Following each contract ratification, your local unit officer nominations and elections occur according to your local unit rules. Nurses may nominate themselves. It is required to be a WSNA member in good standing to be eligible for any WSNA local unit role, including officers. Send your nominations, and/or questions directly to Nurse Representative Tara Barnes at tbarnes@wsna.org by April 22, 2026 at midnight.

With great respect and heartfelt gratitude, we recognize Nicole, Kai, Lela, and Julie for their terms of service. Your local unit is so impactful in Whatcom County. Officers are welcome to run for office again. We are also delighted and encourage any Whatcom WSNA member to nominate themselves or a peer for an office. Once we have all nominations confirmed with the individuals, we will hold an election per your local unit rules. The term of the officer position aligns with the 3-year contract and ends at the end of 2028 when we run elections again.

We have extended the nomination period to end on, April 22 at midnight. Do not delay in nominating a peer, yourself and/or contacting me with questions.

Local Unit co-chair: this is a shared role with a second co-chair to be the primary point of contact for any contractual or representational needs or questions for Whatcom WSNA nurses.

Local Unit co-chair: this is shared role with a second co-chair to be the primary point of contact for any contractual or representational needs or questions for the Whatcom WSNA nurses.

Local unit secretary: sometimes combined with treasurer role, this officer takes notes at WSNA meetings, helps with WSNA communications to the nurses.

Local unit treasurer: sometimes combined with secretary role, this officer receives local unit funds reports from WSNA. Local unit funds are a percentage of the dues from Whatcom WSNA members that are returned to this bank. These funds are often used for reimbursement of things like special swag, T-shirts, treats, or meals for gatherings with a local unit nurse focus, Nurses Week celebrations.

Local unit grievance officer: advises the WSNA Nurse Rep on workplace issues that may or may not be a violation of the terms of your collective bargaining agreement (CBA); may also attend meetings as a resource to the local unit nurses in partnership with the Nurse Rep for Investigatory meetings (any meetings that have the potential to lead to any sort of corrective action).

Contact a current local unit officer with questions or concerns:

Nicole Miller WSNA co-chair
Kai Rapaport WSNA co-chair
Lela Riherd WSNA treasurer
Julie McElroy WSNA grievance officer

Updates from the monthly meeting as a hybrid in March

Thanks to persistence, we were able to receive a virtual overview by the County with a helpful one pager to help nurses navigate and know who to contact for all matters in your new Teamster’s Health Benefits plans. It remains posted to your WSNA local unit webpage under additional contract documents

It is also available on your County internet 😊.

We have some clarifying questions submitted as a request for information regarding some questions that came up, we will report back with responses:

1. Bilingual premium policy and process approval
2. Voluntary on-call pilot premium policy and process; currently there is significant ambiguity to address in terms of process and efficiency.

Join us for the WSNA recurring monthly meeting on Microsoft Teams, next on April 23 at 1130 am. If any details change, Kai or another local unit officer will let you know in advance.

Meeting ID: 291 142 227 580
Passcode: EX7EX94n
Dial in by phone +1 206-485-2614,,803150190# - United States, Seattle

Leadership Conference is right around the corner!

It is not too late to register for the Leadership conference in April in Wenatchee! But rooms are decreasing for booking. Contact Tara Barnes tbarnes@wsna.org if you would like to take advantage of a fully paid registration and lodging available to one more Whatcom WSNA member ASAP. Mileage and meals are also reimbursable through local unit funds. Join Kai as he is already registered to go

Questions about this mail chimp, your WSNA contract or do you have a representational need for an investigatory meeting? When in doubt, always reach out. Contact Nurse Rep Tara Barnes tbarnes@wsna.org.