“We’re only as strong as our unity—and right now, the most important thing you can do is sign the strike pledge card to show management you are willing to take action for a fair contract!” -Lindsey Gearllach

Our Union Bargaining Team met with management again on April 10 to continue negotiations for our next contract. During this session management presented their first comprehensive economic counterproposal.

Unfortunately, the Employer rejected nearly all of our staffing proposals—including enforceable staffing ratios and automatic incentive shifts when understaffed. They also rejected our proposals for a retention bonus, improvements to our rest between shift language, and they proposed to remove our sixth consecutive day premium.

When it comes to wage increases, management’s opening offer fell far short:

Year 1: 4.00%

Year 2: 2.00%

Year 3: 2.00%

One particularly troubling moment came when management responded to our parking proposal. Weeks ago, we put forward language from the St. Joseph Medical Center contract that guarantees parking will remain free for nurses. Given that this is already the case, we believed this would be a straightforward agreement, but management rejected our proposal.

While they said they have no current plans to charge for parking, they refused to commit to keeping it free and said there is currently an ongoing “parking study.” Their refusal and deeply concerning explanation makes it all the more urgent that we secure this contract language now, especially before the new tower is complete.

In response to management’s proposal, our Union Bargaining Team stood strong. We held the line on key priorities that nurses across the medical center have asked for, and we introduced an exciting new proposal: the introduction of a pension plan!

Pensions are increasingly rare in today’s economy—but for generations, they have provided workers with secure, guaranteed income in retirement, on top of Social Security and personal savings. Winning a pension here would make our hospital stand out as one of the few in the region to offer such a strong retirement benefit—something that could help with both retention and recruitment.

All of the proposals are now in the employer’s court, and we’ll be back at the table on Wednesday, April 16 to hear their response. But based on what we’ve seen so far, it’s clear: management isn’t going to move unless we show we’re united and ready to take action.

Sign the strike pledge card today to show management that we’re serious about winning a fair contract.
>>CLICK HERE TO SIGN<<

Our Union Bargaining Team: Lindsey Gearllach (Obs), Meredith Francisco (Med Surg), Amanda Lancheros (ER), Kim Fraser (Pre-Op), Janice Brown (FBC). Not Pictured: Tammy Olson (ICU).