Next week, we’ll be going into our third bargaining session to introduce our last batch of proposals, including economics. If you want to hear more about the payscale negotiations, please RSVP to observe for July 21. But, before that, there have been a handful of concerning pay discrepancies that Common Spirit is already implementing...

ARE YOU MISSING PAY?

Professional Meeting Time

Has your manager changed your timecard to code a shift as "professional meeting time?" Over the last few weeks, multiple nurses reporting having their timecards adjusted to professional meeting time while they were serving as a preceptor or acting as an EPIC super user (grievance is ongoing). Coding it this way reduces the pay that we earn by omitting preceptor pay, certification pay, and shift differentials. Even if you were actually in a meeting, WSNA has never agreed that nurses would not be paid according to CBA. Please review your recent pay stubs carefully and contact a WSNA rep if you are paid incorrectly.

Incidental UNDERtime

Other Nurses are losing their shift differential in violation of our Actual Timekeeping MOU. You should not be docked shift diff or any other pay as a result of having incidental undertime related to minute-to-minute timekeeping. We deserve to get paid fully for the work we do, and we fix that by filing grievances when the contract is violated. This lets you get your pay and forces management to stop the practice. Check your timecards and let your WSNA rep know ASAP if this has happened to you.

Clocking Out for Meals

At least one other VMFH facility, management is docking shift differential pay based on break timing. Per our CBA, if a nurse works two (2) or more hours on the designated shift but takes a meal break during that time, the hospital must still pay shift differential for that time. For instance, if your shift extends 3.5 hours into the evening shift or night shift, you should receive 3.5 hours of evening shift differential, regardless of when you took your meal break. It could also impact the way overtime is paid or other contractual pay provisions.

We gave VMFH official notice about this, but, apparently, some managers did not understand their contractual obligations. Clocking in and out for meals does not affect shift differential pay. Again, please carefully check your timecards every pay period and let us know about any discrepancies. No one has noticed it at VMMC yet, but it is happening at least one other VMFH facility.

Did Your Manager Include Missed Breaks on Your Performance Review?

Earlier this week, several nurses reported that they had been told they missed too many rest and meal breaks on their annual performance review. Their manager encouraged these nurses to manage their time better so they don’t miss as many breaks in the future. Let’s be clear: this stat reflects management’s performance, not yours. Nurses miss rest and meal breaks because management failed to staff the hospital, and reporting your missed breaks accurately ensures agencies like L&I and the DOH have the information they need to hold CommonSpirit accountable.

If you get similar feedback from your manager, (1) try to get a copy of your performance review in writing; (2) continue to report your missed rest and meal breaks accurately; and (3) notify your WSNA officers or Nurse Rep. It is illegal for management to retaliate against you for reporting missed breaks, so this information will help us keep an eye out for unlawful retaliation down the line.

Nurses’ Vision for Break Relief Moving Forward

At last week’s negotiation session, WSNA proposed new language that would ensure every unit has enough break relief nurses to cover every nurse’s rest and meal breaks without violating the hospital’s staffing plan. Here are the key components of our proposal:

1. Break relief should be a rotating assignment, not a job classification.
2. Break relief nurses should be competent to cover the full patient care assignment they're taking on during another nurse's breaks so everyone gets true relief from their assignment.
3. Break relief assignments should be pre-scheduled for each shift; if we know how many nurses are pre-scheduled, there’s no reason we can’t pre-schedule break relief nurses too.
4. Break relief nurses are responsible for taking over a nurse's responsibilities under the staffing plan while they take a meal or rest break, not filling a hole in the staffing plan when a nurse calls out.
5. The break relief assignment should remain filled throughout the shift; if the nurse assigned to act as break relief is sent home on low census or calls out sick, the assignment should move to the next nurse on the rotation.
6. When the hospital pushes nurses to take all of their breaks but doesn't schedule adequate break relief nurses, it puts pressure on the entire unit to use break buddies and other systems that violate the staffing plan. We proposed a premium payment designed to disincentivize this practice. (But remember: this is a no-cost proposal if management just manages its staffing levels better so nurses don’t miss their breaks in the future!)

We believe this proposal gives them all the tools they’ll need to recruit and retain nurses and to comply with rest and meal break laws and safe staffing laws moving forward.

Ongoing Actions

There’s lots of ways to get involved and help push management for a better contract and fair pay. Please do check your time cards and let us know if you find a problem. But we have a couple clear actions

First, today is our last day for the Mini-Survey! Please fill it out if you haven’t already!

Link here: https://wsna.to/VMBreaks

Second, you can come observe upcoming bargaining sessions. Here’s the link: WSNA at Virginia Mason Medical Center: RSVP to Observe Bargaining – Fill out form

Third, wear your WSNA shirt while we’re in bargaining if you’re working on 7/21

Finally, come to our Sip-n-Chat on Wednesday to hear how bargaining went! We’ll be running through everything about economics and pay scales.

Date: 7/22/26
Time: 1800-1830 and 2000-2030
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/255140941463423?p=1IDloVzbvwKzVrrqAr

Need representation or have contract questions?
Contact Nurse Representative, Sara Frey at SFrey@wsna.org.

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