All proposals by the employer and union are now on the table and your bargaining team is going through everything with a fine-toothed comb, thank you for your patience. Shout out to our colleagues from OR, ED, 5S, NICU, and 8NE who joined us in solidarity yesterday! See links below for how you can participate.

• The employer responded to union requests to address workplace violence with a small increase in the number of nurses allowed to participate in the combined NW and ML committee and permission to have some ad hoc meetings when necessary. 😐
  
• The employer insists that no one moving into a per diem (intermittent/non-permanent) position shall be protected by just cause - NO MATTER HOW MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE THEY MAY HAVE. After changing from permanent or part time work at ML, a per diem could be fired at the will of the employer for up to THREE YEARS after taking a position. We think this is a disrespect of experienced bargaining unit members doing the same work alongside all of us without a break in service. 😟
  
• We entered the conversation about “28/160” – our unique ability to fulfill our FTE over 28 days in a flexible way. Kronos has been purchased by UKG and our timekeeping system is scheduled for update by 2026. The employer is tying ATR (“Actual Time Recorded” instead of our current 15 min “rounding” system) to 28/160. We are skeptical and remember the same argument when the current version of Kronos was introduced, which has been working for more than a decade. 🤨

The “meat” of bargaining is beginning – we will be back at it on Tuesday, May 27, when your union team will have several responses for the employer, be sure to look for another update then! It will be remote on Zoom, so no opportunities for observation.

Your Montlake bargaining team hears your concern and shares your exasperation with the employer’s proposed economics; it appears that they have reverted to the recent nadir of 2020 and 21 when we received 2% raises each year. The employer has stated for years that they will not consider a market adjustment until we are more that 10% behind their preferred comparator wages. Combined with their total package of proposed takeaways, we have a lot of work to do reminding the employer of the catchup they played over the last 2 contracts!

Opportunities to get involved and stay informed below – sign the petition if you haven’t, get your colleagues to as well! The more you engage with you managers and the employer the more likely the bargaining team will succeed in getting the best contract possible.

More on your contract:

Variable Work Schedules.  This is also known as the 28/160 scheduling option that allows RNs at UWMC to schedule themselves in a way that suits their lives best while being able to self-schedule over a 28-day period.  The impact of losing this would dramatically change the way you schedule and confine those working 12-hour shifts to scheduling in 40-hour blocks at a time (weekly FTE requirements).  Self-Scheduling as you know it would disappear and render the flexibility of scheduling and trading shifts severely restricted.

You can do two things to continue to turn the heat up on management! 

1. Sign the Petition

Ask any bargaining team member for a petition or print a copy here! You can send petition signatures to wsna.uwmontlake@gmail.com or text them to WSNA Organizer Zach at 206-406-7203.

1. Share the Bargaining Updates

We have one ML only session and two joint sessions scheduled until your contract expires. It is crucial to read the email updates and share them on your unit with your co-workers. You can find our socials here. Don’t get WSNA emails updates? Follow this guide to whitelist newsletter@wsna.org.

Upcoming Negotiation Dates

May 27 Montlake Team Only
June 3**
June 17**

Your WSNA Montlake Bargaining Team:

Chris Jakubowski - LU Chair - Cath Lab
Doug Harper - Secretary/Treasurer- 4SA NICU
Jan Bower - Grievance Officer – OR
Erika Speckhardt - Unit Rep - 5SA CTICU
Melissa Sanchez - Unit Rep - 6S L&D
Lizzy Ryden - Unit Rep – ED
Melissa Humphrey - Unit Rep - Digestive Health
Amber Callison - 7SA
Sorrel Orr - Unit Rep - 7SE
Mark Beaumont - 5SA CTICU