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Public Health – Seattle & King County (staff nurses)

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Contract negotiations with mediator commences!

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On February 24, after 4 long months apart, we met for our 17th session. In this session, we were joined by a mediator from the public employees relations commission (PERC).

Thank you to our special guest for the support and treats to sustain the team through the long day, Edna Padilla Cortez, Chairperson Labor Executive Council for WSNA 😊

While we were in separate rooms, the mediator shared proposals between your WSNA team and the County. The County negotiators did meet with us briefly to answer some questions regarding a proposal for a 21-step scale. Team members had many questions. The proposal will require an in-depth analysis to fully determine our next steps in response. Overall, it was encouraging to see the work the County had done to resume negotiations.

We also made proposals in efforts to address outstanding issues with Bilingual premium, Non-discrimination language, and the process tools for staffing complaints. Good news regarding staffing complaints, we did come to a tentative agreement regarding a non-retaliation for nurses raising staffing/safety concerns !

What is next? Our asks of YOU!

  1. Save the date for our public action on March 23 Marching for Respect!
  2. We are still working to gain a meeting with the new County Executive Zahilay to drive home our message. Stay tuned!
  3. Read all communications from WSNA to be up to date with the continued, strenuous efforts of your team.
  4. Follow us on Instagram, like and share our posts and reels on your personal pages to amplify the voice of the Public Health nurses often hidden service to King County residents AND our fight for a strong, fair contract.
  5. We are back at the table on March 5 and 10!
  6. Contact a team member with questions, information can be found on your local unit web page https://www.wsna.org/union/seattle-king-county-health-dept-staff

In solidarity,

Your bargaining team, 
Elena Schensted, Columbia City Clinic
Stephen Lee, Jail Health MRJC
Tami Nesler, Jail Health MRJC
Evie Devera, Downtown Clinic
Kiesha Garcia-Stubbs, Downtown Clinic
Carolyn Clark, Jail Health KCCF

Tara Barnes Nurse Representative tbarnes@wsna.org

Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/phskc_staffnurses/