Your WSNA negotiating team met with management this week on Monday 11/17 and Tuesday 11/18 and for the ninth and tenth day of bargaining.

The team secured multiple tentative agreements, advanced several proposals with new language, and held firm on core priorities nurses identified as essential. Throughout both days, we engaged in continuous problem-solving, offered revised language where appropriate, defended key protections, and ensured nurses’ voices and experiences were centered in every discussion.

⚠️ Nurses Priority Issues

1. Breaks and Break Relief

Management still refuses a dedicated Break Relief RN.

Despite testimony from dozens of nurses across multiple units, management rejected a Break Relief Nurse model and instead offered a “Break Compliance Review” process through Staffing Committee that:

• Runs for 9 months in 2026
• “Identifies units with chronic missed breaks”
• “May” recommend changes such as float pool adjustments or staffing matrix tweaks without specific measures that would
• “May” recommend a pilot on a unit-by-unit basis without specific measures that would

WSNA Response:

Breaks are a legal requirement not something to “study” for 9 months in 2026.
We don’t need another study. We need a solution.

What the CNO Told Staff Last Week

The CNO sent out a message stating:

“Kadlec has a high compliance rate for both meal and rest breaks, with most departments exceeding 95% compliance… Based on these numbers, we do not believe adding break nurses in every unit makes sense or supports sustainability.”

The CNO also stated:

• Break compliance is “strong across the organization,”
• Except in ED and ICU, which “will receive focused attention.”
• Management is “actively working to improve break compliance” through reporting and staffing committee discussions.

WSNA Reality Check

1. The numbers the CNO cited do not match nurses’ lived experience or the Kronos reports we’ve reviewed.

Units report frequent missed breaks, especially on days with high acuity, ED holds, short staffing, or high turnover.
A 95%+ break compliance rate is not what nurses are experiencing. High compliance on paper does not equal actual compliance.

• Breaks being auto-deducted
• Nurses being pressured to clock out on time
• Breaks logged as “taken” when coverage never arrived
• Nurses taking breaks far into overtime
All inflate the numbers.

2. “Focused attention” is not a break solution.

ED and ICU nurses have repeatedly testified that they cannot safely step away from their assignments without dedicated relief.

3. The CNO’s message confirms management’s position:

They intend to study the problem, not fix it.
They want “may recommend” language instead of a guaranteed relief solutions.

4. WSNA’s position remains unchanged:

Breaks are legally required.
A break model must be systemic, enforceable, and predictable not optional or unit-by-unit only if management agrees.

2. Workplace Violence and Safety— Major WSNA Wins and More Work Ahead

Kadlec agreed to WSNA’s proposals to improve our Workplace Violence subcommittee work, including:

• WPV subcommittee co-chaired by a WSNA-selected nurse
• All WPV concern forms shared with the full subcommittee (PHI redacted)
• Subcommittee must be consulted when developing response plans
• Co-chairs must give trend reports to Conference Committee upon request

These changes will help the Union provide meaningful oversight and transparency to anti-WPV efforts at Kadlec.

The Work Ahead:

While improving subcommittee representation is positive, Mangement has continued to reject our proposal to make real, concrete commitments to secure access to Kadlec. Many of our peer hospitals have metal detection and other technologies at points of ingress and egress to ensure dangerous weapons are not entering our hospital, which put all of us – patients and staff alike – at risk. We need the Employer to make meaningful commitments to proactive security technologies – not just training and tools that help Security respond AFTER there is a problem.

3. Wages, Economics and Benefits

WSNA’s Updated Proposal (11/18/25):

• 11% – 2025
• 7.25% – 2026
• 6.25% – 2027

≈ 24.5% over 3 years

This maintains competitiveness and addresses retention, compression, and inflation.

Management’s Proposal:

• 2.5% – 2025
• 2.25% – 2026
• 2.5% – 2027
• Minimal adjustments to shift differentials
• No movement on critical premiums (charge, weekend, certification, bilingual)

≈ 7.25% over 3 years

WSNA Response:

Their numbers do not resolve turnover, do not match cost of living, and do not align with regional wages.

Tentative Agreements (11/17/25):

• Article 11.3 Benefits Committee improvement
• Medical premium caps maintained (≤10%)
• 70% dependent coverage retained

Management Rejected:

• 401k hold harmless
• Step placement audit

WSNA reiterated these are critical fairness and retention issues.

Scheduling and Routine Tracks

Progress Made:

• Tentative Agreement reached 10/28/25 on 5.7.2 on enhanced unit Workgroup on Scheduling language
• Clarified annual review of each department’s adopted scheduling process
• Workgroup vote outcomes must be emailed to all nurses

Major Concerns:

• Management still insists on broad unilateral authority to change schedules
• Rejected our 45-day notice for changes to permanent routines
• Added vague language allowing changes unless the scheduling process is “satisfactory” a term only management defines

WSNA’s Position:

Childcare, family responsibilities, and retention cannot be thrown into chaos with sudden schedule changes. We pushed back firmly.

Bottom Line

The CNO’s email paints a picture of high compliance, high safety, and financial limitation.

Our experience at the table and your experience on the floor show:

• Breaks are not being reliably provided
• Compliance numbers do not reflect reality
• Nurses need enforceable staffing protections, not optional pilots
• There is still significant room for improvement in aligning safety resources with the size and service level of our facility.
• Fair wages are essential to withstand economic pressures and maintain a strong, stable nursing team.

WSNA remains committed to securing a contract that reflects the real conditions nurses face every shift not the picture presented in internal communications.

💬 What Does It Mean to Have an Expired Contract?

Our contract with Kadlec expires on Friday, October 31. When a collective bargaining agreement expires, the contract doesn’t disappear. Key protections continue under what’s called the Status Quo Doctrine.

Under federal labor law, the Status Quo Doctrine means that the employer must maintain the same  terms and conditions of employment that existed under the expired contract until a new agreement is reached, or bargaining reaches impasse.

This includes:

• Wages, differentials, and premiums
• Health insurance and other benefits
• Scheduling practices and staffing provisions
• Paid time off, leaves, and seniority rights

Management cannot unilaterally change these terms without bargaining with WSNA.

In short, even if the contract has expired, your rights, pay, and protections remain in effect while negotiations continue. WSNA enforces the status quo to make sure Kadlec (or any employer) honors its legal obligations until a new agreement is ratified.

💬 Key Takeaways from Day 9-10

After two full days at the table, WSNA made substantial progress advancing your proposals, securing movement in multiple articles, and reinforcing the priorities nurses identified across every unit. We will continue to use your voices, experiences, and priorities to drive the final agreement. It’s important to highlight the contrast between this work and management’s own messaging. While their updates emphasize “progress” and highlight tentative agreements, their attorney stated, “I feel like we haven’t made a lot of progress here. We are putting out packages and the union has to get moving.” This comment came as management continued to bundle insufficient wage proposals, maintain minimal movement on core issues like break relief and predictable scheduling, and repeatedly reject or weakly counter nurses’ top priorities. Their statements at the table make it clear they intend to pressure nurses into accepting inadequate economic proposals while offering no real solutions to the issues that matter most to frontline staff.

Your solidarity is working management is listening because you’re showing up, speaking out, and standing together.
Stay engaged, stay informed, and keep the pressure on.

The fight does not end here, it strengthens with every bargaining session, every hallway conversation, and every show of solidarity. Together, we will hold the line until we win a fair contract that respects our work and our community.

This is YOUR contract, and we need YOU!

Call to Action

• Attend the Nurse Staffing committee meeting in person or virtually. Contact Nurse rep. Jennifer Jackson so you can receive the virtual link or meeting details.
• Complete the Workplace Violence Survey and share your stories! Take the survey now!
• Wear your blue WSNA T-shirts every Wednesday to show management that you stand behind the negotiating team.  (If you need a blue T-shirt reach out to WSNA Organizer Ryan Rosenkranz (rrosenkranz@wsna.org)

Staying Informed

• Stay informed - Read all WSNA communications and status updates from the Employer
• Engage and Participate – Watch for important updates on how to support your Bargaining Team and fight for a Fair Contract
• Let your Bargaining Team know if you wish to be an Observer during negotiations.
• Upcoming dates: December 1, 2, 15, 16 (Additional dates in November are being discussed but have not been confirmed)
• Follow on social media platforms:
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/kadlecrns
  • Instagram: @wsna_kadlec
• Make sure you check out your WSNA webpage: Kadlec Regional Medical Center - WSNA

In solidarity, Your WSNA Bargaining Team

Meri Bukovisnky- CDU, WSNA Chair
Crystal Rivera- ED, Member at Large
Milari Romero- ICU, Member at Large
Franklin Alvarez- 7RP
Andrew Blake- Cath Lab
Kelsi Duncan- NICU
Deborah Langston- PACU, Grievance officer
Anita Dennis- PACU, Grievance officer
Jamie White- 9RP, Secretary/Treasurer

Questions? Contact your Bargaining Team Members or WSNA Nurse Representative Jennifer Jackson jjackson@wsna.org