Due to our unity during informational pickets at all three hospitals, our Bargaining Team was able to get Dignity management to reverse course on several key issues. Dignity management originally proposed removing protection against subcontracting contained in our previous contract. However, we made a tentative agreement last week to include the current language preventing subcontracting without Union agreement. This is a victory for us and we thank all those who walked the picket lines on April 24.

Dignity management also changed their position to:

• Keep our strike / no lockout provisions the same as our current contract when they wanted to rewrite the language to prevent informational picketing.
• Retain language that would require a new purchaser of a Dignity hospital to make offers of employment to a substantial number of current employees. Dignity wanted to eliminate this contract article.

Non-Economic Issues Still in Dispute

• Delete education fund
• Eliminate standards preserved article
• Delete language that requires reclassification of per diems who work full-time for 90 days or more
• SJRMC and SJPVH would no longer be considered one facility for layoff and job bidding
• Remove per diem layoff order
• Recall language changed to “priority consideration for rehire”
• Delete language that takes called off employees off the schedule for the day
• Meal period article would be rewritten to provide only one meal period if you sign a waiver
• Overtime by rotation, not seniority
• Employer may deny any self scheduled hours that incur overtime
• Eliminate language that excludes SBS/EBS bonus, float pay, cert pay, shift diff, weekend diff, charge diff from pyramiding prohibition
• Change PTO donation language
• Accrued extended sick can be accessed for 50% of the annual accrual in accordance with the law, eliminating language that says 50% of the employee’s time
• Eliminates standards preserved language in the PTO article
• RN must obtain physician’s note if he/she calls off sick on a holiday
• RNs will be scheduled to work at least one major and one minor holiday
• Eliminate PTO cash out language
• Eliminate CL Flex Bank
• Eliminate grandfathering of max accrual exception
• Change leave request process
• Eliminate dispute resolution process for Patient Care Committee
• Eliminate mandatory mediation from grievance process, and eliminate timelines for failure to meet grievance timelines
• Limits back pay for arbitration awards to 30 days
• Eliminates pay for Bargaining Team members

The above issues are why our Bargaining Team called for the strike authorization vote. If our message about obtaining a fair contract does not register with management soon, our Bargaining Team may be forced to call a strike. Keep up the pressure in your units. Show management that we remain united. Our voice in the hospital depends on it.

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