Trios Health RN Bargaining Update
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On Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, our union Bargaining Team met with Management for our seventh and eighth contract negotiation sessions this cycle.
As with our back-to-back sessions in July and September, we left these two days disappointed by Management’s overall pace at the bargaining table;
On Wednesday, we finally received the Employer’s initial wage-scale proposal- a welcome step, but long overdue. While it didn’t necessarily surprise us that the Employer’s first offer would still leave our wages trailing behind those at other nearby hospitals, our frustrations were amplified considering the time it took for them to present it- we would have preferred to have already spent several sessions working through counterproposals on our wage scales.
Apparently, Management instead placed their focus on overhauling the Reduced Workload/Low Census language (Section 7.9). Their proposed wording and reorganization made it difficult for our team to determine how these revisions would work at all- and to which nurses some sections would apply to. When our committee asked follow-up questions and illustrated a common scenario to better understand- management’s explanation conflicted with their own written proposal… and attempts on their end to clarify the language verbally left both teams with more questions than answers.
To be clear- an extensive rewrite of the Low Census article was never raised as a top priority by our bargaining committee. Instead, our proposals focus on important workplace and community issues like Trios’ below-market wages, persistent payroll issues, and the SANE Nurse program, among many others.
We made our frustration clear to the Employer during bargaining, but now is the time for all RNs across the hospital to stand together and send a united message: Management needs to come to the table ready to reach a fair agreement NOW!
Join our Campaign Kick-Off Meeting on Monday, November 2, in the hospital cafeteria. Together, we’ll plan how to build our collective power and use it to move bargaining forward.
STRIKE PLEDGE KICK-OFF: Monday, November 2 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm in the cafeteria at TriosHealth Southridge
We’re eager to get back to the table with Trios at our next bargaining dates November 3 & 4, and hope that management hear our voices loud and clear!
Our Union Bargaining Team: Tami Ottenbreit, OB RN; Stephanie Weibel, ER RN; Yesenia Ellis, ICU RN; Holly Hurst, Med Surg RN; Karen Campbell, Surgery RN
If you’re interested in being a member of our Contract Action Team, reach out to a member of our Bargaining Team, or call our Union Representative Juanita Quezada at (509) 340-7407.
