Providence Management has proposed one take-away after another in our current contract negotiations. Our SEIU 121RN Bargaining Team has agreed to cuts, but will not agree to destroy our Clinical Ladder, no wage increases, and throw per diem RNs under the bus! Management’s latest proposal is to remove per diems from Clinical Ladder and not give them any wage increase, rationalizing it by stating that per diems are not committed to St. Joseph Medical Center. However, they then turn around and propose that traveling RNs be limited to one call-off per pay period. The majority of our per diem RNs have worked at St. Joseph for 10 or more years. How long does a traveler commit to the hospital? A week or two… six weeks perhaps?
We need to stand united to make management look at these negotiations reasonably. And they can and should do so. The hospital made $12 million after operating expenses, and paid $27 million to Providence Health & Services. In case management has forgotten, St. Joseph is a non-profit hospital. So what’s the $12 million net income being saved for? Bad times? These ARE the bad times!
Hospital Proposals
- Drastically change our Clinical Ladder program
- Year 1: Step increases for eligible RNs and a 1 percent lump-sum bonus to RNs who are not eligible for a step increase. Lump-sum would be paid on March 1, 2012.
- Year 2: Same as Year 1 except the lump-sum bonus would be paid October 1, 2012.
- Year 3: 1 percent increase to wage scale for all RNs and an additional 1 percent of payroll to be used in either Year 1 or Year 2.
Where We Have Been Willing to Compromise
- No certification bonuses except on year certification is achieved or renewed.
- No extra In-House Registry weekend bonuses
- No education and training fund
Our Union’s Goals Now
- Ensure that the majority of currently participating RNs will be able to continue in Clinical Ladder.
- Give RNs a 2 to 3 percent across-the-board wage increase to partially cover the increase in cost of living.
- Keep healthcare cost increases to the employee below 10 percent. If they will go up more than 10 percent in any one year, the hospital would have to negotiate the terms with our Union.
Our team is willing to compromise on a workable Clinical Ladder that will allow most current CL RNs to continue to participate. But we can’t just give and give and give. We have families to support and homes to maintain. Management – be reasonable and make real compromises like we have.
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