WSNA, SEIU and UFCW 21 have been notified of CommonSpirit’s plan to provide Broad Based Awards and the Covid Caregiver Award bonus for caregivers. We agree it is absolutely right to recognize the unprecedented sacrifice all healthcare workers have made during this pandemic, putting themselves and their families at risk every day to care for patients. However, it is not right to offer bonuses in a divisive way in which management picks and chooses whose sacrifice and risk was worthy of recognition, leaving many of our members out of one or both awards. We believe that all of our members in our three organizations, in all of their roles and departments across CHI-Franciscan hospitals, played a vital role in caring for our communities and deserve to be compensated for their sacrifice and efforts.

While we appreciate the intention of providing additional compensation to our members during this unprecedented time, we disagree with the employer's proposed approach which allows management to determine who is deserving of recognition among all of CHI-Franciscan's dedicated caregivers. We believe that the Awards should be provided to all staff, to celebrate and recognize the hard work of all of our members during a difficult time.

All three unions have notified CHI-Franciscan management we would like to jointly meet with them to bargain an agreement that is fair and equitable to all caregivers, so that it can be a positive experience for all.

At this time, we are waiting for a response from CHI-Franciscan management. We will keep you informed regarding any updates, so stay tuned.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Barbara Friesen at bfriesen@wsna.org