Chair
Elena Schensted
Columbia PH Center
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Contract
Latest update
The countdown starts today!
Posted Sep 12, 2025
Save the date and join us on September 27 for our public action at the Chinook building!
This rally is crucial to our goals in negotiations. We gain strength and resolve from our shared actions. We laid the foundation with the County back in 2023 to improve the longevity in our contract. There have been no surprises. Our advocacy is just and will benefit the County in achieving the strategic priorities for public health. We remain clear and consistent. Our collective actions are focused on securing and preserving the quality and experience of public health nurses at the County in the future. This campaign is not a spectator sport. Your activism and advocacy are the foundation of nursing practice.
What to expect at the rally?
On Saturday September 27, we assemble outside the Chinook building on the corner of 5th and Jefferson 12-2pm
Get your Public Health Nursing Strong WSNA T-shirt and show your union pride!
Hear speakers and talk with your team. We will provide public support petition QR codes. Share them with everyone who cares for you and public health services! The link is https://forms.office.com/r/hd35QBFXj3.
Nurses are welcome to have a picture or video taken by WSNA to help inform the public about your work as a public health nurse. The public deserves to know about the value and impact of your work on health and safety across King County!
Bring a WSNA nurse peer, family, and friends. Animals on a leash are welcome!
One more BIG UPDATE! Community Health Services Supervisor (CHSS) Arbitration Decision – a grievance arbitration that WSNA has WON!
This is a HUGE victory for Public Health nurses and union rights.
CHSS Arbitration Decision Summary:
- Complete Victory - The grievance filed by the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) is SUSTAINED. The Arbitrator ruled that King County violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement Supervisor nurses (CBA).
- Union Recognition Upheld - The County violated Article 3.1, the recognition clause, by creating "Community Health Services Supervisor" (CHSS) positions to replace "Personal Health Services Supervisor" (PHSS) positions. The Arbitrator affirmed that the Union's bargaining unit is protected from this kind of dilution.
- Stop the Replacement - The County is ordered to Cease and Desist from creating any further CHSS positions that replace PHSS positions.
- License Requirement Protected - The Arbitrator found the new CHSS positions were "almost identical" to the PHSS positions, with the only significant difference being the removal of the requirement for a nursing license. This was a direct attack on the specialized skills and qualifications of the bargaining unit.
- Bargaining Unit Integrity Defended - The decision prevents the erosion of the Union's power. Creating non-licensed versions of Union jobs "deprives the bargaining unit of members and dilutes the bargaining power of the Union."
- Nurse Supervision Matters - The Union successfully argued the critical importance of having licensed nurses in supervisory roles to provide guidance and evaluation on nursing practice, which a non-nurse is not qualified to do. This piece specifically impacts the staff nurses who are to be supervised by a nurse, not a non-nurse.
- Positions to be Returned to the Bargaining Unit - The County has been given 120 days to ensure the incumbents in the wrongly created CHSS positions are replaced by employees who hold a nursing license, restoring these jobs to the Union.
- Collective Power Works - This decision is a powerful reminder that a strong Union contract, backed by a willingness to fight through grievances, is essential to protecting members' jobs and professional standards against management overreach.
This decision is a final and binding affirmation of your rights and the value of nursing expertise that only licensed nurses possess!
Each of you, the Seattle King County nurses, ARE WSNA!
We congratulate the supervisor nurses and thank the staff nurses who supported their strenuous efforts in this arbitration that resulted in a win for the supervisor nurses and the staff nurses who are impacted by it.
In solidarity,
Your bargaining team:
Elena Schensted Chair
Stephen Lee Vice chair
Evie Devera Secretary/Treasurer
Carolyn Clark Grievance officer
Tami Nesler Grievance officer
Kiesha Garcia-Stubbs Grievance officer
WSNA Nurse Rep Tara Barnes tbarnes@wsna.org
Follow us on social media https://www.instagram.com/phskc_staffnurses/
Previous updates
The stakes could not be higher!
Aug 29, 2025
Join your WSNA Negotiation Team for a virtual Sip n’ Chat
Aug 22, 2025
Where we started. Where we are headed. Our plan to WIN in contract negotiations!
Aug 18, 2025
Contract Negotiations Session 15 Not enough movement
Aug 12, 2025
Seattle King County nurses deserve respect!
Aug 08, 2025
Enough is enough!
Aug 01, 2025
Upcoming event
Central Washington Region Nurses Association Annual Meeting
Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Meet your board of directors, Vote on proposed bylaw changes, Network and enjoy food, drinks and door prizes
WSNA union news
Resources and tools
Document unsafe conditions
If you find yourself in a situation that you believe creates unsafe conditions for patients or for you, you should complete a Staffing Complaint / ADO Form as soon as possible.
By completing the form, you will help make the problem known to management, creating an opportunity for the problem to be addressed. Additionally, you will be documenting the facts, which may be helpful to you later if there is a negative outcome.
WSNA also uses your ADO forms to track the problems occurring in your facility. When you and your coworkers take the important step of filling out an ADO form, you are helping to identify whether there is a pattern of unsafe conditions for you or your patients at your facilities. This information is used by your conference committee, staffing committee, and WSNA labor staff to improve your working conditions.
Representation rights
As a union member, you have the right to have a representative present in any meetings with management that could potentially lead to disciplinary action against you.
If called into a meeting with management, read the following to management when the meeting begins:
If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, I respectfully request that my union representative be present at this meeting. Without representation present, I choose not to participate in this discussion.
Find out more about this crucial right and how to exercise it to ensure your fair treatment and protection.
Continuing education offerings
Enhance your professional competency with WSNA's free online courses.
Earn CNE contact hours through topics like Cultural Humility, Telehealth Assessment, Workplace Violence Prevention, and more. Convenient and self-paced, our courses provide practical knowledge for your daily work. Expand your skills and stay up-to-date with the latest nursing practices.