WSNA Coalition Bargaining Update
August 5, 2026

Your WSNA bargaining team met again with the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) on August 5 to continue negotiations for the 2027–2029 Coalition Agreement.

State Maintains Position on Economics

The most significant development from this session is that the State continues to maintain its position that it will not agree to monetary improvements during this round of bargaining.

This means there has been no movement on proposals addressing:

• Across-the-board wage increases 
• RN pay range improvements 
• Shift differential increases 
• Renewal of temporary premium pays 
• Other proposals with direct fiscal impact 

Your bargaining team continues to believe that Washington's Veterans deserve experienced nurses and that recruiting and retaining those nurses requires competitive compensation.

WSNA Proposal Updates

During this session, the parties reviewed additional counterproposals on several WSNA priorities.

Break Relief (Article 23)

WSNA continued advocating for improved break relief options after revising our proposal to address concerns raised by management. Despite those revisions, the State rejected the proposal and did not offer a counterproposal addressing break relief for nurses. 

Safety Work Group (MOU C)

After previously proposing to eliminate the Safety Memorandum of Understanding, the State submitted a revised proposal creating a statewide Employee Safety Work Group that would meet quarterly to review injury trends, workplace hazards, and safety initiatives. 

While this reflects movement from the employer's earlier position, your WSNA bargaining team will continue reviewing the proposal to determine whether it provides the meaningful collaboration nurses believe is necessary.

Vacation Scheduling (Article 12)

The employer accepted portions of WSNA's proposal by agreeing to provide written responses to vacation requests, including the reason for any denial, within fourteen (14) days absent extraordinary circumstances. 

Additional transparency proposals, including quarterly reporting to Labor Management, were not accepted.

Low Census (Article 7)

The employer also incorporated portions of WSNA's low census proposal by establishing an order for implementing low census that addresses traveler/agency nurses, on-call nurses, and full-time/part-time staff. 

Coalition Response

Throughout the day, Coalition representatives expressed increasing concern that many outstanding proposals from multiple unions had not received substantive responses and that there continued to be no willingness to engage on proposals carrying a fiscal impact.

Following discussion among all Coalition unions, the Coalition made the collective decision to resubmit its outstanding proposals, incorporating agreed-upon language changes where appropriate, and to notify the State that it would not participate in the next scheduled bargaining session unless the State is prepared to engage in more meaningful negotiations.

What This Means

Negotiations are about more than exchanging paper proposals they require meaningful discussion, responses, and movement from both parties.

While there has been progress on a limited number of language issues, the State has not moved from its position on any economic proposal, and significant WSNA priorities remain unresolved.

Your bargaining team remains committed to advocating for:

• Competitive wages that recognize the value of nurses serving Washington's Veterans. 
• Safe staffing practices and meaningful break relief. 
• Workplace safety and collaboration. 
• Fair, transparent scheduling practices. 

Stay Tuned

It's Time to Make Our Voices Heard

The Coalition is discussing coordinated member action in response to the State's continued position that there will be no monetary improvements in this round of bargaining.

One action under consideration is asking union members across the Coalition to contact the Governor and their state legislators directly. The message is simple:

0% is not a neutral outcome. When the cost of living continues to increase, 0% means state employees fall further behind.

WSNA is working with Coalition partners to finalize the details of this effort. Once confirmed, we will provide nurses with contact information, a suggested script, and simple instructions for participating.

We will need nurses across all of our Veterans Homes to participate. A few calls can be overlooked. Hundreds, or thousands, of public employees delivering the same message are much harder to ignore.

State Employee Call-to-Action Script

Calling the Governor or Your State Legislators

WSNA Nurse Version

Hello, my name is __________. I'm a registered nurse at the __________ Veterans Home and a member of the Washington State Nurses Association.

I'm calling because we are currently bargaining our next state contract, and the State has told our Coalition that it is not prepared to provide wage increases or other monetary improvements.

I care for Washington's Veterans, and I'm proud of the work we do. But 0% is not a neutral outcome. When our cost of living continues to increase and our wages don't, we are effectively being asked to do this important work for less.

Competitive wages are also about more than my paycheck. They're about whether we can recruit nurses, retain experienced nurses, and provide our Veterans with the stable, experienced workforce they deserve.

[ADD 1–2 SENTENCES ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE.]

I am asking Governor Ferguson and our state leaders to support meaningful wage improvements for the nurses and other state employees who provide essential services to Washington residents every day.

Washington's Veterans deserve nurses who stay and the nurses who serve them deserve more than 0%.

Thank you.

You can find the contact information for your local legislators and the Governor's office by using the links below:

District finder: https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder

Governor's office: https://governor.wa.gov/contacting-governor/contacting-governors-office

CALL GOVERNOR FERGUSON: 360-902-4111
Tell the Governor: 0% is not acceptable for Washington's public employees.

Stay Engaged

Your input directly shaped proposals, and your continued engagement will be important as bargaining progresses.

If you are experiencing issues related to:

• on-call scheduling
• missed breaks
• low census practices
• vacation denials

please continue to share those examples, they strengthen our ability to advocate effectively at the table.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement.

In solidarity,
Your Coalition Bargaining Team

Questions? Contact your WSNA Nurse Representative.