Your VERY BIG WSNA news update: Buckle up and read it all!

• Wage increases and retro pay.
• Contract issues across many sites and programs and pending grievances.

Upcoming Events

• Local unit officer elections: nominations end November 6 at midnight
• THREE union steward training options on Teams, October 29 and 31:
• November 3: Midterm Election Day, ballots due. If you mail in ballot, they MUST be postmarked no later than 8 pm!
• February 4, 2027 Lobby Day - WSNA Lobby Day - WSNA. Register early! Registration ends December 31, 2026

Wage increases and retro pay: 

Your 3.75% wage increase with retro pay should now show on your pay statement. Per the compensation and retro pay agreement, this wage increase is paid back to January 1, 2026, for any nurse still employed as of September 27, 2026. See details for currently employed nurses and those  who have terminated employment here. It is expected that retro pay will occur in this pay period or as soon as administratively possible. We have reminded the County of these terms numerous times to ensure there are not unreasonable delays and will move forward with enforcement if the retro payments do not occur in this pay period and have insisted on a definitive date from the employer.

Contract issues and pending grievances:

Wage increases retro payment: we have notified the County of our intent to grieve if a definitive date and payment is not confirmed and verified. Yes, it requires effort on their part, but the nurses have patiently waited long enough. We will update you on progress in November. Please watch your pay statements!

JHS: we continue to advocate for full core staffing at monthly LMC’s and ask that every nurse continue to submit ADOs. Thank you to the JHS nurses who have been clear and specific about where posts are regularly short and the impacts upon patient care and missed or delayed breaks and overtime. This has been a long process, but we remain steadfast. Stay tuned and keep submitting ADOs every shift you are short-staffed! 

CCFJC: The nurses working in Juvenile Detention have put in hard work to unify around a pilot for 12-hour shifts. We provided a specific proposal to DAJD and anticipate a response. Thank you to every CCFJC nurse who has participated in the conversations, labor management meetings, union calls, 100% solidarity in their petition and the development of this proposal. Stay tuned for updates!

CHS, Prevention, Professional Services: At our Level One quarterly for public health, we will continue to follow what has been a challenging implementation in some programs for RTO mandates and impacts upon your working conditions.

Thus far, with a couple of exceptions, we have fought off AWS being removed for nurses who have them, already. Given the variations in impacts of the RTO mandates, parking, access to adequate fleet vehicles for home visits, etc., we ask that nurses keep us informed from your personal experience. Stay tuned for updates following our Level One meeting next week.

TB Clinic: Thank you to TB clinic case management nurses who are engaged in a solution regarding vacancies, inadequate leave coverage, caseloads, orientation and more. We are clear that a stabilization of core staffing is crucial for this group as a first step and have requested a meeting with management. Stay tuned for updates!

Continuing Education hours article 23: the County has continued to misapply an internal policy, despite a great deal of time devoted to asserting the clarity of this language. Proration of CE hours is only applicable to staff nurses during their first year of employment. We have filed a notice with intent to grieve if the outstanding requests do not align with your contract and resolved in a timely manner. Come on King County, correct your process, and respect the staff nurse’s contract! Read the full article in your contract here.

Local unit officer elections: 

Nominations end November 6 at midnight, go here to read details and submit your nomination of a WSNA member in good standing, including yourself if you want to learn and grow as a local unit leader! 2026-2029 WSNA Officer Nomination Form-Public Health Seattle King County Staff Nurses – Fill out form Please note this correction, the term of office is January 2027 through December 31, 2029, per your local unit rules.

THREE union steward training options on Microsoft Teams, 

Use the same link for all options. Do not be shy, your local unit is stronger and more effective with union stewards at ALL sites. Make a start where you are. You CAN do it!

October 29: 10am to 12 noon

October 29: 6pm to 8pm

October 31: 12 noon to 2pm

Microsoft Teams: use same link for all options. Please join by a device so you can view slides and participate fully. No need to download Teams, you can join from your browser.

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/2495709017929798?p=6gU4YKtDZc2CDNDjg7
Meeting ID: 249 570 901 792 979 8
Passcode: 5Yg3H9io

Questions/Concerns? Contact a local unit officer, steward, or site rep or WSNA Nurse Representative Tara Barnes, [email protected]

Not a member yet? 

Become a union member : Together we are Stronger
Link membership app: Membership application - WSNA

Contract, Updates and your WSNA Union Leadership information can be found here:  https://www.wsna.org/union/seattle-king-county-health-dept-staff

Two more things!

1. WSNA nurses, in coalition with Protec 17, submitted public comment to the King County Council budget hearing on September 23 in support of full funding of Public Health clinics within their authority, provided by the WA state legislature. Thank you to the Council members who welcomed the nurses input as front-line staff, notably CM Teresa Mosqueda 😊Stay tuned. The Council vote occurs in late November. Watch the video here with WSNA public comment at:
   2 minutes-4 min 28 seconds
   4 minutes-5 min 31 seconds
   11 minutes-29 seconds to 14 minutes 21 seconds
   Full hearing video here: https://king-county-tv.cablecast.tv/show/815?site=1
    
2. The Martin Luther King Central Labor Council, of which your local unit is a part, welcomed participation of WSNA delegates on October 21 and have voted to approve a resolution for full funding of public health clinics within the County Council’s authority We look forward to the WSNA nurses’ continued participation with labor partners within the Council. Thank you MLK CLC! We ARE stronger together. We will share updates with progress

Questions/Concerns? Contact a local unit officer, steward, or site rep or WSNA Nurse Representative Tara Barnes [email protected]