As if being called off regularly isn’t enough, now Prime is adding insult to injury with a whole slew of proposed economic take-aways for our new contract.
Below is a comprehensive look at what Prime wants to do to shrink our income even though we have stuck with them all through previous cutbacks and all-too-often call-offs.
Wages 2 percent raise over three years, but no wage scale and no increases to address inequities in pay related to years of experience as an RN.
Weekend Differential Cut from $3 per hour to $2 per hour.
Charge / Relief Charge Pay Cut from 10 percent of base wage to $2 per hour.
Severance Pay Delete from contract. Members currently would receive one week of pay for every year of service up to 12 weeks total if they are laid off as a result of reduction of force.
Cafeteria Discount Prime has agreed to continue giving employees a discount on meals, but deleted reference to our current 40 percent savings.
Healthcare The free EPO would be for the employee only. If employees wanted to cover family members, they would have to pay. PPO costs would skyrocket. Please see previous flyer on Prime’s health insurance proposal for complete information.
Educational Benefits Full-time RNs: Tuition reimbursement cut from $4,000 to $2,000 per year. Part-time RNs: Tuition reimbursement cut from $2,000 to $750 per year.
Educational Seminars Part-time RNs would no longer be paid for hours in attendance at educational seminars required by the employer.
CEU Reimbursement Part-time and per diem RNs would no longer qualify for reimbursements of $100 and $50 respectively every two years.
Joint Education & Training Fund Delete. The employer previously paid .22 percent of the bargaining unit annual gross payroll to the fund to provide CEU classes to RNs at no charge.
Paid Time Off Prime wants to cut paid time off for RNs significantly. Management has proposed that holidays remain “current contract” but has not included holiday hours in their proposal.
Length of Service & Current Annual Accrual 31 days to 4 years = 187.20 hours 4 to 8 years = 228.80 hours 8+ years = 270.40 hours
If hired before Dec. 31, 2005: 31 days to 4 years = 208 hours 4 to 8 years = 249.60 hours 8 or more years = 291.20 hours
Prime’s Proposed LOS & Annual Accrual 1 to 5 years: Vacation: 80 hours Sick: 48 hours Total: 128 5 to 10 years: Vacation: 120 hours Sick: 48 hours Total: 168 11+ years: Vacation: 160 hours Sick: 48 hours Total: 208
Reserve Sick Would not be carried over and accruals would be eliminated.
403B Retirement Plan Our contract requires Prime to make matching contributions on the first 3 percent of pay that an employee puts in the 403B plan. For example, if an RN earns $50,000 per year and contributes 3 percent, the hospital would match the 3 percent and contribute $1,500.
If an employee works 1,500+ hours in a year and is employed on the last day of that payroll year, the hospital makes an additional 1 percent contribution or $500 using above example.
Prime’s 403B Proposed Changes
Years of Service / Prime’s Contribution
30 days to 10 years / $.25 per $1 up to 4 percent Difference: If an employee earns $50,000 per year and contributes 4 percent, Prime would contribute $500. Under the current plan, Prime would contribute $1,500.
10 to 20 years / $.50 per $1 up to 4 percent Difference: If an employee contributed 4 percent of $50,000, it would equal $2,000 under the current plan and $1,000 with Prime’s new proposal.
20 or more years / $1 per $1 up to 4 percent Difference: None. At 4 percent of $50,000, that would be $2,000 under the current plan and $2,000 under Prime’s new proposal.
To view and print complete flyer, click here