Our new contract with Riverside Community Hospital management contains many provisions guiding the scheduling of Registered Nurses. We are fortunate that our contract allows many of us to request our preferred days off.
However, RNs in some departments may be required to work every other weekend depending on the specific needs of the unit. While our contract does not require RNs to ‘Make up” missed weekend shifts, management may require extra weekend work in the event that an employee develops a pattern of absences on the weekends.
Scheduling
50.1 In General. Schedules shall be made out according to the needs of the department or unit. The Hospital agrees to continue the practice of permitting full-time and part-time employees, in departments or units which do not have fixed or rotating schedules, to submit days off. Among employees who meet the minimum qualifications necessary to perform the work for the given shift, full-time and part-time employees will be given preference over per diems and travelers/temporary employees with respect to such requests. Conflicting requests from employees who meet the minimum qualifications necessary to perform the work for a given day off on file in the department or unit at the time the schedule is being prepared will be resolved by granting the requests on a rotating basis, beginning with the most senior of the requesters.
50.3 Weekends. Per diem employees’ weekend requirements are addressed in Article 36 (Employment Classifications). The Hospital will make every reasonable effort not to require employees to work more than fifty-two (52) weekend shifts per year, except for employees specifically hired to work a more frequent weekend schedule. The Hospital shall exercise its best efforts to grant full-time and part-time employees every other weekend off. It is not the intent of this Section 50.3 to disrupt current practices in departments.
50.3.1 For purposes of this subsection, a “weekend shift” means Saturday and Sunday for day and evening shift employees, and Friday and Saturday for night shift employees.
50.3.4 Regularly scheduled employees shall not be required to “make up” missed weekend shifts. However, the lack of a general requirement to “make up” missed weekends would not preclude the Hospital from requiring extra weekend work in the event an employee develops a pattern of absences on weekends.