Bargaining Update

The team met with our mediator on Tuesday, May 27 at 0900 and made a comprehensive counterproposal regarding the hospital’s latest offer. When the hospital would not respond in full, the team kept pushing and worked hard on carving out some smaller elements from our larger proposal package. Because of this, we were able to secure tentative agreement on several open issues:

• Change in Article 23 – the change will allow bargaining to begin at least 3 months before contract expiration, with a minimum of 6 sessions scheduled during that time.
• Change in Article 6.6.5 – the hospital dropped its proposal that 8- or10-hour nurses who voluntarily pick up or cover 12-hour shifts would not receive daily overtime until they work more than 12 hours. Instead, this will only apply if an 8- or 10-hour nurse voluntarily trades for a 12-hour shift.
• Change to Article 9.1.1 – PTO – Nurses will be able to choose to use their PTO accrual when calling out sick, if they are out of sick time.
• Change to Article 9.5 – the hospital may permit more than one nurse off per shift and unit for PTO requests per the nursing supervisor. Nurses who do not have enough PTO remaining to take a scheduled vacation may take their available accrued PTO and may trade weekends or apply for an unpaid leave of absence for any remaining time. .
• Change to Article 16.2.6 – We have added language around anti-retaliation for staff who file ADOs.
• A new MOU around health insurance benefits – The hospital has agreed to the creation of a health insurance benefits committee, which will begin no later than November 1, 2026, and look at healthcare coverage options outside of the employer's current plan. This committee will have three paid nurse members as well as representatives of other employees and management.

We are meeting with the mediator again on Monday, June 2, to try and bring this contract over the finish line. The two major remaining issues are meal and rest breaks and wages. We are hopeful that the employer will see and understand what is needed to recruit and retain staff at Gray’s Harbor Community Hospital.

Your bargaining team,

Kim Scott – CCU
Kala Winter – Informatics 
Michelle Phillips – Day Surgery 
Jennifer Reynolds – CCU
Jason Kindle – Day Surgery

Questions? Contact one of the team members above or your WSNA Nurse Representative Stephenie Troftgruben, stroftgruben@wsna.org.