Deal is done!!!

4:56pm, Friday. We just got to a tentative agreement with management. Bargaining is done, champagne is uncorked, let the celebration begin.

Next step: start organizing meetings where we can explain the contract to our members, and hopefully get to a vote in a few weeks. One problem is that the next Board of Trustees meeting is November 22, and that’s where the contract gets ratified by the Board. Looks like we have our work cut out for us.

Thanks for all your support during the last few months. See you at the vote!

And the verdict is......another bargaining date!

We’ve just finished meeting with management tonight (8:45pm). No deal yet, but we’re close. We’re going to hold out for an improvement on management’s sick leave program and give them something concrete for wages. The numbers are close, and both sides understand each other’s position.

Our next—and hopefully final, for real this time—meeting will be Friday, November 4, from 1pm until whenever (most likely no later than 5pm). Location to be determined.

Management shows us the money (kind of).

Management actually came back with a wage counterproposal at 6:42pm tonight. And the numbers aren’t too far off. It’s being linked to us accepting management’s proposed change on the sick leave program (which is an improvement over what we have now), but there are still some issues with their proposal. And, honestly, even without asking for more money, we still need to revise their proposal to allocate money to places where our members want it most. 

We’ve currently signed off, or are close to signing off, on the last of around twenty-five proposals. Wages and sick leave are left, and we’ve now waded into the weeds on it. We’re prepared to stay tonight as long as we need to.

Unfortunately, management has already told us that any counterproposal we offer will have to be reviewed by management’s bean counters before they accept it, or make a counter themselves. Bottom line: we need another day to get to a deal. Hopefully this week. I’ll update as more information becomes available.

The clock is still ticking, ticking....

Management just left. For the third straight meeting, it looks like we’re not going to get any financial proposal back from them, and then we’re going to have to meet another time. There’s still time for them to get their shit together and give us—oh, I don’t know—an actual proposal in writing that we can work from. But the clock is ticking on this particular bargaining session.

If nothing is forthcoming later today, your bargaining team is going to gird our loins and ramp up the pressure on management. You heard it hear first.

As the day wears on....

It’s 5:30pm, and my coworkers have all gone home. And here I am with the bargaining team! I’ve been at Highland since 7:00am, seeing patients in the morning, then rushing off to bargaining at 12:30pm (while intermittently answering pages during the day; my colleague who would normally be covering for me is on vacation, but was nice enough to come in for the afternoon to allow me to be at the table. Thanks Jenn!). It would be nice if we were close to being done.

We’re waiting for management to return, and we’ll be getting just about everything NOT about money off the table. That includes the clinical ladder, the new Patient Care Committees, a weekend-only pilot program for JGPP, tweaking of the shift differential language to better reflect actual practices, and some other minor things. Money is a big thing, and the sick leave thing we’re looking forward to having some minor improvements. Here’s hoping that a deal gets done soon.

Management is coming back in the room right now. Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy…..

The Final Countdown.

Okay, this time for real.....we’re meeting again today, and hopefully this will be the last meeting. Last time, management left us hanging. They didn’t have the information they needed to get back to us on the key remaining issues, and we spent a lot of time waiting around for them.

This time, we’re committed to getting this done today, and we’re not leaving until the deal is done (or until they make us leave). We’ll be in Classroom B, starting around noon and going until.....well, you get the idea. If you have a moment, stop by and witness your bargaining team in action. We always appreciate the support of the members we represent.

Meeting again today, deal could be close.

We’re meeting again today, and hopefully this will be the last meeting. Most of our issues have been dealt with, and if they haven’t actually been signed off as tentative agreements, they’re about to be.

There are two big issues—some might call them the biggest—that we hope to finish today: sick leave and wages. We’ve already made our proposals to management, and hopefully we’re going to hear back from them. If we’re not too far apart on those two things, the deal could get done today.

Breaking news regarding shift differentials!

This just in: management has just withdrawn their proposal to not pay shift differentials for sick leave/jury duty/vacation/bereavement leave. This is a major breakthrough—this was the largest take-away on the table—and really serves to move us forward to a deal. They are holding to their desire not to pay shift differential for on-call pay, but that’s really peanuts compared to the other shift differential proposal. This is a huge victory. Stay tuned for more updates as they happen.

Closing in on a deal....but not quite yet.

Today (October 14) is the last scheduled day of bargaining, and I don’t think it will be the enough. Today we don’t expect to get to a final deal that we can bring to the members. Future bargaining dates are coming down the pipe, but nothing’s been set yet. The proposed elimination of daily overtime is off the table. The time limit on getting monetary awards from grievances has been doubled, from 60 days to 120 days. We’re very close to implementing some major streamlining measures in the grievance process itself. We finally put across our wage proposal, and are waiting to hear back from management on that. Sick leave is still being hashed out. There’s no question, however, that whatever we come away with will be better than what we currently have; the question is just how much or how little improvement we’ll get. The proposals range from somewhat radical change (e.g., converting to PTO) to incremental change (e.g., increasing the intermittent bank/accrual above what it currently is). Still on the table are management’s proposal to authorize subcontracting out bargaining unit jobs (which we are firmly against), and elimination of shift differential for sick leave/vacation/bereavement/jury duty/education leave (which we are firmly against). Our proposal to bring in the SEIU/UHW Education Fund, which should be a no-brainer, is still stalled, in large part because Jeanette Louden-Corbett remains out on sick leave. We’ve gotten very close on putting together a Low Census procedure (i.e., a call-off program) that is fair and effective. We’ve also modified the policies on scheduling and disciplining SANs that is a definite improvement from the existing language. A huge, HUGE proposal that is definitely going to happen is the establishment of Patient Care Committees. Each nursing area will have a committee that will meet regularly, including care providers and management, and work collaboratively to identify and solve problems in the units. Many other hospitals have these, and they generally have the effect of changing the culture of the hospital environment (for the better). That’s been one of our mantras during the entire bargaining process. Just like ACMC management has been saying, we also want to be “The Provider of Choice,” and “The Employer of Choice,” and our proposals reflect that. We’ve also been saying that we want to move away from ACMC having “a culture of punishment.” Although it’s tough to make the idea sound sexy, patient care committees are a big, big deal, provided both sides commit to making it happen. If we can get the rest of the “little” issues off the table, it will enable us to focus on the “big” issues: wages and sick leave. And hopefully we’ll get it done sooner rather than later. Stay tuned.

[A note from Amy R-H, guest blogger] A brief summary of yesterday’s (Thursday, October 6) RN negotiations.  It appears that ACMC’s renewed focus on takeaways is revolving around these inflammatory issues: No shift differential for “unworked hours.” This includes vacation, sick, jury, bereavement, in lieu of time.… No daily overtime. That means no overtime until you reach the threshold of 40 hours per week of worked hours (unworked hours wouldn’t be added in; see above). For example, say your schedule is three 12-hour shifts a week.  If you work 13 hours each day, that last hour would be straight time, because three days x 13 hours = 39 hours for the week. Another example: if one day you work 15 hours, but the other two are 12 hours each, that again equals 39 hours (and no overtime for the 15-hour day). Delete the ACERA side letter regarding enrolling part-timers. Currently, the MOU allows for part-time employees to temporarily go full-time to become eligible for enrollment in ACERA (Alameda County Employee Retirement Association, which is our defined benefit retirement plan). Management wants to eliminate this. We are currently waiting for ACMC to “refine” their proposals regarding these wacky issues: Requiring new nurses to work three weekends a month (instead of two). They’re revising their proposal regarding withholding Holiday Pay if we “call off” (sick time) on a day(s) preceding, upon, or following a holiday. They have indicated they have one more proposal that they have not put across the table yet. [Ed. we’re calling this “The October Surprise”] While speculating on this kind of thing is always tricky, we have a gut feeling that this will be about further reducing access to ACERA for new employees. Even if it isn’t, it will certainly be a takeaway. By contrast assure you that all of our (SEIU) proposals were about fixing broken or unfair systems: Improving the Sick Leave banks (ratio of intermittent to extended), lifting caps, easing access to extended bank, etc. ACMC proposed a “Mandatory Call-Off” (i.e., being sent home) procedure for low census days – we’ve countered with a voluntary procedure (similar to what already exists). No further erosion of health benefits (and no increase in our premium contribution rate). Fair job posting & bidding procedures. At this point, ACMC has not responded to our proposal to change and improve our current antiquated step progression process. Our proposal addresses the unfortunate pay scale variance for nurses working in different departments and different schedules (8 hr vs. 12 hr).  Also, no real discussion about pay increases (for the course of this MOU, which is likely three years) has happened yet.  Next week will bring these issues further into focus.  We may call upon you to SHOW UP and represent – we’ll let you know. Thanks, Amy R-H

And now we begin......end game.

[Special Large Print Edition, by popular request]

Five bargaining sessions left. We’re at the table, reviewing our progress on our proposals. Things are still kind of slow, progress-wise. Management’s last proposals are, to say the least, unacceptable. They want to eliminate daily overtime, open up the hospital to subcontracting, and they oppose making the two contracts start and end on the same dates (the legal term is “co-terminus,” and it would give both chapters more leverage in negotiations). They propose barely, BARELY, revising sick leave. And wages are still in limbo.

On the plus side, we continue to drive the debate. Management is in a reactive stance against us, and this is a stark contrast against my experience in previous negotiations.

At this point, every member needs to be aware of what we want, and what we’re willing to stand up for. We’re making moves to make the union presence more visible in the medical center over the coming week.

Stay tuned for more.

Disconnection.

We’re back at the table. And it’s amazing how quickly optimism turns to…..well, not exactly pessimism, but it sure isn’t optimism.

We have consistently been proposing things that incentivize the behavior management has said they’re trying to promote. As I said before, bargaining this time around has been all about discussion: we go back and forth trying to identify our common interests, and work to come up with mutually agreeable solutions. It seemed to be working.

How quickly things can change.

It would be not an exaggeration to state that every single proposal management has floated at the table—including every response they’ve made to our own proposals—has been negative, and a takeaway. This pattern began to emerge at the last bargaining session (September 22), and opened into full flower today (September 29). For example, we’ve been discussing—in general terms—revisions to the much-maligned sick leave policy. We made a series of proposals that would increase employee flexibility to use sick leave hours, as well as providing incentives for employees to NOT use sick hours (thus decreasing unplanned absences, which management says is the main problem). We’re even open to entertaining a PTO proposal, provided we have input into how it is implemented. And management came back at us rejecting every one of our proposals.

The question we have been asking management is: “How are your proposals helping to make you ‘The Employer of Choice,’ which is one of your stated goals?” And they have yet to offer us a satisfactory answer. 

Why is this? Well, there seems to be a logical disconnect on the part of management. They insist they want to encourage good behavior, but they are proposing, literally, nothing that does that. Instead, they are rejecting any incentives proposed by us as being too expensive, and not nearly as effective as simply imposing discipline on employees who don’t do what management wants.

I personally think a lot of this is related to the absence of Jeanette Loudon-Corbett at the table. Jeanette, as you may or may not know, is the head of HR at ACMC, and is generally regarded as the decision-maker at the bargaining table. She also has a sharp mind and an intuitive understanding of the issues we discuss at the table. Unfortunately, Jeanette has been ill, and is unlikely to return to bargaining for a couple weeks, at the earliest. With Jeanette gone, nobody has really stepped up to provide any kind of meaningful leadership on the management side.

Hopefully things will improve. But today, so far, is kind of sucky.

Episode IV: A New Hope

Sorry about the title. Couldn’t help myself.

We’re going into our next bargaining sessions (Thursday September 8, and Friday September 9, starting at 9am both days, in Classroom A hopefully), and things have gotten….well, interesting. But in a good way.

Our meeting with management on August 17 was actually quite productive. And encouraging. And I, as a member of your bargaining team, am cautiously….optimistic?

Whoa. It’s weird, using that word to describe negotiations with ACMC. But there you have it.

To briefly recap the events of August 17: it was something of a marathon, going until 8pm. The first part of the day we devoted to a proposal we made to management to bring in an education fund for RNs (and for the whole hospital, really). The SEIU UHW West & Joint Employer Education Fund has already been adopted by several Bay Area hospitals to augment their existing employee education programs. They offer career counseling, tuition reimbursement, CEU programs, and other tasty things. It would cost ACMC peanuts to bring it on board. Management said they’d think about it. But it looks promising.

But far more interesting—to me, anyway—was what happened in the later session. We turned our attention to an issue many of you have talked to me about personally: the conversion of SAN employees to full-time “regular” employees.

In the past, this is how things went: we (or management) would put forward an already-crafted proposal, something that could be put right into the MOU as is. The language was already written, it was already indexed, etc. That was a good way to keep things concrete and focused (we thought).

The problem with this bargaining technique is that it didn’t encourage discussion of the real issues. It instead made us focus on specific language very early in negotiation process, effectively ending the discussion process and going instead to a “tug-of-war” situation, in which we would demand certain things be removed, demand things be kept in, and so on, using the threat of escalating work action to leverage our position.

As you may have already gleaned from the above paragraph, it, uh, didn’t work as well as I would like.

Here’s how the August 17 negotiation on SAN conversion was different. We didn’t put across specific language. Instead, our lead negotiators started off a CONVERSATION with management: “So, there’s a problem at ACMC with SAN conversion. Only 17% of available full-time positions are filled by SANs here. At other hospitals, the number is 60%. Let’s talk about why that is, and see if we can agree on ways to improve that.” And a lively and, dare I say it, productive discussion ensued.

Now, here’s where things got interesting. Management took a break, then came back with a document that outlined specifics on the SAN issue. The things they proposed harked back to the “tug-of-war” model of bargaining; i.e., they proposed onerous takeaways that really had nothing to do with solving the problem. You could feel the air get sucked out of the room. We read the paper, were offended, outraged, words were exchanged, and management decided to take a break and come back.

And when they came back, their lead negotiator essentially said, “You know, forget that last document. It was a mistake. Let’s get back to this discussion we were having, because I think we were making progress.” And they identified some of the problems they felt were behind that 17% figure, and what they thought could be done to improve it. And we found a surprising amount of common ground in our two positions. I mean, like, most of it was stuff both sides could easily agree to. And, at the end of the day, there was this sense, on both sides, that real progress was made on a potentially thorny issue.

To sum up, we went in there to have a discussion, management came back with a “tug-of-war” challenge, we declined to take the bait, and instead invited management to come back for more discussion. And management did. And stuff got done. Good stuff.

Like I said, at this point I’m only cautiously optimistic. But it’s a welcome change from some earlier experiences I’ve had at the table. Stay tuned.

Notes from the first session with management.

By now you’ve probably heard. Yeah, we had our first meeting with management. It lasted most of the day. We came in the meeting with a great deal more preparation than management was expecting, apparently. Basically, we had an annotated copies of the MOU, in which we’d flagged all the things we plan on addressing/changing/etc. And we went over all of those things with management (we even gave them their own copies; ain’t we nice?).

For their part, management didn’t propose a whole lot back at us. We expect that to come in a future bargaining session, but we were a little surprised that they didn’t have anything ready for us.

As you’ve probably also heard, the meeting was surprisingly positive. Granted, it’s still early in the process, but in general our “proto-proposals” were things that management would have a difficult time arguing against.

The next few years are going to be a time of intense changes at ACMC, with all the healthcare reforms coming into effect. There will likely be more people with health insurance, and they’ll be free to go other hospitals. Not only does that translate into increased competition for patients; it also means increased competition for healthcare workers. Both sides recognize that ACMC is going to have to attract and retain quality workers in an already competitive market, and that’s going to take some work.

Briefly, here are some (not all) of the ideas we’ve already put across table that we expect to be crafting into proposals in the coming weeks:

•  The establishment of permanent union offices on the Highland and Fairmont campuses;

•  Major changes to the sick leave policy [management agreed this needed to be worked on];

•  Enrolling ACMC in SEIU/UHW and Joint Employer Education Fund, to help our workers go back to school and enhance their skill sets;

•  Changes in the wage scale/steps;

•  Better practices on how SANs are handled, including SAN conversions;

•  Changes in the grievance procedure.

Traditionally, wages are among the last things we bring up at negotiations. But we’re working on proposals for that as well.

Our next meeting is scheduled for August 17, Wednesday, from 3pm to 7pm, at Highland in Classroom A.

First meeting: time and place.

The first meeting between the bargaining team and management is scheduled for this coming Monday.


Date: Monday, August 1, 2011
Time: 9:30am
Location: Highland Hospital, Classroom A

Early moves.

The first meeting of the bargaining team went well. It’s a big team, even allowing for a few of our members who weren’t able to make it, but on the whole, the meeting showed the focus and determination that we need to get a deal done.


Our first meeting with management is Monday, August 1. Details on time and place coming soon!


The question everybody has for us at this point is, “So, what are you going to ask for?” Without getting into too many specifics (it wouldn’t be prudent to being discussing proposals we haven’t actually made yet), there are a couple things that we’ll be focusing on. These were the big issues brought up time and time again in the bargaining surveys.


The general consensus among the RN membership is that something has to be done with the sick time situation. At this point there many directions we can go, and we’re still going over all the options. Some members think the best thing is to tweak the bucket system (although the language used is substantially more colorful than “tweak”). Others have stated that they’d like to take a good look at moving to a PTO system like the general chapter has, provided there’s no loss in available time off. Still others are pushing to go back to the old system.


Whatever direction we go in, a solution will only work if it addresses the problems we’ve had over the past three years with the current system. So, now we’re working on just what those problems are exactly, and what (if anything) worked well. Above all, we think that people should be rewarded for good attendance practices, as opposed to punishing everybody for the bad behavior of a few.


The other issue we’re working on is a wage restructuring proposal that was first floated in the last wage reopener. At that time, it became pretty clear the issue was too big to handle in that forum; too many details to cost out, and we needed to get a deal done so as to get ready for the big contract table just a few months away. Management seemed receptive to our proposal, so now it’s a matter hammering out the details and seeing what we can negotiate.


Beyond that, there are several other things we’re looking at proposing changes to, but we’ll wait to post them until a proposal is actually on the table.


In the mean time, if you have a pet peeve/proposal/idea you’d like to see brought up, discuss it with a member of the bargaining team. Or post it here, if you like.

And so it begins....

Tonight is the first meeting of the bargaining team, at the Myrtle Street location, from 3pm to 7pm. Here we will, for the first time, hash out our proposals, discuss strategy, and review the RN survey results, so as to better understand what the membership is most concerned about.


No word yet as to when we get to the table with management first, but it should be in early August, less than two weeks from today.


As activity on this blog begins to pick up, I highly recommend that people sign up for email alerts whenever anything new is posted here. That way, even if you forget to surf on over to this site, or forget the URL, you can still get updates on all the good stuff. I’m sending an email out to that effect today as well.


And look for an update later tonight on how things are shaping up in the early going.

Bargaining Team Takes Shape

The latest on the bargaining team situation.....


Eighteen people had nomination forms submitted. All precincts had adequate representation—with the notable exception of Med/Surg, who had only two nominees to fill three seats at the table. After some hemming and hawing, the union decided to scrap the idea of an election, and simply take EVERYBODY who was nominated and put them on the team.


Makes sense to me. I mean, there are 16 seats at the table, 18 isn’t that much more, and we save the hassle of an election. More details on who the team members are will be forthcoming.


In other news, survey forms have been trickling in. Only 30% of the membership has submitted their surveys. This is unfortunate, since we use it guide the proposal/negotiation process. If you haven’t had a chance to do the survey, now’s the time to get on it.


In the coming days, I’ll be talking about some of the issues that are sure to be hot-button topics at the table.

A “kind of” introduction to being on the Bargaining Team.

I served as a member of the RN bargaining team for the last contract negotiations. During the process, I learned that most members don’t really know what that entails. Since we’re asking so many more of us to be on the bargaining team this time around, I thought I’d briefly describe what to expect if you become a member of the team.

Being a member of the bargaining team is a lot like being a medical professional; you’ll be devoting your time, intellect, and communication skills to serving those in need. Except that, instead of doing it for sick people, you’ll be doing it for you and your coworkers. As a result, your coworkers will come to you for information and advice. You’ll probably develop a reputation; “Oh, go talk to So-and-So [i.e., you], she’s big into the union stuff.”

And, if you’re anything like me (which you obviously are, since you’re reading this), you’re not going to be too comfortable with it. At least not right away.

Being a member of the bargaining team can also make you something of a target. Strange it may seem, some people may actually blame you for things they don’t like about their work environment.

What I’ve learned is that those are exactly the people you should be most excited about. The only reason they’re talking to you at all is because they want action. They want change. And they’re not sure what do next, so they’re talking to you.

My answer to them, first and foremost, is to encourage them to get involved. If you don’t like what’s happening on the bargaining team, get on the bargaining team yourself. If you can’t commit to being on the team (and there’s no shame in that, by the way), then make a point to support the team anyway you can.

What are the best things about being on the team?

When one of your coworkers comes up to you, unbidden, puts his hand on your shoulder, and quietly thanks you for all the hard work you’ve done on their behalf…..well, that’s pretty cool.

But the absolute best thing about being on the team, for me, is when I’m at the table, with the team, working on some deal or proposal, and I look over my shoulder, and there are….oh….fifty or so of my coworkers sitting or standing behind us, showing their support. I can’t begin to tell you how awesome that feels.

Hopefully it’ll happen a lot in the coming negotiations.

Revving up for the contract.

Things are moving along. Nomination petitions (to elect members of the bargaining team) are being submitted as I type this. If you’ve got a hankerin’ to be a-bargainin’, there’s still time; forms are due by this Friday, and all you need are ten signatures on the form. The more the merrier. And, like I said before, this is going to be a bigger bargaining team than in the past, so we absolutely NEED more people this time around.

But we do need a bit of a push on another front. The union needs to collect as many contract surveys as possible before the end of next week, so as to help us more effectively craft our proposals and strategies. Ideally, we’ll get one from every member of the RN bargaining unit by July 8. There are about 850 members in the unit, but, as of yesterday, only 50 surveys had been submitted.

If you’re a new shop steward, this is something easy you can do to help—get your coworkers to fill out their surveys and give them to you.

Like, really soon.

Seriously. Let’s do this. Nobody’s going to do it for us.

Flyer from the SEIU RN bargaining unit meeting on June 11, 2011

For this blog’s first post, I’m cutting-and-pasting the new flyer from SEIU on what’s happening now in the bargaining process. The most obvious difference from three years ago is the size of the bargaining team; for the last contract, the team was composed of nine members (one of whom was absent for most of the sessions). This team will be twice as big, which will make a....err....big difference.

The other thing I’d like to point out is that the people elected to the team will be from separate “precincts” of ACMC, with each “precinct” having a number of members commensurate with how many RNs work there. Thus, half of the team will be from critical care and med-surg, since that’s where half of ACMC’s RNs work. But every area of the hospital will have a representative on the bargaining team. This is new, and should make for a much more representative blend of members at the bargaining table.

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“ACMC: Provider of Choice, Employer of Choice”

RN Negotiating Committee Nominations, Surveys & Departmental Meetings

It is time to prepare for negotiations for our full contract. The contract expires on October 31^st and it is our goal to begin negotiations in early August.  The first 3 steps are: 

Nominate and elect our Negotiating Committee.  We will elect 16 members based on a ratio of 1 committee member for every 50 RN unit members.  Nominations will be done by area and elections will be done house-wide.  

Nominees must have 10 signatures on a petition from RNs, MLPs, CRNAs, or CNMs in the same work area as outlined below.  If you are interested in running or nominating a co-worker, you can get petitions from your Shop Stewards or SEIU Local 1021 Union Reps.  The petitions are due back by July 1^st:

• RN Bargaining Committee – 16 members:

• Critical Care = 5 (includes ER, ICU, 5W-SDU and Trauma)
• MCH = 2 (includes all of 9^th Floor and CNMs)
• FACH = 1 (includes SNF and Acute Rehab)
• JGPP = 2
• Med-Surg = 3 (includes 5E, 7W, and 7E
• MLP = 1 (includes PAs and NPs)
• Clinics = 1 (includes Winton, Eastmont, Newark, K Bldg, GI, Infusion, and all other outpatient services)
• Surgical = 1 (includes OR, PACU, SDS, CRNAs, and Pre-OP)

Contract Surveys.  Every member’s opinion and concerns are important as we develop our goals and proposals.  Shop Stewards and Union Reps have surveys and will go over them with you.  The surveys are due back by July 8^th.

Departmental Meetings.  There will be several departmental meetings scheduled over the next two months in order to discuss what members prioritize as the most important issues and changes.  So it is important that you check the dates, times and locations of these meetings with your Shop Steward and Union Rep.


We will continue to work together to speak with one voice across ACMC and strive to make ACMC a Provider of Choice in our community and an Employer of Choice for current and future employees.