The WSNA Labor Executive Council awards local units and individuals across the state for numerous strengths and contributions. This year, your team won the Adversity Award, recognizing the extraordinarily long and difficult journey all the King County nurses have endured in the fight for a strong, fair contract. You are seen and celebrated by your WSNA peers across the state! Your team (and each of you) have not given up! Enjoy the speech by Carolyn Clark, who attended the Level Up conference in Wenatchee this week and accepted the award on behalf of your team:

Your negotiating team now has confirmation that we will bargain with the County, still with mediator support, on May 14. We announced that we received the economic counter in April and since analyzed the terms. Every criterion measured will determine whether your team accepts the proposal or counters with a proposal. We have come this far and look forward to reaching an agreement we can recommend to the voting membership.

Does it represent greater recognition of experience to retain nurses who work here now?

Does it significantly recruit new hire nurses with an expanded scale that addresses the gap of disparity between the current wage scales and other employers competing for the same nurses?

Does it demonstrate that the County values and respects the staff nurses working in Public Health?

With these questions at top of mind, your team meets again to prepare our response next week so that we can have a truly productive session on May 14!

Questions? Contact a team member through our Real Talk portal.

In solidarity,

Elena Schensted Columbia City Clinic, Chair
Stephen Lee MRJC, Co-Chair
Evie Devera Downtown Clinic, Secretary/Treasurer
Tami Nesler MRJC, Grievance officer
Carolyn Clark KCCF, Grievance officer
Kiesha Garcia-Stubbs Downtown Clinic, Grievance officer

Tara Barnes Nurse Representative tbarnes@wsna.org