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Gwen S. Parrick, BSN, RN

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Laura Black, RN

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Latest update

Bargaining session #7 update

We met on Thursday, June 26 for our 7th session. Unfortunately, management would only commit to a 3-hour session. As you know, it has been difficult to schedule sessions with management only offering very limited availability over the course of bargaining.  After having 3 weeks between sessions to prepare, management was nearly an hour late due to needing more time. Management is being paid to be at the table but continues to reject a proposal to pay our team members and demonstrates a level of disrespect by not valuing our time.

WAGES

Management continues to propose delaying pay raises to October in each year of the contract. Management tries to frame their financial proposals by pointing out reasonable wage increases over the past few years but ignores the fact that for many years, nurses hardly received any raises and at times, none.  This left the hospital significantly behind the market and the lasting, cumulative impact on individuals over the years was significant. The hospital is once again behind the market and delaying raises by half a year each year will have an impact on current staff and make it more difficult to attract and retain nurses.

INSURANCE

We continue to push for affordable and equitable healthcare benefits for nurses with families and management continues to say no.  We note the significant disparity in benefits within Whidbey and the surrounding competitor hospitals. We know that some nurses have to buy other, more affordable insurance for their families, and travel off island to seek healthcare. We have also pointed out that some nurses rejected taking a position because of the costly healthcare coverage and some are considering leaving. Affordable healthcare is vital to recruitment and retention of nursing staff.

RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS

We maintained our proposal that nurses be able to borrow from their retirement 401k retirement accounts to assist with the purchase of a home, home repairs/remodels, or other purchases that may require a loan. This is common practice to allow individuals to borrow their own money, and we understand that it would be fairly seamless for Whidbey to implement. Management has rejected this proposal.

FLOATING

Management is continuing to propose language that when nurses float and take a full patient assignment, only those floating to a different cost center within the hospital would receive a float premium. This means if a clinic nurse floated to the ED, they would not receive a float premium, but a MedSurg nurse would.  If the intent is to encourage nurses to train to work in other units to provide flexibility and support when a unit is short, why would that only apply to some nurses?  It shouldn't!

NEXT STEPS

We received other proposals and rejections of proposals from management but given the late start, our team has not had the opportunity to review those. Our next bargaining date is on July 17.

In solidarity, Your bargaining team,
Luka Cobb 
Gwen Parrick
Laura Black 
Ann Bell
Bonnie Brady

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Rep Sara Frey, JD, BSN, RN, at sfrey@wsna.org.

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Resources and tools

Document unsafe conditions

If you find yourself in a situation that you believe creates unsafe conditions for patients or for you, you should complete a Staffing Complaint / ADO Form as soon as possible.

By completing the form, you will help make the problem known to management, creating an opportunity for the problem to be addressed. Additionally, you will be documenting the facts, which may be helpful to you later if there is a negative outcome.

WSNA also uses your ADO forms to track the problems occurring in your facility. When you and your coworkers take the important step of filling out an ADO form, you are helping to identify whether there is a pattern of unsafe conditions for you or your patients at your facilities. This information is used by your conference committee, staffing committee, and WSNA labor staff to improve your working conditions.

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Representation rights

As a union member, you have the right to have a representative present in any meetings with management that could potentially lead to disciplinary action against you.

If called into a meeting with management, read the following to management when the meeting begins:

If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, I respectfully request that my union representative be present at this meeting. Without representation present, I choose not to participate in this discussion.

Find out more about this crucial right and how to exercise it to ensure your fair treatment and protection.

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Enhance your professional competency with WSNA's free online courses.

Earn CNE contact hours through topics like Cultural Humility, Telehealth Assessment, Workplace Violence Prevention, and more. Convenient and self-paced, our courses provide practical knowledge for your daily work. Expand your skills and stay up-to-date with the latest nursing practices.

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