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1-31-2019 121RN Steward News—*NEW* safe staffing bill + RSVP for special April 18 Dinner

January 31, 2019

Dear SEIU 121RN Stewards,

Special Message for New Stewards

Welcome and thank you for taking the lead at your worksite!

You just made our Union stronger!

Union strength starts at our worksites and as a Steward, you are the foundation of a solid, effective union. You inspire other members to stand strong and united for good union jobs and good hospitals that provide safe patient care.

Thank you for your dedication to your patients, your colleagues and your Union!

Be on the lookout soon for an exciting email from Gayle about our safe staffing bill. We told Sacramento that we'd be back...and we meant it! Our bill is expected to be introduced on the Senate floor soon.

Last year, the California Hospital Association spent millions to stop us. This year, our only weapon is the truth. We can fight their false narrative by speaking out about what's really happening in our hospitals. People trust Nurses! Last year, we had an amazing group of Nurses (like Kathy, Joyce, Alvin and Yolanda) who came forward to share what it’s like to work on our floors when hospitals cut corners on staffing.

We are especially reaching out to you—our Stewards—to let us know about problems with:

Please reply to this email with all of your examples. This is how we will...

_April 18 Recognition Dinner..._Please RSVP today for our 2nd Annual Steward Recognition and Legislative Awards Dinner. It will be held in the San Gabriel Room of the Hilton Pasadena, 168 South Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101. Business attire requested. RSVP with Genevieve Chavez no later than March 22 at chavezg@seiu121rn.org, (626) 491-3866. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m.

_Women's March..._It ended up being a very good thing we were there with a good number of RNs showing up to provide First Aid. Five EMTs that the march organizers had counted on to be there ended up canceling at the last minute. Luckily, at the march organizers' request, we had enough RNs to staff a second First Aid station right in the park near the stage where those EMTs were supposed to be stationed. Also luckily, we had a 2nd banner so that everyone knew it was US! And our RNs were real heroes! We assisted several people, including a young woman who collapsed in Grand Park. She left our First Aid station saying "I'm so glad you guys were here!"

_December Contract Victories…_We ended 2018 with some great contract agreements. Members at four different hospitals authorized their bargaining teams to call a strike. I'm so proud of members' unity and the way the bargaining teams stood up to management as they stood up for their co-workers. Here's a quick summary:

PROVIDENCE TARZANA MEDICAL CENTER; ratified DECEMBER 20, 2018 In addition to across-the-board wage increases, we won increased contributions our important ongoing education and training. Healthcare Professionals also, for the first time, won respect for our years of experience.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL AT VAN NUYS; ratified December 27, 2018 After the hospital fought us with “divide & conquer” tactics, we stood together and won our very first Union contract. But not before holding an informational picket and later submitting a 10-day S-T-R-I-K-E notice, prompting management to immediately take us seriously and urge us to come back to the bargaining table. Now we have new job protections and improved wages and working conditions guaranteed in writing. Among other things, we won safe staffing improvements, a stronger voice in patient care with a new Joint Labor Management Committee and more.

PROVIDENCE ST. JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER; ratified December 28, 2018 RNs were serious about improving patient safety at our hospital. It started even before we began contract negotiations when some of us spoke out at a Burbank City Council meeting to protest the drastic cuts to CNAs in our units. Then we continued the fight at the bargaining table. Finally, we grabbed picket signs and authorized our Bargaining Team to call a S-T-R-I-K-E if necessary. In the end, we won major improvements to the MedSurg/Tele float pool, ensuring that we’re properly trained before being sent to sub in another department; language to ensure our patients are properly cared for while we take our meal breaks; the ability to discuss the impact of any future reductions of support staff; an increase to our education benefits and more.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL AT HOLLYWOOD; ratified December 28, 2018 Like our sister hospital in Van Nuys, this is our first Union contract. And like Van Nuys, we also had to flex some muscle with a picket and a 10-day S-T-R-I-K-E notice. We won respect for seniority, including the introduction of a wage scale based on our years of California licensure; a joint Labor Management Committee, including a focus on the establishment of a break nurse role to help maintain nurse-to-patient ratios at all times; support of our ongoing education; and strong staffing policies that favor experienced hospital staff over outside substitutes.

Are you using these two good **ONLINE** Steward tools on our website?...

Upcoming Events:

Union Bulletin Board: find the latest to keep your Union Bulletin Board up-to-date! Check out the »»» online Purple Comms folder for current flyers and brochures.

If you have difficulty accessing this online folder, please reply to this email and we'll assist you. For hospital-specific flyers, please contact your Union Rep/Organizer (click on your hospital »»» here for details).

Questions?

Don’t hesitate to reply and we’ll make sure your question, suggestion or concern gets to the appropriate person.

In Unity, Rosanna Mendez Executive Director, SEIU Local 121RN

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