September 15, 2026

We have reached a Tentative Agreement!

WSNA and our Coalition partners have reached a Tentative Agreement with the State of Washington for the 2027–2029 Coalition Contract. After reviewing the complete settlement and the circumstances at the bargaining table, the WSNA bargaining team is recommending a YES vote.

We want to be clear with members about one significant concern: this Tentative Agreement provides a 0% across-the-board wage increase.

WSNA is not pleased with this outcome. Throughout bargaining, we advocated for meaningful wage increases for nurses who care for Washington's veterans. However, given the State's current budget concerns and the position maintained throughout negotiations, the bargaining team determined that continuing this round of bargaining was unlikely to result in a wage increase and could put the overall settlement at risk.

An important part of the final settlement is a FY2029 wage reopener. Rather than locking nurses into 0% for the entire agreement, the reopener requires the parties to return to the bargaining table specifically over FY2029 wages in August 2027. Any agreement reached will then go through the State's financial-feasibility and funding process. 

We view that reopener as an important opportunity to address the lack of wage increases in this agreement if the State's fiscal outlook improves.

The Tentative Agreement also contains other WSNA gains and protections, including improvements to new-hire Nursing Affidavit and experience-credit language, low-census and overtime provisions, vacation-request transparency, continuation of important DVA premiums, and a statewide WSNA/WDVA employee safety work group. 

We did not achieve everything we sought in bargaining. In addition to the 0% ATB increase, the settlement does not include range RN2/RN3 increases as proposed, our proposed increases to evening/night/weekend differentials, the break-relief proposal, or several other WSNA proposals.

Taking the agreement as a whole, the current State budget situation, and the opportunity to return to wage bargaining through the FY2029 reopener into consideration, your WSNA bargaining team recommends a YES vote to ratify the Tentative Agreement at this time.

🗳️ Ratification Vote — September 25

Voting opens: Friday, September 25 at 7 a.m.
Voting closes: Saturday, September 26 at 7 a.m.

Voting will be conducted electronically. Your individual ballot will be sent to the email address WSNA has on file for you.

Please make sure before September 25 that WSNA has your correct email address. When voting opens, check your inbox as well as your spam/junk folder if you do not see your ballot.

This is your contract and your vote. Please review the Tentative Agreement information and make sure your voice is counted.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement.

In solidarity,
Your Coalition Bargaining Team

Questions? Contact your WSNA Nurse Representative