In this edition of news you can use you’ll find the following

• Staffing Committee Updates
• New workplace violence policy
• Grievance and Investigation Updates
• Are you being paid appropriately?
• Contract Corner- consecutive weekend pay

Staffing Committee- September

In this meeting, we discussed missed meals and rest breaks. Payroll worked to compile data from workday and it appears as though 1% of nurses missed meals and rest periods between January 1, 2025, and June 30, 2025. This 1% was roughly 128 missed opportunities for meal and rest breaks.

A prior complaint submitted regarding no ultrasound staff overnight was escalated through the staffing committee to the director of imaging. He has drafted a policy on what to do when/if there are no ultrasound services and that was recently approved through Med Exec. and should be coming to staff.

New workplace violence policy

Back in January, there was an instance of a violent patient physically chasing nurses in MSU and ICU. When the nurses filed Care Alerts and received no responses, we encouraged them to file ADO forms and raise the issue at Staffing Committee. After raising it in February, leadership took those concerns to safety committee and have recently issued a new policy for code gray and violent patients. If you have questions, ask your manager. If you experience situations that are unsafe for you or a patient, notify your charge nurse and file an ADO. These forms go in real time to our WSNA Nurse Rep, the 5 nurses on the staffing committee, managers, and CNO. More visibility is always better on an issue.

Temporary positions (Birthplace) at Step 2

After our union offered the Employer incentives for part time and supplemental nurses to help fill leaves of absence, we identified they created temporary positions with a very similar structure to what we offered just without the incentives. Our contract doesn’t have language for temporary positions, and our union filed a grievance over the posting practices and positions. This grievance has been placed into abeyance (holding period) to be addressed in upcoming bargaining.

Tuition Reimbursement at Step 3

Our union is actively working to achieve a settlement for a nurse who did not receive their full tuition reimbursement benefit.

20% Employee Benefit Discount

Our union had a pre-trial hearing with PERC, the regulatory board that oversees union relations with Pullman Regional Hospital. They have found merit in our complaint that the Employer unilaterally removed the 20% benefit without notifying or bargaining with our union. Our union also filed a grievance on this matter, and it is at Step 3. We have told the Employer this issue has caused great dissatisfaction with our nurses, and we demand every nurse be made whole.

Are you being paid appropriately?

Have you looked at what you’re being paid for your years of experience? Our union has recently been contacted by nurses who felt they were being under stepped. At least one of those nurses has since been re-stepped and back paid. While this may not be the result for every nurse, it’s worth looking at how your experience is credited and that your steps have moved appropriately.

Do you have nursing experience as a foreign nurse outside the U.S. that you didn’t get credit for? Our current contract may afford you the inclusion of that experience. If you haven’t received credit for that experience, contact your union rep.

Contract Corner- consecutive weekend pay

We have heard from some nurses that when the Hospital asks nurses to work an additional weekend and they agree, they may not be receiving consecutive weekend pay. Article 9.15 of our contract states the following-

In short- if you are asked by the Hospital (including an agent of the hospital like your manager) to work a consecutive weekend to cover a hole, this should be paid at a rate of time and a half. You can find our contract on our union homepage here to learn more about the rights and benefits we have.

Questions? Contact your WSNA Nurse Representative Alle Machorro at amachorro@wsna.org.