Our WSNA bargaining team met with management for our sixth session of contract negotiations. We continue negotiating many articles, which are still open and we remain far apart on significant issues for our bargaining unit nurses.

Workplace Violence

Management’s initial response to our comprehensive proposal for preventing workplace violence was that our proposals would cost money. Management also expressed concerns about the efficacy of weapons detection systems. Our team has identified that Sacred Heart previously applied for a grant through FEMA that included a weapons detection system. This and other security measures were costed out and much of the language used in the grant reinforces and supports the proposals our union is asking for. We shared this with management and have requested detailed information on this grant from them.

We feel much of the work around workplace violence actually occurs at the system level in the Safety INWA committee despite our nurses having a committee to address workplace violence. One of our nurses on the safety committee shared that she has at times felt like a placeholder on the safety committee. She also said that a committee that meets quarterly for an hour is not a space that promotes effective change.

Our proposed contract language continues to ask for:

• A weapons detection system
• Security at every public entrance
• Significant decision-making ability given to the Workplace Violence Prevention (WVP) Committee
• Nurses are relieved of work to participate in the WVP Committee
• Nurses on committee be provided with full complaint data in order to process complaints and drive change. Management expressed that they have confidentiality concerns about sharing full transparent reports and the administrative burden of hiring someone to redact complaints would come at a cost.
• Nurses be provided paid administrative leave if subject to workplace violence requiring time away.

Break Nurse Relief

“The break nurse proposal is not one we are agreeing to” is how management responded to our union’s proposal for break nurses. They expressed a belief that they feel the break buddy system is an adequate mechanism for nurses to get their meals and rest periods. Management also shared that they don’t believe there is currently a problem with break relief and that our approach—having house-wide break relief nurses—is unrealistic.

• What we know- our nurses are consistently busy. Our nurses indicated in survey feedback that safe staffing and the ability to take uninterrupted meal and rest periods are a huge priority. Management strictly uses Kronos data to track meal and rest break compliance.
• What we also know- nurses may not be tracking their compliance with meal and rest periods. We’ve heard from nurses and shared in both staffing committee meetings and in bargaining that nurses clock out receiving a break even if they miss it. Why? Nurses have been called in to meet with management for clocking out missed meals and asked about time management.
• What should I do if I’m one of those nurses? Record your time accurately. As a federally protected union worker, use your representation rights. If you are ever asked to meet with management and you have a reasonable belief that what you say could be used for discipline, simply say “I’m so sorry I’d love to answer your question, but I’ll need my union rep”. Nurses will use that as the answer to all questions asked by management until you are released.

Did you know multiple hospitals are employing and utilizing break relief nurses?

Hospitals including St. Joe’s Tacoma, MultiCare Good Samaritan, Tacoma General, and Skagit Hospital. Dedicated break relief is a reality for many nurses; our nurses deserve that.

The Employer is proposing significant changes to our layoff language in Article 9. While many of our nurses don’t look at this, we have concerns about the presentation and expressed our reservations. Our layoff language is as old as our PTO accrual rate, and we find it convenient that they want to modify the layoff language and not the PTO accrual rate. We have not responded to this yet and will be scrutinizing this proposal. As you may know, we have experienced at least three layoffs impacting our nurses over the last two years and our contract has served us well in those spaces.

Open proposals and responses from management

• Rejected our proposal to reduce time discipline is in a nurse’s file from 2 years to 18 months
• Proposing to increase the time it takes to process contract violations in the grievance article
• Proposing a process to fill vacant call shifts by least senior nurse with no additional financial incentive
• Rejected our proposal to add RCW language regarding mandatory overtime
• Rejected our proposal to allow part-time nurses to receive time and a half for picking up short notice shifts as they believe it will incentivize nurses to drop to part time status
• Proposing increased hours for mandatory low census to 72 hours from 48 hours

Our team reiterated our initial health program proposal including a return to our previous plan administrator and for the employer to make no plan changes without bargaining. We communicated to management that we have yet to hear a good reason why they can’t do what we’ve asked. What we did hear was that our proposal was huge with no compromises and a lot of asks and due to that, they responded with a position in kind. Our team reiterated that we need real answers for what they can and cannot do and anything short of that won’t suffice. Health insurance is a ratification issue for our nurses and we know it.

Wages

Our team has taken a hard look at our wage proposals and modified them. Management’s initial response included across the board raises of 2.5%, 2%, and 2%, a new premium for wound/ostomy, and a rejection of most all of our premium increases except night shift differential, evening shift differential, and preceptor. The differentials they did propose would not go into effect until three pay periods after ratification and some not until 2027. Their comps included hospitals only in our region including St. Luke’s Rehab and Mt. Carmel Hospital.

Our union reiterated our proposals including the following 

• Complete abolition of all ghost steps
• Increasing our wage scale to 35 steps
• Increases to many premiums in Article 7
• Increasing PTO accrual rates
• Removing penalty PTO hours to access EIT
• Adding Christmas Eve as a holiday

A HUGE thank you to all of our WSNA nurses that came to observe our bargaining! In this group alone we have 99.5 years of nursing experience at Sacred Heart. We are WSNA!

Did you know that between our bargaining team and our observers on day 6 we had over 350 years of nursing experience at Sacred Heart in one single room? 

Our team is working hard on our nurse’s behalf to achieve a fair contract, and we need all of our nurses support.

What Can I Do To Help?

1. Be an observer- sign up today to observe our contract negotiations. Half day and full day sign up available. Next sessions include January 21, 27, and February 5.
2. Attend our after bargaining union meetings- Our team following each bargaining session will hold a virtual meeting for nurses to get real-time updates from that day. Meetings held at 6pm and 8pm on bargaining dates.
3. Become a Steward- Are you comfortable with your contract? Are you someone with whom your colleagues ask questions to about our union or contract? Step up your game and help us strengthen our Union at Sacred Heart. One hour training provided on an individual basis- sign up today.
4. Wear Blue! CARA nurses supporting our bargaining team while working! We know t-shirts have created problems on many units and our team has filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board regarding this. Nurses can still wear blue scrubs in support of our team!

Questions? Contact a member of our bargaining team or our WSNA Nurse Representative Alle Machorro at amachorro@wsna.org.