Our Contract Expires Tomorrow — Are You Ready to Walk?

We met for bargaining session #10 today. Once again, we spent the first part of the day in several focused small group discussions with management, doing our best to work towards solutions that both sides can agree on. And once again, management didn’t have much to share with us. 

WSNA put together proposals covering nearly every open item that was in our court, including staffing standards, shift differential rates, preceptor pay, cert and degree premiums, enforceable staffing standards, fixes for longstanding grievance log jams, callback utilization, temporary unit closures, and more.  

We made a competitive wage proposal, but we also made it clear that money is no substitute for safe staffing every day, during every shift, on every unit, and we can’t recommend a deal to our bargaining unit without enforceable staffing standards. 

Management’s proposed per diem language offered minimal movement, and – disappointingly – didn’t include just cause protections. Both sides went back to the drawing board to work on proposals again. 

During the evening session, we passed proposed language updating or extending the various MOU and side letter agreements included at the end of our current contract. Now the ball is in management’s court.  

Join us tomorrow at our weekly unit update meetings for updates on where things stand as expiration approaches. See below for details on how to join us. For the very latest news, remember to follow us on Instagram and keep an eye on your email and text messages for real-time updates from the table.   

WSNA Nurses Deliver our Petition Demanding a Fair Contract 

Yesterday, our CNO, Jen Collins, hosted a meeting about shared governance. The hospital is seeking Magnet accreditation, even with all the glaring problems that nurses have brought up in ADOs, grievances, and at the bargaining table. VM is apparently holding these meetings to listen to nurses’ concerns; however, we’ve been in negotiations for months and proposed real, practical solutions to the problems in the hospital, and she hasn’t been present for a single session. 

Since Jen hasn’t joined us to hear our concerns at the table, we decided to bring the table to her. Over 550 nurses – more than three-quarters of our bargaining unit – signed a petition highlighting our concerns, and a group of nurses planned to deliver those signatures to her at the end of the shared governance meeting. Alas, Jen opted to exit her own meeting early through a side door, and she wouldn’t come out to talk to us when we showed up at the administrative offices after the meeting ended. We explained to her executive assistant that nurses from across the hospital wanted a chance to meet with Jen and share our concerns with her directly, and we delivered our petitions with hopes she would take the time to join us at bargaining the following days.  

Unfortunately, Jen Collins did not come to bargaining today, either. That’s not surprising, though. While Virginia Mason has closed departments, cut jobs, stripped units of nursing support, downgraded products, and prioritized “productivity metrics” above adherence to clear, solid staffing standards, she’s repeatedly passed the buck to her executive assistant, to direct nursing managers, and to registered nurses and nursing staff hospital-wide. 

WSNA nurses aren’t deterred. We will keep making our voices heard so there’s no doubt what we demand in the workplace. We demand adequate staffing. We demand competitive wages. We demand recognition for the expert nurses already on staff and support for new nurses who join our bargaining unit. We demand just cause protections for all union nurses at VM. We demand meaningful tools that enforce our contract and hold management accountable. Put more simply: we demand that Virginia Mason put people over profits every day, on every shift, and in every unit. 

WSNA Nurses: Are You Ready to Hit The Streets? 

Tomorrow, we’ll be back at the table and pushing for solutions. There’s a good chance that we won’t reach a tentative agreement by the end of the night. We’ll share what that means, what to expect over the coming days and weeks, and how we’ll escalate from here at the weekly update meetings. 

Nurses have shouted from the rooftops that they’re ready to take our fight to the streets, and your bargaining team hears you loud and clear. That’s why our next step is an informational picket. To show management how seriously we take safety, staffing, and sustainable working conditions, we’ll need every nurse to join the fight. Be ready to sign a picket pledge, get in the street, and win a fair contract!

Weekly Bargaining Update: LIVE from the Bargaining Table

This Wednesday, 9/30, the bargaining team will be at the table late into the night, so we’ll be hosting our weekly update meeting live from negotiations! Join us to get the scoop on how things are going and what’s still on the table.

Time: 1800-1830 and 2000-2030

Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/255140941463423?p=1IDloVzbvwKzVrrqAr

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