Yesterday, December 4, your bargaining team met with Tacoma General management for our fifth bargaining session. We are only 26 days from our contract expiring. We came to the table ready to push for real movement in our direction. We did see some steps forward, but we remain far apart on several critical issues. Read below for what happened, what comes next, and how you can help us win the contract TG nurses deserve.

CANMs Can’t Charge

Our message to management is simple. A charge nurse must be a union nurse every shift every time. We launched our Charge Nurses Are Union Nurses campaign this week and are circulating cards across the hospital. Sign your card as soon as possible and return it to the envelope on your unit’s union board or hand it to a bargaining team member. Every signature strengthens our position at the table.

Cafeteria Time

Your team and WSNA staff will be in the cafeteria today from 1100 to 1500 to answer questions, give updates, and talk through our next steps. We will also have blue union cards available. Come by, get informed, and say hello.

Non-Economic Negotiation Updates

We advanced several proposals that would make TG a better and safer place to work.

• Keeping the charge nurse role a union role every shift
 • Making TG an infant friendly facility under state law, including improved lactation spaces and policies
 • Fixing the broken call system that forces nurses to take unreasonable amounts of call
 • Ensuring that a PG1 does not block nurses from GROW or tuition reimbursement after one year
 • Making Transitional Observation, 2M, its own clinical service line
 • Maintaining our staffing ratios in the contract
 • Adding protections to the Hospital Staffing Committee
 • Ensuring nurses cannot be placed on partial low census
 • Improving Baylor positions and increasing the number of them hospital wide

Management held firm on many of their positions, including trying to keep CANMs in charge roles. However, we did see some movement. Management proposed to limit partial low census to once per shift, keep ratios in the contract if we agree to drop Hospital Staffing Committee protections, and increase LPN experience credit for accredited hospital work.

This movement is encouraging, but we have a long way to go.

Wages and Premiums

Management offered wage increases of 5.5 percent in year one, 2.5 percent in year two, and 2.25 percent in year three. These wages would place nurses at step 7 or higher above St. Joe’s in year two, and step 10 or higher in year three. Even with those comparisons, the proposal falls short. It does not keep TG competitive in the Tacoma market and it will not keep pace with inflation. Management also declined most of our premium increases. They did propose a small increase to the charge nurse premium, now at 3.50, and they withdrew their attempt to remove the BSN premium entirely after hearing clearly from nurses.

Their claim that they want to be competitive but not market leaders rings hollow when this is what they brought to the table.

Your team countered with a proposal of 6.5 percent and $2.50 in year one, 5.5 percent in year two, and 4.5 percent in year three. These numbers are aligned with the market and will help recruit and retain the experienced nurses our patients count on. We also proposed maintaining the majority of our premium improvements.

Upcoming Dates

We bargain again on 12/9 in Auburn. We would love to have you come out and observe bargaining in person. If you are interested in observing bargaining please email Nurse Rep Jared Richardson at JRichardson@WSNA.org.

Our next negotiation update, Spill the Tea with TJ, will be on Tuesday 12/9 and we will likely be doing the update live from the bargaining table. You can join the meeting by using the link below:

Where We Go From Here

We have momentum, but we need unity. Every signed card, every conversation, and every show of support strengthens our position. Management needs to see a unified workforce that will not accept proposals that undermine the charge role, weaken staffing, or shortchange wages.

Stand with your bargaining team. Stand with your coworkers. Stand with the nurses who will come after us.

Together we win.

In Solidarity,
Therese Juntunen, NTICU
Michelle Stevenson, 5/6 MSICU/PCU
Sarah Huber, Emergency Department
Christina Nicholson, Resource RN
George Murray, NTICU
Marc Jebousek, Emergency Department
Anna Vermaire, Pulse Cardiac Short Stay
Anna Glorioso-Kaufmann, Operating Room
Jaime Cary, Labor and Delivery
Rachel Ballou-Church, Medical Oncology

Questions? Contact one of your officers, one of your bargaining team members, or Nurse Rep Jared Richardson (jrichardson@wsna.org).