Compassus Home Health Nurses: This week week, your bargaining team met with management to negotiate the first collective bargaining agreement (union contract) between Compassus and SEIU 121RN. Although Home Health Nurses are currently still covered under the Providence St. Joseph’s contract, we must now bargain a new contract with your new employer.

That means Home Health RNs have a new opportunity to craft an agreement that focuses on you, your specific needs, and the type of work you do. Your representatives on the bargaining team will help to negotiate the contract, but they can’t do it alone—to win the improvements you deserve, all of the members of your bargaining unit will need to play a role. Your bargaining team will need your input and your support to gain leverage at the table.

Here are some of the issues we’ll focus on in upcoming sessions:

• Workload: Management must set clear, fair and agreed upon expectations for productivity. Your workload shouldn’t exceed what is reasonable to give your patients quality, compassionate care.
  Safety and security: As Home Health RNs, you’re required to enter environments that might be dangerous or unpredictable. Management has a responsibility to ensure that you have a safe workplace—even if that workplace is someone’s home.
• Equipment and supplies: You should be able to rely on a system that is efficient and reliable. Supplies you require to provide care should be readily available.
• Health insurance: You’ve dedicated your career to caring for others. You deserve good, affordable insurance when it’s your turn to seek care. We understand that healthcare has become more expensive while offering less coverage. This is absolutely something we’ll bring up with Compassus.

Of course, we’ll also focus on winning fair wage increases and other economic improvements. A contract that truly supports Home Health Nurses and their families is one that will lead to better better staff retention and better care for patients.

As union members you know that we’re stronger when we stand together. Your Licensed Medical Professional colleagues at Compassus won their union election on February 10th. The Professionals should have the opportunity to join you at the table, and we’ve sent a demand to bargain to your employer to get that process underway. We’ll keep you in the loop about how all of you can support each other.

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