Your bargaining team met yesterday, December 16, 20205, with management to advocate for proposals that center on accountability:

Staffing and Patient Acuity: It’s Not Just About the Numbers

• Acuity Matters: We shared a specific, recent example from the CVICU in which high patient acuity (codes, devices, 1:1 and 2:1 patients) created a very difficult shift, 2:1 ratio. The unit met the basic “headcount” requirement, with the number of nurses matching the staffing plan census. However, no additional support was provided, resulting in missed breaks and safety concerns.
• Our Proposal: We proposed that the contract must acknowledge patient acuity as a vital component of staffing. We are asking for a “goal acuity score” and specific contingency plans for when acuity rises, ensuring you get support even if the “matrix numbers” say you are fully staffed.
• Transparency: We demanded access to actual Hours Per Patient Day (HPPD) reports—not just projections—so we can verify if the hospital is actually staffing to the promises they make.

Meal and Break Nurses

• New Positions: Management intends to post “Meal and Break Nurse” positions soon to ensure nurses get their breaks. This has placed a new sense of urgency around this topic. We believe we can work together to achieve the employer's goals and ensure the bedside nurses' needs are also met. We will continue the discussion on Thursday, 12/18.
• Role Definition: We had a good conversation with management today, which helped us understand their vision for meal-and-break nurses. We are currently discussing whether this should be a separate job classification or a shift assignment. Our team believes this should usually be an assignment.

Other topics covered today:

• Clinical Groupings: We discussed how units are grouped for Low Census versus Reductions in Force (RIF). Management proposed combining these lists, but we explained why day-to-day floating is different from bidding during a RIF. We are also working to ensure that floating groupings (Critical Care vs. Med/Surg) do not result in nurses being inappropriately “bumped” or treated like a de facto float pool.
• Reduction in Hours: We proposed clear timelines for posting decreased hours and establishing recall rights based on seniority.
• Cross-Training: We proposed using our scheduling software (Symplr) to accurately track cross-training. If a nurse is cross-trained and willing to move, they should be floated to help rather than forcing another nurse into low census.
• Tentative Agreement (TA): We reached an agreement on Section 4.5.1! If an internal candidate is not selected for a Charge position, management will now provide the reason for rejection and feedback on skills needed for future selection.

Join us for Session 4: This Thursday, December 18, in the HEC Auditorium

We will be in the HEC Auditorium. Your bargaining team will focus on Respect, and we will be bringing proposals on economics to the employer. If you want to see our wage proposal, this is an important session to attend. We will also continue the discussion on Break Nurses and address issues important to Home and Community nurses.

Emergency Room Toy Drive – We will also be collecting donations or toys to donate to the Toy drive when you stop by for bargaining as well.

If you RSVP, it is very helpful so we can plan for how many observers we will have, but if you have a last-minute opportunity to join us, please do.

RSVP to join us!

If you are working and cannot join us, make sure to at least wear a WSNA sticker to support the team and, ideally, wear your WSNA blue T-shirt. We will have shirts at bargaining if you’d like to pick one up.

Know Your Rights: Union Gear at Work

Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), you have the federally protected right to wear union buttons, stickers, and T-shirts at work to show support for your union.

What to do if a manager orders you to remove a sticker, button, or change your shirt:

1. Ask the "Magic Question" Calmly ask the manager: "If I refuse to comply with this order, will it lead to corrective action or discipline?"

2. If the answer is "No": You may politely decline to remove the item.

3. If the answer is "Yes" (or if they immediately threaten discipline): COMPLY NOW, GRIEVE LATER.

• Remove the item or change. Do not be insubordinate.
• Document everything immediately: Write down exactly what was said, the time, the location where the conversation happened, and who else was present.
• Contact a Union Rep: Send us your notes. We will investigate whether we need to file a grievance and an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against the hospital for violating your rights. Contact an officer below or Nurse Representative Bret Percival at BPercival@wsna.org.

Home and Community Nurses - Focused Event Survey

We can’t stress enough how important it is for the entire bargaining unit to interact with one another and stand in solidarity. We do, however, want to offer focused meetings specifically for nurses spread across Home Health, Home Hospice, and the Hospice Houses. Specific meetings for each group. With everyone spread out, we hope to get some insights into how best to meet, looking at dates, times, locations, and agenda items.

In these meetings, we want to hear from you about how you are doing and discuss the problems specific to your work and how we can work together to improve things. We will, of course, also talk about bargaining, as well as other ways we can make changes, including conference committee and filling out ADOs to document the problems you are facing.

Home and Community Nurse Breakout Sessions - Interest Survey – Fill out form

Follow us on Instagram at phsw_nurses

In solidarity,

WSNA PeaceHealth Southwest Bargaining Team:
Alyssa Boswell, Home Hospice 
Dawn Marick, MedSurg 
Duncan Camacho, ICU 
Dustin Weddle, ED 
Jacob Clark, CVICU 
Maria Hosseini, Cathlab 
Sam Golden, IMCU
Sarah Albright, Peri-Op 
Toutu Rekucki, MedSurg

Questions? Contact your WSNA Nurse Representative, Bret Percival, at 206-471-0876 or bpercival@wsna.org.