A lot has been happening recently, both in and out of the hospital, and your WSNA officers have been working hard on your behalf.

Over the past several months, we have resolved multiple issues, including rest between shifts, missed premiums and callback minimums. Through the work of the Staffing Committee, we have also secured additional FTE break nurses. These wins matter, and they are not possible without you.

The ADO forms you file are critical. Reporting missed breaks, unsafe staffing, and broken or unavailable equipment allows the committee to identify trends, document recurring problems, and push for meaningful, long-term solutions. Your participation directly drives change.

Meal and Rest Breaks – What’s Happening Now

We’ve heard from many of you who reached out about meal windows. At the most recent Conference Committee meeting, management agreed to potentially reopen and discuss the current meal window structure.

To do that effectively, we need your input. Below is a link to the survey, and we strongly encourage everyone to participate so we can clearly represent what the bargaining unit wants.

A few important points to keep in mind:

1. This is a negotiation. Participation in a survey does not guarantee management agreement, but it does give us the leverage to advocate effectively.
2. Public vs. private facilities differ. At public facilities, any negotiated agreement applies uniformly to everyone. At private facilities, individual waivers are required to deviate from the statutory standard.
3. This is a challenging transition. Healthcare is now being required to apply meal and rest break laws that historically were not strictly enforced in hospitals. Everyone deserves their breaks, and achieving compliance requires operational changes. We appreciate your patience as this work continues.
4. Back-testing matters. We need to understand how the current system is functioning. If it works great. If it doesn’t, please continue to file an ADO whenever a meal or rest break is missed so we can accurately track and trend these issues while the survey is open and build a system that works long-term.

Honoring a Fellow Nurse

As many of you are aware, there was a tragedy in Minneapolis last Saturday in which ICU RN Alex Pretti was killed. This has been a painful and emotional event for many nurses nationwide and hits especially close to home.

WSNA released a statement last Saturday, followed by statements from the ANA   and other organizations. Several members have asked whether there is an opportunity to gather in remembrance.

Stand Up Anacortes has offered space for a vigil at 12th Street and Commercial Avenue (near Safeway) in Anacortes this Friday from noon –1 pm. Those who wish to attend are welcome to come and hold space in remembrance of Alex.

Closing

As I close out my first Mailchimp message to the bargaining unit, I want to share how excited I am to work alongside the nurses at Skagit Regional Health. I look forward to partnering with your officers and members to improve staff safety and to help you protect your rights, both under the contract and the law.

If you have questions, please reach out to me at rcully@wsna.org, or contact any of your officers. Officer contact information can be found here.

In Solidarity,
Liz Rainaud - RNC Co-Chair
Kyla Malean - Co-Chair
Kim McCann - Secretary
Rachel Yates, RN - Treasurer
Mackenzie Anderson - Grievance Officer
Abubaker Cameron, RN - Grievance Officer
Crissi Franulovich - Grievance Officer
Abubaker Cameron, RN - Membership Officer