management. WSNA does not produce joint communications with Management, as we prefer to provide accurate material for our members to read and consider.

Management’s “update” does not present a complete picture of what is happening at the negotiating table, as you will see below.

In a nutshell, Management has proposed drastic changes to your current paid-leave benefits that, if Management has its way, would begin to take effect in 2020.

Your WSNA bargaining team does not feel these changes are in our best interest, and we are fighting hard at the table to ensure that you have fully-paid time away from work for vacations and to care for ourself and our family members when they are ill. By being informed and knowing what is at stake, you can help our bargaining team accomplish its goal.

Management claim:
“New paid-leave benefits: “SHMC has proposed a comprehensive leave package to provide income protection that is more equal and just for all nurses”

WSNA – Management’s proposed Short-Term Disability (STD) plan would have serious negative consequences for our nurses by:

• Requiring nurses, once EIT goes away, to use PTO (vacation time) for 7 days, before being able to utilize Short Term Disability (STD) benefits that pay only 65%. Currently, nurses have to use only 8 to 16 hours of PTO (depending upon FTE) before accessing EIT, which is paid at 100%.
• Eliminating the accrual of EIT which currently can be used to care for sick family members and replace it with a STD plan which cannot be used to care for sick family members. You would have to use PTO (vacation) to care for sick family members.
• Requiring nurses to have STD claims approved by a third-party administrator, unlike the current EIT program. We have heard from nurses working under a Providence STD plan that the approval process is cumbersome and intrusive, with many hoops to jump through. Not every claim is approved.
• Reducing PTO accruals for many nurses.

Management claim: “Like medical insurance, our new paid-leave benefits are designed so that you never run out of coverage. All nurses will have protection”

WSNA – The proposed plan by Management does operate like medical insurance. In your opinion, how easily is a claim processed through medical insurance? Is it always covered? Guaranteed? We all know from our own experiences, medical insurance can be a cumbersome, frustrating process that leaves us in the dark when the final bill arrives. Your current contract, that includes your Extended Illness Time, protects your time off, and puts YOU in the driver’s seat. Not anyone else. Under the new STD plan, a third party would decide whether your claim is approved.

Management claim: “We have proposed a new employer paid short term disability plan that will provide 65% of pay for up to 25 weeks, starting after the seventh calendar day of time away due to an illness or injury”

WSNA – Not only will this “new” plan not cover your full wages, you will be required to apply for the coverage and await approval. Nothing is automatic. Right now, your current WSNA contract provides you predictability - not unknowns. Furthermore, you must wait a full 7 days before any coverage will kick in if approved. During the 7 days, you must use PTO or EIT, which will stop accruing after 2019 and will NOT be available to any nurse hired after 2019. The new STD plan will require you to use your valuable vacation time, once EIT goes away, to supplement the 35% that is not covered (If you qualify and are approved to use the STD) if you want to replace 100% of your wages while you are on STD. Your vacation bank will dwindle and leave you less time to take off to recuperate and spend time with your loved ones. Your current contract provides EIT which is paid at 100%.

Management claim: “The new proposed plan would cover all benefits-eligible nurses with the same competitive PTO program. Nurses can use PTO for vacation, holidays, personal days or incidental sick time.”

WSNA – Hardly. Management is proposing to decrease PTO accrual rates for many nurses with more than 3 years of service:

Moreover, Management has reported that managers will earn PTO at a higher level than what is being offered to WSNA. While Management has proposed to increase the cap to the maximum accumulation, the accrual rates are less for more tenured nurses, and it will be difficult for you to reach the max time if you are forced to use it for a sickness lasting less than 7 days. This is a far cry from what you currently have. WSNA has proposed to increase PTO accruals.

Management claim: “We have proposed that nurses would be able to use EIT hours for a period of time during a transition period to receive pay while out on an approved leave to care for a family member. If you exhaust your EIT, the new Washington state leave benefits will provide additional protection – including up to 12 weeks of partial income replacement while out on leave to care for … a family member.”

WSNA – Under Management’s proposal, nurses who are hired after 2019, are not eligible to participate in the EIT program at all. Current employees will not be allowed to accrue any more EIT after 2019 In its proposal, Management has not committed to allowing nurses to use their frozen EIT balances for time off after 2020. For those nurses who have more than 300 hours of EIT, you will be able to cash out any hours above this only upon termination after 20 years of service or more and will receive payout only at 20%.

What does this mean for paid time off to care for a family member? Once your EIT balance goes way, you cannot use the STD plan to receive paid time off to care for a family member because the STD plan covers only yourself, not your family members. That leaves you with the Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (WPFML) benefits which is not a benefit created by Providence but rather a state law requirement. Management left out a several important facts about WPFML:

• There is a 7-day waiting period, except for birth or placement of a child.
• You must file a claim with Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD), notify the employer of the request, and meet certain eligibility requirements. You receive benefits only if ESD approves your claim.
• You will pay a premium for WPFML benefits which will be taken from your paycheck. You will pay about 63% of the total premium while Providence will pay 37% of the premium.
• The amount that you receive for WPFML a is a percentage of your weekly wage. The maximum benefit that you can receive is $1,000 per week. It has been estimated that a nurse making $80,000 per year would hit the $1,000 limit.

Furthermore, while the rulemaking process for WPFML has not yet been completed, it appears that you will not be able to use PTO/EIT for the same period that you use WPFML. Therefore, you cannot “top up” your WPFML benefit with PTO/EIT to ensure that you receive 100% of your income while you are away from work. RCW 50A.04.045 (2) states: "An employer may allow an employee who has accrued vacation, sick, or other paid time off to choose whether: (a) To take such leave; or (b) not to take such leave and receive paid family or medical leave benefits, as provided in RCW 50A.04.020.” In other words, you cannot receive both at the same time.

More information about this can be found at paidleave.wa.gov.

Management claim: “To help nurses transition to the newly proposed plans, we are negotiating valuable support with your union”

WSNA – This is far from the truth. While WSNA negotiates always in good faith, we have made it clear to Management that sick time is valued amongst WSNA and the nurses, and that its proposed STD plan is not good for nurses or for patients.

Real life scenarios:
Scenarios based on current contract and Management’s proposed changes to PTO/EIT. These scenarios would apply to all nurses hired after 2019 and to all currently employed nurses whose EIT banks will be frozen after 2019 and who have exhausted their existing EIT balances.

#1 RN who works 24 hours per week (three 8-hour shifts) in a benefited position and has worked at SHMC for 4 years has a bad cold/fever and calls in sick all three of her shifts that week.

Current contract:
RN currently would have to use 8 hours of PTO at full rate of pay.
Then RN would use 16 hours of EIT at full rate of pay.
At step 5 of the pay scale rate of pay would be $36.23/hour.
RN would receive full pay of $869.52.
This nurse accrues 144 hours (18 days) of PTO per year.

Management’s proposal:
RN currently would have to use 24 hours of PTO at full rate of pay.
At step 5 of the pay scale rate of pay would be $36.23/hour.
RN would receive full pay of $869.52 but all of it would be the RN’s accrued PTO.
This nurse accrues 134.4 hours (16.8 days) of PTO per year. (Accrues 9.6 hours less PTO and forced to use it when sick.)

In the above scenario, this nurse will be using 16 hours more of their PTO while earning 9.6 hours less PTO per year.

#2 RN who works 32 hours per week (four 8-hour shifts) in a benefited position and has worked at SHMC for 11 years has a bad cold/fever and calls in sick for two calendar weeks.

Current contract:
RN currently would have to use 12 hours of PTO at full rate of pay.
Then RN would use 52 hours of EIT at full rate of pay.
At step 12 of the pay scale rate of pay would be $44.42/hour.
RN would receive full pay of $2842.88.
This nurse accrues 230.4 hours (28 days) of PTO per year.

Management’s proposal:
RN currently would have to use 32 hours of PTO at full rate of pay.
At step 12 of the pay scale rate of pay would be $44.42/hour.
RN would use 32 hours of their PTO for first week of illness 32x $44.42 = $1421.44.
RN would receive 32 hours of short-term disability at 65% pay or $923.94 if they qualify for a total pay of $2345.38.
This nurse accrues 211.2 hours (26.4 days) of PTO per year which is 19.2 hours less than currently.

Using the above scenario, the RN will receive $497.50 less in their paycheck after 2021 and will be using 20 more hours of PTO while accruing 19 hours less PTO per year.

**Using the above scenarios if it were your child or spouse that was ill you would have to use PTO for all hours off unless you qualified for the state Family and Medical Leave Program.**

What we have to say…

Your fellow nurses on the WSNA bargaining team continue the fight at the table, and it’s up to all of us to stand together with one voice to secure an fair contract! If this is the first time you are hearing this information, it is because you have missed a WSNA local unit meeting. Come to the next local unit meeting. There is room on the CAT for more boots on the ground. Sacred Heart Nurses, you are strong and Management knows it! Tell Sacred Heart we will stand together and defend our contract from Management’s attack!



Find all this confusing? You’re not alone…
Come to the next local unit meeting. Your negotiating team and WSNA nurse reps will be available for one on one discussions of any questions you may have.

April 24, 2019
Spokane Regional Labor Council, AFL-CIO (New Location!)
510 S Elm St #1, Spokane, WA 99201
8-9 a.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m., 4-5 p.m., 8-9 p.m.

Questions? Or want an honest answer? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at jperkins@wsna.org or (800) 231-8482, ext. 3118.

Management made very small movement on wages and has made no movement on important proposals such as the Supplemental Staff Schedule Option. Management has told us in a previous communication that they are proposing a “simplification of the Supplemental agreement.” What they are actually proposing is to significantly increase the work requirement of all supplemental nurses. Supplemental nurses will no longer have the option to select from different work options as they do now. Rather, all supplemental nurses must meet the following requirements:

• Be available to work a minimum of 56 hours per 6 week schedule period two of which must be a weekend
• Participate in mandatory call if you work in a unit with mandatory call
• Be available to work at least 50% of shifts on Evenings and Nights
• Participate in the unit’s holiday rotation for all of the following holidays:
  • Memorial Day
  • July 4
  • Labor Day
  • Thanksgiving
  • Christmas Eve
  • Christmas Day
  • New Year’s Eve
  • New Year’s Day
• Meet mandatory requirements that are outlined in a governed Mandatory Employment Requirement policy
• Be available to work a minimum of 56 hours per 6 week schedule period on your home unit BEFORE accepting shifts on another unit

Outstanding proposals on the table:

• Short Term Disability proposal remains – this proposal is NOT in the best interest of you or your loved ones.
  There is an extended wait period for 7 days prior to being able to use the short term disability. This is only if you qualify and are approved for a claim. This will require you to use PTO during the waiting time period. In addition, you can’t use the short term disability for family members, only for yourself; and the plan only pays at 65%. Currently, you can use EIT for family members and receive your full wages and have a much shorter waiting period.
• Management is proposing to reduce PTO accrual for many nurses.

Despite having had eight bargaining sessions, management has not moved from the initial across-the-board wage proposal and is proposing an insulting 0.5% guaranteed wage for each year of the contract.

Questions? Contact a negotiation team member, a local unit officer or WSNA Nurse Rep Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

We have had another disappointing negotiation day with very minimal movement at the table. We did successfully fight off management’s proposal to subject more nurses to mandatory shift rotation.

We have our work set out for us to fight off:

• Losing sick (EIT) time and having it replaced with inadequate short-term disability
• Reduction of PTO for some nurses
• Unpredictability with health insurance
• Trying to weaken us as a union with open shop
• Increasing supplemental requirements
• Increasing mandatory call for unexpected vacancies on call units
• Eliminating the part-time nurse salary option
• An insulting 0.5% across the board wage increases for each year

We are working hard to improve staffing and language on workplace violence to keep nurses and patients safe. Our next negotiation dates are Feb. 21 and Feb. 27.

Share the file below of the sign with family and friends so they can print and post it from home!

In solidarity,

Your WSNA Negotiation Team

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Rep Jaclyn Perkins at jperkins@wsna.org.

Day five of negotiations is complete. Management has made a number of very aggressive proposals that will negatively affect our collective voice, our working conditions, our life away from work and our paycheck! Below are some of management's troubling proposals:

• Getting rid of the union security clause so as to weaken our union voice
• Eliminating the Part Time nurse salary option
• Decreasing Supplemental Nurse Premium to 10%
• Phasing out EIT (Extended Illness Time) and proposing an unsatisfactory Short-Term Disability plan
• Reducing PTO for many nurses
• Health Benefit uncertainties
• An insulting 0.5% across-the-board wage increase each year of the contract
• Pay for performance, tying other wage increases to patient satisfaction/safety scores
• Allowing management to hire nurses lower on the step scale than allowed under the current contract
• Forcing more nurses to be subject to mandatory shift rotation

It’s time to put nurse and patient safety first. We know it can be difficult to attend these meetings before or after a long day at work, but it is important to attend so we know how much support we have, we can hear your concerns and we can answer your questions. PLEASE make it a priority to come to the next local unit meeting and show our negotiating team that you are supporting their efforts for a fair RN contract.

Feb. 7, 2019

Teamsters Hall: 1912 N Division St

8-9 a.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m., 4-5 p.m., 8-9 p.m.

Updates on what is happening at the table will be discussed, as well as future actions.

*Please park on the side of the building away from the front door. The attendance of nurses has been so high to these meetings, it has become cumbersome for surrounding businesses. Thank you!

Now is the time to get organized so that all 1800 RNs in the bargaining unit are informed and involved. Organization, communication and unity will help us stay strong and fight management's negative proposals. We need reps from every unit posting information on your unit WSNA boards, sending updates via text or email and spreading the word about what we are fighting for in our contract. We would like to update our floor rep list and have a meeting to start organizing and streamlining our message. Please contact WSNA Nurse Rep Jaclyn at Jperkins@wsna.org if you are a floor rep, what unit you are from and your contact information or if you would like to be a floor rep.

Your bargaining unit has formed a CAT team consisting of a group of nurses aside from the negotiating team, solely for the purposes of ACTION. These nurses are working hard to support the negotiating team and are planning public campaigns and dispatch! If you want to join them on the CAT team, please email WSNA Nurse Rep Debi at dbessmer@wsna.org.

Volunteers are creating t-shirts to wear to future actions and on our days off. We are also creating yard signs and car signs and will notify everyone when they are ready.

1. WEAR your buttons every day!
2. COMMENT and LIKE posts on Facebook Sacred Heart RNs - Nurses at the Heart and The Nurse Brigade.
3. WEAR blue on Tuesdays to support our team and show unity to administration.
4. TALK, TALK, TALK - Spread the word about negotiations to fellow RNs. Get involved!
5. CHECK YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL for updates. If you are not getting email updates from WSNA, send your email address to Jperkins@wsna.org.
6. VISIT this page often for local unit updates.

We received the remainder of the employer's proposals and there is a lot to be concerned about. They are proposing to tie wages to performance and undo your union security clause which you fought hard for and it will weaken your collective voice. They are seeking drastic changes to your leave provisions including eliminating EIT (Extended Illness Time) and replacing it with a Short Term Disability plan.

In unity,

Your WSNA Negotiation Team

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at jperkins@wsna.org.

Day #3 of negotiations is complete. WSNA has introduced proposals for competitive wage and benefit packages to attract and retain nurses, for staffing that will ensure the safety of nurses and their patients and that will allow nurses to take meal and rest periods and much-needed vacations. We have also made proposals to increase various premiums and to enhance health insurance benefits and to protect nurses from increased health insurance costs in addition to proposals we made regarding floating. We also have submitted a comprehensive proposal to address workplace violence.

We are disappointed that we have had three days of bargaining and management has not yet given us a wage or benefit proposal and has “reserved” several important areas of contract for future proposals. Management has promised to give us their complete proposal during the next bargaining session. Some of management’s initial proposals are troubling. For example, management is proposing that it be allowed to give new hires less credit for experience than they currently receive, which would negatively impact recruiting for nurses with experience, and to reduce the supplemental premium while imposing new, onerous scheduling requirements for supplemental nurses, which will make Sacred Heart a much less attractive place for supplemental nurses. They are also proposing to subject more nurses to mandatory shift rotation.

As you can see, we have our work cut out for us – but we are energized and up for the challenge! A special thanks to all of our colleagues who prepared snacks and treats for us during our long days of negotiations. It is much appreciated!

Our next day to bargain is Dec. 18.

Questions? We got answers. We, your negotiating team, will provide more detailed information on what is happening at the table during the next series of local unit meetings.

You can contact a negotiation team member or WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at jperkins@wsna.org for more information.

Day two of negotiations is complete. Management brought forth some of their proposals but nothing yet on wages or benefits. We did present a proposal on workplace violence. There are some very significant proposals on the table.

We have seen managements intranet negotiation update site, please realize this is just management's perspective. We are not endorsing this site. To get negotiation information, please watch for our updates and come to the local unit meeting.

Next day to bargain is Nov. 28. Management has canceled negotiations for Dec. 4 due to a family related issue.

Reminder: Tuesdays are “Blues days.” Wear blue while at work every Tuesday to show your solidarity and continue wearing those buttons!

Questions? Contact a negotiating team member:

Stevie Lynne Krone - 9N, KT Raley Jones - CICU, Clint Wallace - ICU, LaDonna Reel - Mother Baby, Darryl Johnson - CICU, Nonie Kingma - AGPU, Vicki Benson - Radiology, Linda Clanton - IV Therapy, David Emerson - 7N, Lee Ayers - PACU, Inga Matheson - CICU, Abigail Berry - OR or WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN at 1-800-231-8482, ext. 3112 or jperkins@wsna.org.

WSNA, along with our team of nurses, presented our comprehensive proposal to management. We plan to hear a response to our proposals during the next session as well as what they plan to propose. Our next day to bargain is Nov. 16.

Come to the Local Unit Rep meeting on Nov. 15 from 5 -7 p.m at Frankie Doodles. “Nurses at the Heart” buttons will be available for buttoning up.

Questions? Contact a negotiating team member:

• Stevie-Lynne Krone - 9N
• KT Raley-Jones - CICU
• Clint Wallace - ICU
• LaDonna Reel - MB
• Darryl Johnson - CICU
• Nonie Kingma - AGPU
• Vicki Benson - Radiology
• Linda Clanton - IV therapy
• David Emerson - 7N
• Lee Ayers - PACU
• Inga Matheson - CICU
• Abigail Berry - OR

Or our WSNA nurse representative, Jaclyn Perkins BSN, RN, at 1-800-231-8482, ext. 3118 or at jperkins@wsna.org.

Come to the next local unit rep meeting and pick up your WSNA buttons to hand out on your unit.

Date: Nov. 15, 2018
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Where: FrankieDoodle Restaurant (30 E. 3^rdAve., Spokane, WA)
RSVP: Jaclyn Perkins, RN, WSNA Nurse Rep
1-800-231-8482, ext. 3118
jperkins@wsna.org

Dear WSNA nurses,

WSNA Nurse Rep Jaclyn Perkins, BSN, RN will be WSNA/Sacred Heart Medical Center's representative beginning Nov. 1. Jaclyn comes with experience and years of practice. I know you will all welcome her and together, you will continue to make positive changes for Sacred Heart nurses!

I look forward to continuing the unity at other WSNA facilities, and I stand with you in solidarity – always.

Jaclyn can be reached at jperkins@wsna.org or at 1-800-231-8482, ext. 3118.

You can also contact your officers by calling the voice-tel number at 1-866-305-5612.

In solidarity,

Debi Bessmer, BSN, RN
WSNA Nurse Rep

Our negotiation team is in place and ready to meet with the employer. The team has spent many hours preparing. Our priorities have been set by your responses to the negotiations survey and ongoing feedback regarding issues and concerns about our current contract. We will work for wages, benefits and conditions that allow RNs to deliver safe and effective patient care.

We have the following dates confirmed for negotiations: Nov. 5, Nov. 16, Nov. 28, Dec. 4, and Dec. 18. Stay tuned for updates as each session continues. The following is a list of our fellow RNs who have volunteered to represent us all on the negotiation team:

• Stevie-Lynne Krone - 9N
• KT Raley-Jones - CICU
• Clint Wallace - ICU
• LaDonna Reel - MB
• Darryl Johnson -CICU
• Nonie Kingma - AGPU
• Vicki Benson - Radiology
• Linda Clanton - IV therapy
• David Emerson - 7N
• Lee Ayers - PACU
• Inga Matheson - CICU
• Abigail Berry - OR

My name is Darryl Johnson. I have a BA in political science and economics from the University of Washington and I have a BSN from Washington State University. I have worked for PSHMC as an RN for a little over 10 years; one year on 8 South, nine years CICU and one year in Cath Lab. The further I have gone through my career, I have come aware of how important a union is needed to protect fellow employees from overreaching management. I have stepped forward to be grievance officer so fellow union members won't have to go through what I went through. I will help you in every which way I can.

Thank you,

Darryl Johnson

Contact officers by calling: 1-866-305-5612

Come join us for a local unit rep meeting. We need to hear from you as we prepare for negotiations.

When: Sept. 12, 2018

Time: 5 to 7 p.m.

Where: FrankieDoodle Restaurant (30 E. 3^rd Ave, Spokane WA)

RSVP to WSNA Nurse Rep Debi Bessmer, RN at 1-800-231-8482, ext. 3112 or at dbessmer@wsna.org.

We encourage anyone interested in becoming a Local Unit Rep for their floor to join us. See you there!

In this issue:

1. Officer of the Quarter
2. Spokane Leadership Summit
3. Did you know by being a WSNA represented nurse in Spokane you are a member of the Spokane Alliance?
4. Negotiation updates
5. We are on Facebook! Upcoming events

“My name is Stevie Lynne Krone. I am a Registered Nurse at Sacred Heart Medical Center and the current WSNA Co-Chair representing the nurses in the SHMC/WSNA bargaining unit. I have been a member of WSNA for over five years and have been an energetic participant in my local unit activities including pickets, walks and petitions. I am now serving my first term in office as we head into contract negotiations for 2018, utilizing both voice and action from my experience working alongside a powerful and strong brigade of nurses. I have practiced on nearly all the units of my hospital as a Float Pool nurse and now I can dedicate more time in supporting my occupational brothers and sisters as a supplemental on the Cardiac Medical Unit.

I have also utilized my skills as a music artist to benefit and promote a sense of unity, especially with the release of my song “We Are the People.”

It is my passion to serve my community with wholesome medical care as well as focus my allegiance to protect and promote the safety of the nurses that serve beside me.”

If you are a local unit rep or a local unit officer, please contact jperkins@wsna.org to be featured in the next regional newsletter. We are constantly looking for leaders to feature!

Thanks to those of you who attended the Spokane Leadership Summit on April 14, 2018, at the Red Lion. Not only was it a great opportunity to network with fellow nurses in your area, all nurses walked away with 6 CNEs. Nurses from Sacred Heart, Holy Family, Spokane Veterans Home, Spokane Regional Health District and St. Luke’s Rehab were all there. Topics that were covered: Janus vs AFSME, workplace violence and the new Staffing Law.

Thank you for your participation!

In case you missed it, there are more Summits to come! Go to www.wsna.org/union/leadership to find out more. Registration incentives are being offered by the WSNA cabinet including a $50 reimbursement credit for one night’s stay. The next Summit is at Campbell’s Resort on Lake Chelan on Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Registration is open now

Spokane Alliance is a group of nonpartisan, proactive, everyday citizens dedicated to making Spokane a better place for all to live and thrive. You’ll find them working for change in churches and classrooms, in living rooms and union halls, in City Hall and in Olympia.

For more than 10 years, Spokane Alliance has worked to improve public transportation, increase job opportunities and green building requirements among other issues. They are a non-profit supported by the dues of our member organizations, individuals and foundations. The Alliance is affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation, a coalition of like-minded organizations in cities across the United States, the UK, Germany, Canada and Australia.

At Spokane Alliance, they believe that by working together we have the power to change our communities for the better. And they do more than just sign petitions and protest; together, they take action. If you’re interested in helping with the Spokane Alliance as a WSNA nurse, please contact jperkins@wsna.org. WSNA is actively partnering to create opportunities to help improve the community through access to medical care for patients. Visit iafnw.org/spokanealliance to find out more about what is currently being worked on. We can direct you on how you can help!

Lots of work is being done by your WSNA staff and officers in the region. Get the bigger scoop:

• St. Luke’s Rehab – 7 sessions complete. Lots of issues still on the table and we are disappointed at the amount of progress. There are still a lot of items to work through including wages, benefits, staffing, rest breaks and layoff language. Next day to bargain is Sept. 7. The negotiating team of nurses is: Fran Castillo (CVA), Linda Spurgeon (CVA) and Jonelle Polley (Infection Control RN).
• Spokane Regional Health District – currently gathering a team of nurses and prepping the contract. Surveys are complete. First day of negotiations is Sept. 6. Negotiating team of nurses is: Jan Yoder, RN, Melissa Charbonneau, RN, Amy Cross, RN and Deborah Taylor, RN.
• Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center – preparations and bargaining will begin fall of 2018. The negotiating team members are: Stevie Lynn Krone (9N), KT Raley-Jones (CICU), Clint Wallace (ICU), LaDonna Reel (MB), Nonie Kingma (AGPU), Debbie Cameron (5S), Linda Clanton (IV Therapy), David Emerson (7N), Darryl Johnson (Cath Lab), Lee Ayres (PACU), Abigail Berry (OR), Vicki Benson (Radiology) and Inga Matheson (CICU).
• Providence Holy Family Hospital – recent grievance settlement for vacation/sick accrual for FT 12-hour nurses.
• Pullman Regional Health District – organizing local unit reps for each unit.
• Providence Visiting Nurses Association – a Tentative Agreement has been reached. Vote is upcoming.

Some of the WSNA local units in Spokane have Facebook pages which are kept up to date on happenings in labor, or within the local unit. Please take the time to “like” them and check them out! This is a great way to show solidarity for your labor brothers and sisters within your region.

WSNA Coug Football Night – save the date!

The Washington State University Cougars take on the Eastern Washington University Eagles on Sept. 15! WSNA nurses will receive a discounted rate on tickets, don’t miss out.

2019 Washington State Nurses Convention

Come join us on May 1-3, 2019 for Washington’s only statewide convention dedicated to nurses and the issues we face. We are focused on transforming health care through the power of nursing.

Come join us for a local unit rep meeting as we start preparing for our negotiations.

When: June 27, 2018

Time: 5-7 p.m.

Where: FrankieDoodle Restaurant (30 E. 3^rd Ave, Spokane WA)

RSVP to WSNA Nurse Rep Debi Bessmer, RN at 1-800-231-8482, ext. 3112 or at dbessmer@wsna.org.

We encourage anyone interested in becoming a Local Unit Rep for their floor to join us.