We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Multicare to discuss the Staffing Standards Premium/ EXLO grievance that we filed. We were attempting to resolve our different interpretations of the CBA language before taking this grievance to arbitration.

Although Multicare was agreeable to a payment settlement, it was with the condition that we make significant changes to the CBA language for this premium. These included no EXLO for break coverage, a minimum number of hours worked before EXLO is applied (this included charge nurses), EXLO would not be paid for the entire shift, and establishing ratios for census-based units would be determined by estimates made up to 6 weeks in advance.

We did not feel that these changes reflected a good faith effort to staff the units according to safe standards and these changes did not benefit our nurses who have been consistently working out of ratio. We chose not to continue mediation and will move forward with the arbitration process.

This highlights a larger problem at Tacoma General because management does not recognize that staffing is a safety issue affecting staff and patients. We now need your help to send a message to management that the nurses are demanding safe staffing.

Tell your legislators we need safe staffing NOW

We have a huge opportunity to protect patients and improve conditions for nurses and health care workers across Washington, and we need your help to make it happen.

WSNA and our allies in Olympia introduced bipartisan safe staffing legislation in the House and Senate. This legislation will establish clear staffing standards so we have safe and sustainable patient loads. It will improve staffing committee functions and accountability mechanisms. It will improve existing laws, including protecting our meal and rest breaks and mandatory overtime. And it will allow individual nurses, health care workers or our union to utilize the legal system to hold employers accountable, in addition to enforcement through the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

With enforce­able minimum staffing standards, we’re fighting for working condi­tions that are safe and sustain­able — working condi­tions that will allow you to give your patients the time and care they deserve.

The evidence is clear that safe staffing saves lives, and the public recog­nizes the value of nurses like never before. This is our moment.

Don’t let hospitals speak for you. Legislators need to hear from you about what nurses need to stay on the job
—send an email to your representative now to ask them to support this critical legislation.

Together, we can win this landmark legislation to improve our working conditions and ensure safer conditions for our patients.

You can read the full WSNA fact sheet about this bill by using the link button below:

If you have any additional questions, please contact your Local Unit Officers or your nurse rep, Brenda Balogh, at bbalogh@wsna.org