We sat down with management for our seventh bargaining session on Thursday, Feb. 29. WSNA gave our economic proposal which would raise Snohomish County Health Department wages to line up more closely with the prevailing nurse wages in the area. We are also looking to increase the longevity bonuses across the board to help the County retain their nursing staff beyond the tenth yearly step increase.

The first six sessions were mainly focused on merging the year-long 2023 interim contract and the previous contract from 2021-2022. We are now able to focus on coming to agreements on how the former District language can integrate with the County's practices while still affording you the right to dispute issues in a timely manner with management as well as work in a safe environment. The County says that they have 30 contracts currently being negotiated so they are having difficulty scheduling additional sessions. We are continuing to push them to give us more timely sessions, but our next session will likely be at the end of March or the beginning of April.

We would like to thank Christin Seo for stepping up to fill her colleague's spot at the table during this last session. If anyone would like to get more involved, please let your nurse rep know (gchesterman@wsna.org). If you're at the office, you can ask your bargaining team members Susan Babcock and Sue Starr for "I support our bargaining team" stickers.

In solidarity,
Your Bargaining Team
Susan Babcock, Chair
Sue Starr, Vice Chair

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your bargaining team or your WSNA nurse rep, Grace Chesterman (gchesterman@wsna.org).