Following our meetings this weekend, we are providing a concise update on the status of our career ladder and our next steps to ensure the hospital honors our ratified agreement. Despite our contract ratification in March, the hospital has not come to us with a proposal surrounding a career ladder for Respiratory Therapists. On December 4, leadership attempted to scrap the ladder entirely, in favor of a promotional process. This would have violated our original agreement, and we obtained approval to file a grievance for breach of agreement. At our next meeting on December 17, VP John Cadwalader said that management was still committed to creating a career ladder, but needed more time for "financial approval" without offering a firm commitment or timeline. While this shows a change of heart from the December 4 meeting, we have rejected this vague proposal—we expect a clear, actionable path for advancement from RT I to RT III.

Our Escalation Plan

We are holding the line and increasing pressure through the following actions:

Grievance: We are seeking approval to file a grievance for not sticking to the proposed plan and timeline.
Staff Petition: We are preparing a petition to demonstrate our collective call to action.
EEOC Research: If you have been affected and feel like you should file a complaint and need support, please email our Union Rep immediately.

Note on Compliance: We are currently seeking formal approval for all media, social media, and internal campaigns. This ensures we operate strictly within our collective bargaining agreement and hospital policy to protect our members while we escalate.