Bargaining Continues April 9, Contract Terms Still in Place

Management has agreed to return to the bargaining table next week on April 9.  We demand that they return with a new attitude towards negotiating an agreement that is acceptable to the membership. 

Despite spending the last two weeks trying to scare people about the expiration of the contract, management sent out an email after the vote reversing its message:  "Terms and conditions of employment remain at status quo while the parties work toward a tentative agreement."  Apparently, some supervisors haven't got the message and continue to damage their credibility with their employees by spreading nonsense.

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Membership Overwhelmingly Rejects Management's Offer; Back to the Table

St. Joe nurses voted 38 to 497 (with two spoiled ballots) to reject management's offer after two days of voting. Many members remarked on the lack of addressing safe staffing, the removal of EIB from the protection of the contract, and the replacing of HE with standby as primary reasons for voting "no."  Others noted that management's proposal had significantly smaller wage increases than the current agreement.

Under the National Labor Relations Act, both parties have a continuing obligation to bargain in good faith.  The Union has demanded to return to the bargaining table so that an agreement acceptable to both sides can be reached.  We're hopeful that management will listen to the message that nurses have sent them.

And if management won't listen?  Then we have to get louder.  And we may have to take our message to the community. One way or another, we will have our voices heard!

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Management's holiday scheduling proposal

Section 8.5  Scheduling

A  nurse  shall  not  be  temporarily  reassigned  to  another  unit  on  their  scheduled

holiday,  unless  (s)he  volunteers  to  do  so.    When  making  schedules  that  contain

holiday track day(s), the manager will schedule nurses’ holiday work on the shift they

customarily work. 

Tell Management "NO! I don't want to be pulled or have my shift changed on a holiday!"

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Bargaining works! Send Management back to the table with a "No" vote

Management’s BSN proposal February 6, 2014

Nurses hired after March 25, 2014 who have a diploma or an associates’ degree in

nursing will be required to be accepted into a BSN program within six (6) months of

the nurse’s hire date.  The nurse will be required to complete a BSN program within

three (3) years of his/her hire date.

Existing diploma and Associates-prepared nurses agree to work toward a BSN degree

to be completed by December 31, 2020.

Management’s BSN proposal March 20, 2014

Nurses hired after March 25, 2014 who have a diploma or an associates’ degree in

nursing will be required to be accepted into a BSN program within six (6) months of

the nurse’s hire date.  The nurse will be required to complete a BSN program within

three (3) years of his/her hire date.

Existing diploma and Associates-prepared nurses agree to work toward a BSN degree

to be completed by December 31, 2020.

The above illustrates that the Union bargaining team was able to make Management back down from their proposals right up the end.  And the Union has made Management agree to a number of improvements over the past six weeks.  If Management's "final" offer is rejected by the membership, they have a legal obligation to return to the bargaining table and continue bargaining in good faith.    There's more work to do; let's send them back to the bargaining table!

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The contract expired; now what?

The contract expired at midnight last night. So, what has changed?  Did we lose our protections and benefits?  No. 

Under the National Labor Relations Act, management can make no changes to your wages, benefits, or working conditions even though the contract expired. The legal obligation to bargain with the union continues. If the membership rejects management's offer, both parties go back to the bargaining table. 

If your manager tells you anything different, ask her or him to put it in writing. Bet they won't!

Information sessions will held on Thursday, March 27, from 6am-9am, 11:30am-1:30pm, and 6pm-9pm in Training Room B.

Voting will take place on Monday, March 31, and Tuesday, April 1, from 2:00pm-11:30pm in Auditorium C. 

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Membership to vote on Management's proposal; Union urges "No"

On Thursday, March 20, management gave the union a “final” offer, a common tactic to pressure unions to accept bad deals.  After digesting what was in the proposal over the weekend, the union has decided to present the offer to the membership for their consideration.  The bargaining team recommends that the membership reject St. Joe’s offer.  If the membership votes to reject the proposal, both parties have a legal obligation to return to the bargaining table.

Information sessions will held on Thursday, March 27, from 6am-9am, 11:30am-1:30pm, and 6pm-9pm in Training Room B.

Voting will take place on Monday, March 31, and Tuesday, April 1, from 2:00pm-11:30pm in Auditorium C. 

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Union gets Management to back down on BSN requirement

Thanks to the members pushing back, management withdrew its proposal last Thursday to require current employees to get their BSN or face termination.  Management still has on the table a proposal to force new hires to get their BSN.  The Union has suggested that management provide incentives for our members to get their degrees like additional tuition reimbursement rather than punishments.  Additional push back from the members is needed to get further improvements on this issue.

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