On Dec. 10, the SEIU Local 1991 bargaining team sat at the table with management to go over pending issues.
Members from the ER, MICU, SICU, OR and other units provided eye-opening testimony about the effects of short-staffing in their units.
Local 1991 continues to pound the safe staffing drum, with testimony and data collected unit-by-unit that clearly show that proper staffing is not only better for patient health and staff morale– it’s also cheaper than resorting to overtime and agencies.
Here is a brief summary of where we are to date:
- The 5% — The County Commission approved ending this concession, but Mayor Gimenez is expected to veto the vote. That will kick the issue back to the Commission for a vote to override his veto. That vote is expected to occur on Dec. 17. We will need all hands on deck to ensure that we get the two-thirds majority needed to overturn the veto. Call Commissioners now and plan to show up on Dec. 17. Details to come.
- Bonus pay: At the table, management indicated its willingness to negotiate an across-the-board gain-sharing payment of 2.5% to 3%, beginning early next year (pending approvals by the PHT and Commission).
- Step raises: Making members whole who’ve lost out on steps for the past few years is important. How we tackle this issue depends directly on the outcome of the 5% and gain sharing negotiations.
Stay tuned for more updates.