Our long fight against Clinical Assistant Nurse Managers (CANMs) performing the Charge Nurse role is over. Today, we reached a settlement with MultiCare to cease its practice of prioritizing CANMs in the charge nurse role at Tacoma General Hospital. This win could not have been achieved without Union Nurses showing MultiCare the essential role of charge nurse through pickets, post cards, and persistence as to why our patients and our coworkers deserve bargaining unit charge nurses who are present, skilled, and dedicated to the charge nurse role. 

Terms of the deal:

• UNION PRIORITY – When a charge nurse assignment is scheduled on a unit, “it will be offered first to a qualified bargaining unit nurse.” We also got MultiCare to further confirm in this agreement that it will assign charge nurses in compliance with the Hospital Staffing Plan. 
• ADEQUATE TRAINING – MultiCare agreed to ensure an adequate number of us are trained to perform the charge nurse role. 
• SAFEGUARDS FOR STAFFING – This agreement is also drafted to ensure adequate staffing in emergency situations or where the bargaining unit charge nurses become unexpectedly unavailable for their shift. In these situations, we agreed that other RNs (including leadership, traveler, or agency nurses) may temporarily assist with charge nurse duties in those staffing crises. However, if a charge-trained bargaining unit nurse later becomes available to perform charge – MultiCare committed to make reasonable efforts to place the newly available bargaining unit nurse in the charge role. This set-up will ensure adequate staffing for our patients and our staff while still recognizing charge nurse work is Union nurse work. 

MultiCare asked for nine months to implement the settlement to make sure bargaining unit nurses are sufficiently trained as charge nurses again. We anticipate this work to commence soon. Please reach out to your local unit officers or Union representative if you have any questions or updates regarding the implementation of this settlement. 

This achievement is a great reminder that when we fight, we win!

You can view the settlement here.

In solidarity,
Therese Juntunen - Chair
Michelle Stevenson - Co-Chair
Rachel Ballou-Church - Secretary
Christina Nicholson - Treasurer
Anna Vermaire - Grievance Officer
George Murray - Grievance Officer
Jamaica Corpuz - Grievance Officer
Sarah Huber - Grievance Officer
Saudah Ssemakula - Grievance Officer
Belinda Laju - Membership Officer
Jaime Cary - Membership Officer

Questions? Contact one of your officers or WSNA Nurse Representative Ryan Silva, rsilva@wsna.org.