Our Bargaining Team met with Prime again on Monday and worked out a Tentative Agreement on discipline. A Tentative Agreement is when the two sides agree on one article that will become part of the complete collective bargaining agreement. It is “tentative” until the entire contract (or agreement) is voted on by the membership and signed by both our SEIU 121RN Bargaining Team and the hospital Bargaining Team.
There are more tentative agreements on the horizon, but here’s what was added to the disciplinary language:
“In the event an investigatory suspension results in action that does not rise to the level of a disciplinary suspension or results in no disciplinary action, the Registered Nurse shall be paid for scheduled shifts missed as the result of the investigatory suspension.
“In the event an investigatory suspension results in the Registered Nurse being issued a disciplinary suspension, those shifts for which the Registered Nurse was scheduled to work while on investigatory suspension shall count toward the disciplinary suspension; the Registered Nurse shall be paid for the difference between the number of scheduled shifts misses as the result of the investigatory suspension, and the length of the disciplinary suspension.”
Our Bargaining Team is happy with the new disciplinary language and feels it is an important step. However, we anticipate that negotiations with Prime will be difficult due to the many takeaways Prime has proposed.
So far, we have stood firm in our belief that Charge RNs should remain in our Bargaining Unit. The hospital is proposing to delete language that recognizes the right of Charge RNs to be in our Union.
Other Issues
Prime has proposed to take away ALL Past Practices. Our Bargaining Team needs all RNs to notify them of all past practices not written in our contract so that we can address them in the contract. Past Practices are those things that are not in our contract, but have become a routine part of how the hospital or unit operates.
Although we are not yet discussing economics at the table, Encino management has expressed to us that they will propose deleting:
- Reserve Sick
- Retiree Health Benefits
- Paid Family Medical Coverage
Our team is encouraged by member support and the fact that we have made at least one important contract change. We also continue to communicate to Prime that we want to work with them to make Encino a desirable place for our patients and a great place to work. Encino Hospital is an important part of our community and we’re all dedicated to its success. Please continue to show our Bargaining Team that we back them up 100 percent!