After a 12-hour bargaining session with management on Jan. 29, our SEIU 121RN Bargaining Team for members at HCA hospitals reached a tentative agreement (TA) on a new union contract.

The new contract includes across-the-board raises for everyone, retroactive to Sept. 28, 2014, and a new 10-year step on the wage scale!

Come out and vote on Feb. 4. If you’re off work that day, make sure to stop in and cast your vote!

Our Bargaining Team is satisfied that this is a fair agreement for 121RN members and recommends a YES vote.

Ratification Vote

Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Location to be determined

Term of Contract

3 years: Sept. 16, 2014 to Sept. 15, 2017

Raises

• 3% raise retroactive to Sept. 28, 2014
• 2.75% raise in September 2015
• Negotiations reopened on wages and health insurance with minimum raise of 2.5% in September 2016.
• Additional 10-year step on the wage scale effective September of 2015. There were previously no steps between 6 and 15 years of experience. This means ALL RNs with 10 or more years of experience will get an additional 2% raise. Combined with the annual increase, RNs with 10 or more years will get a 4.75% raise in September 2015.
• On-call / Call-back pay increased to $7.50 per hour.
• RNs may now participate in the HCA Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which offers HCA stock at a discounted price.
• Five new certifications eligible for differential pay: PCCN, OCN, SCRN, CPAN, and CAPA.

Staffing Issues Committee

• All issues pertaining to staffing and workload can now be brought to the committee.
• The timeline for the entire process has been shortened by almost half.
• Options and possible actions expanded if members do not feel our issues have been resolved through the committee process.

Patient Classification System Committee

Union may now select two RNs to sit on committee that determines how acuity is measured. Before, the hospital selected all RNs on this committee.

Health Insurance

No changes to employee HMO contributions in 2015, though the value of the plan may decrease minimally.

[caption id="attachment_4364" align="alignleft" width="169"]RCH Bargaining Team members Lorraine Myrick, Peds, and Wesley Dawson, D3, during negotiations on Jan. 29.[/caption]

“Our biggest win has been in managing workload. The Staffing Issues Committee process is streamlined and has more options so we can solve staffing problems more quickly.”

Lorraine Myrick, RN Riverside Bargaining Team member