Despite the ball being in their court for nearly every major proposal on the table, management showed up to our seventh bargaining session unprepared. (Maybe they spent too much time checking out our ribbons this week...) They didn’t present anything until nearly 2:30 p.m., and when they finally did, it was a goose egg. 

Management claimed their proposals reflected a “desire to reach contract” and “a lot of compromise on our part.” In reality, it offered almost no meaningful movement, nor did it address any of the concerns that nurses have brought forward as needs for this contract, especially on the topic of staffing.  We saw the same empty phrases in their proposals: “good faith effort,” “we’ll try,” “we’ll meet to discuss." However, we didn't see anything that made us take those promises seriously — management refused to engage on any proposal that included premiums or penalty payments for understaffing. 

Let’s be clear: those penalties would cost management nothing if they actually planned to comply with our contract. By rejecting them, they're saying the quiet part out loud: they don't believe they'll follow the staffing plan any more than we do.  

We want commitments, not just goals and intentions. Instead, management's proposal is filled with takeaways and virtually zero gains for nurses. Here's what they're proposing:  

• Ending full-time benefit status for 0.75 FTE RNs — a takeaway that would increase monthly healthcare costs dramatically across our unit.  
• A bad deal for per diem nurses — new, significant scheduling burdens with none of the benefits or just cause protections we deserve 
• Toothless Staffing Commitments— zero commitment to actually follow Washington's safe staffing law, but plenty of promises to "prioritize" staffing and "strive to avoid" assigning nurses more than one role in their unit's staffing plan 
• The Return of Break Buddies — a break relief proposal that guts our wins from 2023 by preserving the right to use break buddies and eroding the dedicated break flex RN FTEs we won in our recent break relief settlement 
• On-call/Callback — no pay nurses for their time on the backup call "bubble list," despite the significant burden this puts on our shoulders.  
• Travelers > Staff RNs — a new low census order that slaps staff RNs in the face by prioritizing the preferences of agency nurses over the time and income of staff RNs who agree to pick up extra shifts on their day off.  
• Money that moves the needle in the wrong direction  -- zero increases to premium pay rates over the life of our contract and wages that never catch up to the area market — or inflation — through 2029.  

VMMC nurses deserve better than vague promises and backwards proposals. 

 OIC Demands Transparency 

While contract negotiations continue, management is finding new ways to cut corners. In May of this year, the Oncology Infusion and Specialty Infusion Clinics got legally moved to be under St. Anne’s license. While this will save the hospital money on drug prices, it has severely limited nurses’ ability to care for patients. Management has no new policy to address patients who code during infusions, and they are expecting nurses to figure it out. They haven’t even given nurses legal guidance on their licenses and who governs the unit. So, after sending some letters asking for any policies, OIC nurses are fed up! 

Today, they delivered a petition to demanding action. 96% of OIC signed on to get the answers that management has been dodging for months. So they showed up to the administrative offices, trying to speak with Jen Collins, the CNO. They’d talked to her earlier this week, when she found the time to tell them to remove the “People Over Profits” ribbons. But today, when they asked, they were told she was “in a meeting”. Two minutes later, she came in from outside the building, and told them she was in a hurry. They handed her the signatures, but she didn’t seem to have time.  

They were able to talk with Christopher Bredeson, the President of VMMC. He seemed sympathetic and responsive. Only time will tell if these nurses can safely care for their patients. OIC nurse Heather Maerz said, “We couldn’t get  the CNO, but we got the president. I felt more heart by the president in 30 seconds than by the rest of admin in 3 months.” 

What’s Next After the Ribbons? 

Given the overwhelming response from management, we know the ribbons worked! They are feeling the pressure that we’ve been feeling for months as staffing gets worse. So we shouldn’t let up!  

We have a plan to keep escalating this action until we get a fair contract, and the next step is bringing the pressure directly to the bargaining table. Our next session is September 1 at Seattle University. If you aren’t working that day, please come to help us make real progress! While observers are welcome all day, we want as many people as possible at 1pm, September 1.  

RSVP here if you can make it: WSNA at Virginia Mason Medical Center: RSVP to Observe Bargaining – Fill out form 

You’ll get an email with more specific details the day before! 

Become a member or update your information:
Membership application - WSNA

Check out our Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/wsna_vmmc