In response to member feedback, your WSNA Local Unit Officers & Nurse Rep met with Management on December 9 to discuss emergent Safety, Staffing and Floating concerns. Though many topics were covered, the highlights include:

• Your WSNA team demanding a work environment where our members are able to provide safe and quality care to patients.
• Your WSNA team emphasizing that WSNA members who are required to float have contractual protections. (See below)
• Your WSNA team stating that retention efforts and incentives must be considered to retain skilled Nurses and reduce the staffing gaps.
• Your WSNA team asking that management address Workplace Violence in a meaningful way.
• We will meet with Management weekly to address these pressing issues and hold management accountable. Our next meeting is this Wednesday at 3 pm.

Refusing a dangerous float assignment

WSNA is engaging the hospital in discussion about the plan to float Ambulatory Nurses to inpatient settings, as we are very concerned. The hospital may require nurses to float but float pool, volunteers, traveler and agency nurses should all be floating first. Even then, float assignments should be helping hands unless the nurse is trained and oriented. If a nurse does not believe they are trained and oriented, they should offer to be helping hands and decline a patient assignment. Please submit an ADO if you feel your assignment creates unsafe conditions for you or your patients.

Article 5.6 Floating

The Employer retains the right to change the nurse’s daily work assignment on a shift by shift basis to meet patient care needs. Nurses will be expected to perform all basic nursing functions but will not be required to perform tasks or procedures specifically applicable to the nursing unit for which they are not qualified or trained to perform. Nurses required to float within the hospital will receive orientation appropriate to the assignment. Orientation will be dependent upon the nurse’s previous experience and familiarity with the nursing unit to which such nurse is assigned. The Employer will not assign float nurses as charge without mutual consent.

When nurses are asked to float to other units, the following order shall be used:

• Float Pool nurses and nurses who hold a specific float position;
• Volunteers (including volunteer traveler and agency nurses);
• Traveler and agency nurses, in rotation;
• All other nurses consistent with UBSC guidelines.

Each UBSC shall create guidelines regarding floating consistent with this provision.

https://www.wsna.org/news/2020/refusing-an-assignment

https://www.wsna.org/news/2019/can-a-nurse-walk-off-the-job-to-protest-unsafe-working-conditions

https://www.wsna.org/union/ado

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Linda Burbank (lburbank@wsna.org).