Our new contract with Dignity Health management was ratified nearly unanimously over three days of voting at St. John’s Regional Medical Center, St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital and Northridge Hospital Medical Center — only one RN voted no on the contract.
The new contract provides the continuation of step wage increases, requires that all RNs be placed at the appropriate level on the wage scale by Nov. 2013, and 2 percent across-the-board raises in 2013 and 2014.
"Thank you to all the members who came out to vote for this contract. With the slow economy, this contract was extremely difficult to achieve, but we did it together!” Jennifer Solovay, Bargaining Team Member and Northridge RN
Other Economic Benefits
- Maintenance of existing defined benefit retirement plan.
- Maintenance of existing retiree health benefits.
- Maintenance of existing healthcare benefits, and addition of ability to opt-out family members who have other coverage. These RNs will receive a cash stipend in lieu of family health coverage.
- Maintenance of existing PTO, ESL, and time-off scheduling.
- Maintains current accidental death, group life, and long-term disability insurance
Minimal Changes to Previous Contract Language
The first five months of bargaining with Dignity management were contentious. Management proposed numerous changes that would: allow subcontracting, delete protections from layoff, RNs who accept voluntary call-off would be required to use available PTO to cover the scheduled work hours, eliminate bilingual pay, eliminate ESB at Northridge and SSP at St. John’s, delete much of the language that allows members to take disagreements to arbitration, per diem RNs who work full-time hours would no longer be given the opportunity to convert to benefitted, full-time employees, and RNs would be required to provide a doctor’s note if they call in sick on certain holidays or the day after some holidays. Our Bargaining Team fought hard, and our unity in voting to allow our Bargaining Team to call a strike was successful in kicking negotiations into high gear in June.
Thanks Team!
Please be sure to thank members of our Bargaining Team! Due to their long hours and dedication, our contract provides for NO SUBCONTRACTING! PROTECTION FROM LAYOFF! PROTECTION OF OUR UNION! PROTECTION OF OUR UNION RIGHTS TO GRIEVANCE AND ARBITRATION! And, let’s not forget, WAGE INCREASES to recognize our hard work and dedication to our patients and our hospitals.