We met with AHMC management at the bargaining table a second time, and reached agreement on some important standard contract language, which will make room to dive into the issues that matter most to Nurses.
In addition, our Union bargaining team:
- Presented a new seniority article that would give RNs with LVN experience at the hospital credit toward seniority for a portion of their years of service as LVNs
- Proposed an increase to severance pay for any reduction in force or layoffs
- Presented clear language on the order of layoffs and the rehiring process
Many of the issues that you said were important in your bargaining surveys will be discussed in upcoming bargaining sessions. When those issues are on the table, we hope that management comes prepared to deal seriously and constructively with Nurses’ proposals to address our hospital’s serious staffing and patient safety issues.
Our hospital’s short-staffing problems are the worst that some of us have seen in 30 years. Sometimes when we speak up about unsafe staffing levels, supervisors respond that “other departments have it worse” — as if that lets management off the hook for unsafe staffing. Nurses are getting fed up, and patients are suffering. Many of our great colleagues are choosing to leave. We look forward to addressing this crisis and making changes to help recruit and retain nurses and improve the quality of patient care.
Maria Elena Diaz (NICU), Ernesto Fajardo (3West), Christina Smith (Acute Rehab) — 121RN Union Bargaining Team
