Safe Staffing Campaign "No Skeleton Crews" is Well Underway

Nurses are taking action.

• We see you wearing your "No Skeleton Crews" stickers at work when you are understaffed.
• We see you filling out your postcards to Hospital President Deepak Devasthali.
• We see you writing ADOs for unsafe staffing.  https://www.wsna.org/union/ado

We sent the first #230 postcards to Deepak and also sent copies to CNO Andrew Baxter.

Keep writing postcards to be sent in the second batch. Blank postcards are located on the WSNA boards in the breakrooms.

There's also an envelope there to put your completed postcards; we will pick them up. 

Safe Staffing Grievance Date Set - May 4 3:45 - 4:30 

We have a date set for our Union Group Grievance on Safe Staffing. Multiple units have been writing ADOs letting leadership and WSNA know of the chronic short staffing happening throughout the house. This sparked our Safe Staffing Campaign "NO SKELETON CREWS."   The grievance meeting will be virtual via Google Meets.  The WSNA Nurse Rep will begin by citing the contract violations and making the case how the contract is being violated. Then nurses will have the opportunity to speak about how short staffing has affected you and patient care. If your time is limited due to being at work, we're hoping you can join during your 15 or 30 minute break. If that's the case, it may be best to join around 3:30 so you have an opportunity to speak if you'd like. The grievance will be heard by CNO Andrew Baxter.  Please RSVP to JStewart@wsna.org

This is the Google Meets Link (only for WSNA nurses):

meet.google.com/icz-rutm-tmj
Join by phone
(US) +1 216-755-4788
PIN: 363993599

PACU Call Grievance Update

We met on April 16 for a Grievance Meeting regarding managers forcing mandatory call on Walters and Main PACU nurses, after these nurses already met their contractual minimum call shifts. At the meeting we met with Hospital VP of Operations Keith Sprague and HR Business Partner Jennifer Weander. Representing WSNA was the WSNA Nurse Representative plus 5 RNs from both Walters and Main PACU. Thank you to the nurses for your heart felt testimonies.

WSNA demonstrated how the contract was being violated.  Contract Violations: 8.14 Standby/Call Scheduling; 8.14.1 Call Requirements; 8.10 Scheduled Days Off; 8.6 Posting of Schedules. We also cited the Law Restricting Mandatory Overtime.  We explained how the units are chronically understaffed; that there has been no plan in place to fill the holes in the schedule; there is no plan to fill in for nurses on planned FMLA. We explained that SJMC is not in an unforeseeable emergent circumstance and therefore Mandatory OT is unlawful. We don't believe management is using "all reasonable efforts" to obtain staffing.  Additionally, it is not lawful to mandate OT to fill vacancies resulting from a chronic short staffing situation.

For the remedy, we requested

A. That the employer staff the PACUs with enough nurses to meet the staffing matrices approved by the Hospital Staffing Committee.

B. Post the full 6 week schedule per the contractual timelines, to include posting of the available call shifts. (They had only posted a partial schedule).

C. Cease and Desist forced mandatory call in the PACU.

D. Cease and Desist mandatory OT in the PACU which does not meet the criteria outlined by the WA State Department of Labor & Industries.

We expect a response from Keith Sprague and Jennifer Weander no later than May 8, 2026.

Rainier Olympic Nurses Association Nurses Month Celebration is Saturday May 16 from 5-8 PM

Join us for a night of inspiration and celebration.  We are sponsoring up to 2 tables (12 people). If you'd like a sponsored seat, contact Carina Price carina.l.price@gmail.com.  First come, first served.

We are proud and excited to announce this year's RONA Nurse of the Year is Kathleen (Kat) Jabasa who worked for several years in the SJMC Main O.R.; was a WSNA Officer and recently received the WSNA Health Equity Award.  Come help us celebrate. Find out more here.

Rainier Olympic Nurses Association Blood Drive April 30 at T.C.C. 

Visit the RONA web article to learn more.

Find your WSNA Contract and Leadership contacts here:  https://www.wsna.org/union/st-joseph-medical-center

Co-Chair Carina Price, ICU
Co-Chair Jessica Lenczycki, FBC
Secretary Shannon Suchland, Walters Day Surgery
Co-Secretary Rebecca Weichers, MedSurg Floor 7
Grievance Officer Yunna Flenord, ICU
Membership Officer Teresa Kindell, 2 South MS

WSNA Nurse Representative Janet Stewart  JStewart@wsna.org