WSNA Nursing Members Vote to Ratify New Contract

Local members of the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) union voted June 30th to ratify a new three-year contract negotiated with Confluence Health. WSNA represents in-patient nurses employed at Confluence Health Hospital | Central Campus.

“We are extremely pleased to have successfully concluded our negotiations with WSNA for a new contract,” commented Tracey Kasnic, Chief Nursing Officer for Confluence Health. “Our nursing staff provides vital patient services that makes Confluence Health a leader in health care, and we value this opportunity every three years to work together on the various needs that arise. We are incredibly pleased to have worked out an agreement which recognizes and compensates employees with a contract that leads the local market and will help us to not only retain but attract additional staff to our facilities.”

The new contract is the first to be negotiated after the COVID-19 pandemic and directly addressed many of the challenges the members of the nursing union brought forward to Confluence Health administration. Under the agreement, Confluence Health will be providing a wage increase over the course of three years, allowing the organization to continue to offer market-leading compensation for nursing staff. Nurses also will receive a ratification bonus and increased recognition of experience in assigning step increases on the pay scale used for determining compensation.

“Confluence Health is proud to continue to be a leader in providing not only award-winning health care to residents of North Central Washington, but also to be a leader in workplace satisfaction, compensation, and retention,” said Dr. Andrew Jones, CEO of Confluence Health. “We are so pleased to have worked together with the outstanding union leaders at WSNA to draw up a contract ensures this remains the case. We value our nursing staff at Confluence Health and the role they play within our team in providing world-class health care, and we are so excited to have been able to collaborate in order to continue to offer competitive compensation and benefits to our amazing staff.”