Negotiations continued today with management submitting a counter proposal, which maintained the 4-3 schedule for RNs, but eliminated the guaranteed work week, a reversal from the previous bargaining session. Chief Negotiator Martha Baker, RN, and our bargaining team remain committed to keeping both the 4-3 schedule and our guaranteed work week.
Discussions continued on improvements to floating and cross training language, but no agreement was reached on this proposal or on management’s proposals on economic concessions.
Toward the end of the session, our attorney Mark Richard addressed the recent announcement of furloughs, calling it an “absolutely horrific road that has been taken.”
“Is this really something that we want to do to our healthcare givers?” he asked. “Do we really want to play this game at a hospital? We need to address this quickly and head-on so that we can give healthcare givers the stability that they need.”
Our team continues to advocate our offer of $36 million in sacrifices as long as the money we sacrifice is guaranteed to go toward creating a sustainable Jackson and not wasted on mismanagement.
Our next bargaining session is scheduled for Nov. 29th at 3 p.m. Stay informed on these important developments via email or our web site, www.seiu1991.org