Our first scheduled mediation session (bargaining session 17) that was to occur on January 26 was canceled. The County was not yet ready, despite confirming these dates just last week. Team members have continuously changed schedules, shifted field visits and family commitments for every single bargaining session.

Does the County’s time hold more respect than your WSNA bargaining team’s time? This work requires both sides, so both sides’ time and effort should be respected!

We truly hope this trend is not what the King County nurses have to look forward to in 2026. We are gratified that many tentative agreements (TA’s) have occurred since beginning negotiations in January 2025, but none can be implemented due to the outstanding issue that we’ve been clear about since the start: longevity steps currently come to an abrupt halt after 10 years of service. We look to mediation to agree on improvements to that.

We will channel all of this as we approach Friday when, we believe, we will bargain with the County through the facilitation of a Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) mediator. But we need your help and participation!

Call to action reminders:

1. Join us to observe negotiations on Friday in the Chinook building. Talk with a team member or email the Nurse Rep Tara Barnes to join us for part of, or the whole day tbarnes@wsna.org
2. We distributed over 200 WSNA t-shirts in 2025. If gaining a strong, fair contract is important to you, wear your WSNA shirts or any blue or WSNA swag on Friday in solidarity. Take a selfie and text it to 206-713-2241 or email a team member or Tara. This is no time to be shy. The stakes are too high! Not working Friday? Take a selfie in your WSNA shirt and send today 😊

Follow us on Instagram where many videos and updates show this long journey https://www.instagram.com/phskc_staffnurses/

Review the many actions that have been taken in 2025 and past updates that are archived chronologically on your local unit webpage https://www.wsna.org/union/seattle-king-county-health-dept-staff

Link to PERC mediation webpage. Don’t miss the 4-minute video https://perc.wa.gov/mediation/

In solidarity,

Your bargaining team:
Elena Schensted Chairperson
Stephen Lee Vice Chairperson
Evie Devera Secretary/Treasurer
Kiesha Garcia-Stubbs Grievance officer
Tami Nesler Grievance officer
Carolyn Clark Grievance officer

Tara Barnes Nurse Representative tbarnes@wsna.org