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Jan Yoder

Vice Chair

Gillian (Jill) Wells

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Kaylee Nunley

Grievance Officer

Kimberly Parkey


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It’s time to walk with the Virginia Mason nurses!

Virginia Mason Informational Picket on October 10, 2023

Informational Picket on October 10, 2023 6 – 8:30 a.m. and noon. – 2 p.m. Outside the hospital on Seneca St. Look for the WSNA Blue!

October 10, 2023

6:00am to 2:00pm

Virginia Mason Medical Center
925 Seneca St
Seattle, WA 98104

VMMHS safety photos

We all have to support each other if we expect to succeed in our goals to make our hospitals a safe place with a healthy work environment that will make nurses want to stay.

The nurses of Virginia Mason would like to invite you to stand with them and let VMFH administrators know we demand to be safe both inside and outside of our hospitals. Admin are safe and secure behind locked doors and well compensated. Nurses deserve to be safe too! Nurses also deserve staffing that will ensure safe patient care as well as compensation that will attract and retain nurses.

Please join the Virginia Mason nurses telling management to Do More, Do Better!

Virginia Mason Medical Center
1100 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101

Informational Picket on October 10, 2023
6 – 8:30 a.m.
and
noon. – 2 p.m.
Outside the hospital on Seneca St. Look for the WSNA Blue!

Bring the nurses you work with, bring your family, bring your neighbor, bring your kids, bring your dog, and bring your *voice*. Let management know they have to Do More and Do Better.

Informational Picketing FAQs

What’s an informational picket? Nurses walk, carry picket signs, and hand out leaflets on the public sidewalk in front of the hospital, in an effort to share our message of concern with the community.
Is it similar to a strike? No. Staff scheduled to work should go to work. Patients scheduled for care should go and get their care. The specific purpose of the action is to communicate the issues we have at the table with the public.

Is it legal? Yes. It’s not just legal, it’s our right as union members!

Who can picket? Everyone. By everyone, we mean EVERYONE: you (all RNs, full-time, part-time, per diem, residents, probationary nurses), your family, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues and your pets!

Why involve the community? We serve and advocate on behalf of our community every day. The issues we are dealing with directly impact them. They not only need to hear but will understand and support why we are concerned about the lack of staffing, our inability to recruit and retain nurses.

Can I get in trouble if my manager doesn’t like it? No. It is illegal for managers to question or discipline any nurse for talking about or participating in an info picket. The National Labor Relations Act specifically protects participation in this type of union activity – even if you’re on probation or a resident nurse!

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jaclyn Smedley, BSN, RN, at jsmedley@wasna.org.

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.

Learn more

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.

Learn more

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.

Visit cne.wsna.org to access our courses and earn CNE contact hours.

Visit cne.wsna.org