BIENNIAL REPORTS
all and including the WSNA business meeting to set the direction of WSNA with our WSNA members, an opportunity to fulfill a full year’s worth of continuing education, opportunities to share research and experiences, network with new and old friends and also have an all-around good time. We are inviting all registered nurses to come and participate in the profession of nursing! WSNA and our elected delegates were instrumental at the last American Nurses Association House of Delegates meeting in 2012. Out state was a leader in helping and guiding ANA through a restructuring process that will allow ANA to better meet the needs of nurses and our profession at the national level. This will be the first year that the newly structured Membership Assembly will meet in June 2013. Both the current WSNA President and Vice President along with our Executive Director will attend to represent WSNA nurses and bring forward the important issues for our state. WSNA members will have the opportunity to serve on ANA issue panels, rather than the Congress of Nurse Practice and Economics which was retired as part of ANA’s structural change. WSNA was also integral in changing the national landscape for nurses this year with our new affiliation with AFT. Membership in the AFL-CIO at the national level has long been a high priority for both WSNA and the NFN. For the past 2 years, at the direction of the WSNA Cabinet on Economic and General Welfare and WSNA Board, our WSNA members serving on the NFN National Executive Board along with our WSNA representatives on the NFN National Advisory Board (i.e., the WSNA President, Cabinet Chair, Executive Director, and Labor Program Director) have been deeply involved in the ongoing discussions regarding how best to achieve national AFLCIO affiliation. In February, we achieved this goal and brought together WSNA and NFN with the voice and power of AFT – a union of 1.5 million professionals. During these past two years the WSNA Dues Structure Task Force came together and made a recommendation to the WSNA Board for a 2-year membership trial project that provides a reduced dues rate for nurses who are
not represented for collective bargaining by WSNA or nurses employed in non-hospital settings and nurses who are already represented for collective bargaining by another union (such as nurse educators). The interest of the Board was to promote WSNA to new potential members at an affordable rate and make sure that our current members, especially our longtime members, feel positively about the value they’re receiving, especially during this difficult economic time. WSNA seeks to always be the best value for any nurse seeking to be a part of their professional association. This pilot will be continued for a least one more year and then reevaluated by the next elected WSNA Board of Directors. As you can see by this biennial report, WSNA has been very busy. We are on track and moving forward to meet the needs of the profession, as identified by our WSNA membership. WSNA put in motion and prioritized the work of the current elected WSNA board, councils and cabinet members at our last 2011 General Assembly meeting roundtable discussions. I hope you’ll be there this year when we set the direction for the next two years. WSNA has been leading the way once again – make sure you are a part of it!
Executive Director
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Judy Huntington, Seattle
The 2011-2013 biennium has been another busy and productive one for WSNA. I would like to first acknowledge the leadership of the WSNA Board, Cabinet and Councils as they provided leadership and direction to the WSNA governance structure and helped focus the work of the association on those priority issues identified in the 2011-2013 WSNA Issues and Priorities list. I would also like to recognize the members of the WSNA staff for their hard work and steady commitment to the members and the work of the association. The partnership forged between our talented and committed member-leaders and staff is a key reason for most of the successes mentioned in the President’s biennial report and the structural unit reports that follow. Additionally, I would like to highlight a few of the many WSNA accomplishments of the past two years: • The good news, despite the challenging economy, is that WSNA continues in a strong, positive financial position. Thanks to the hard work of our members, leaders and staff, we have continued to grow our membership to new highs in each of the last two years and have met the Board’s financial goals for reserves. • Attendance at the annual Nurse Legislative Day also continues to grow, with more than 650 in attendance in both 2011 and 2012. With the help of the WSNA-PAC, RNs continue to be a significant force in the Washington State Legislature. In 2011, Washington State had more RNs in our State Legislature than in any other state. In 2012, three of our long-time nurse Senators, Rosa Franklin, Margarita Prentice and Cheryl Pflug retired, however we continue to have an excellent RN presence serving in key leadership positions in the Washington State Legislature with four RN Representatives: Eileen Cody, Tammy Green, Dawn Morrell and Judy Clibborn. The WSNA-PAC and WSNA staff are actively recruiting additional nurses who
The Washington Nurse
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