Kaleida Refuses To Sign Agreement Limiting Use of Agency!
Now that CWA and 1199SEIU have exchanged our first economic proposals with Management, this week has been more about negotiating than about change. The unions have some difficult discussions ahead of us about where to make movement in our proposals. Kaleida needs to decide where they can rise to meet us.
This week, our committee worked on a new article laying out steps that we believe Kaleida must meet before bringing in agency personnel (offer the available shifts for overtime and bonus, the open position must be posted, the vacancy is to cover a long-term absence such as disability, or to plan for a known illness surge such as flu season). Hospital administration announced they will verbally agree to the union’s preferred language but won’t sign. This is highly unusual and both unions feel it’s a slap in the face considering Kaleida has spent more than $97 million on travel nurses and agencies this year!
We have tentative agreements on new language in a few articles:
- Article 28, formerly Flexible Benefit Plan, is being renamed Health and Welfare Plan. The new name is the only change. Some benefits have had name clean-up, such as “Kaleida Health Spectrum of Choices Plan” will now be called “Kaleida Health Medical and Prescription Drug Plan,” and references to flexible spending accounts are referred to as “health care and dependent care” accounts.
- Parking (Article 102): The price of a monthly parking pass will remain the same. The parking subsidies continue, now with two tiers instead of three. Members who earn up to $47,850 would receive a $30 subsidy, and those earning $47,851 or more would be eligible for a $10 subsidy. This would bring about 1,100 members into the higher subsidy tier.
- PTO (Article 26): New hires begin accruing PTO upon hire, consistent with the New York State Paid Sick Leave Law. Per diem members may earn up to 56 hours of PTO per year, can carry over 56 hours into the next PTO plan year, and may transfer accrued time if the member is hired into a benefitted position. Members who work in Skilled Nursing Facilities will earn PTO at rates consistent with Clerical, Maintenance, Service, and Technical job titles in acute care sites, a boost of one day to each tier. Kaleida tried to take back a personal (EPTO, PL) day in exchange for the increased PTO in LTC, but Labor refused to allow it.
- Holidays (Article 82): Kaleida now recognizes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Juneteenth as contractual holidays, paid at time-and-a-half for all hours worked. Mid-shift members will now receive the premium pay rate for Christmas and New Year’s if they work at least 50 percent of their shift between 6 p.m. on the eve and 6 p.m. on the day of the holiday. Another change is that members who call in for their last scheduled shift before a holiday or first scheduled shift after a holiday will be charged with a call-in or PTU (in the current contract, the un-worked shift is unpaid). Also, current practice for RNs at OCH to choose holidays will not change.
- Adult site float grids (MOU 26):
- There is a new grid covering float assignments for ancillary staff at BGMC and MFSH.
- For RNs at BGMC, the “sister unit” groupings have changed a bit. The medical telemetry group is 15S, 13N/S, 12S, and 9N/S. Neuro cardiac telemetry is 10N/S and 14N/S, with 4N able to float to 14, subject to reevaluation. 4N has been removed from the critical care grouping. There will be discussion about the VIS becoming a closed unit for ancillary staff. CAPD patients will be clustered on 9 whenever possible, and float pool and 9th floor nurses will keep responsibility for CAPD; charge nurses will receive training for this duty, and over time the work will shift to charge.
- For RNs at MFSH, med-surg overflow joins the med-surg grouping, and we clarified the maternity grouping. We also have a new floating grid for ancillary staff at both sites.
Join us at open bargaining as we fight for a fair contract! CWA and 1199SEIU are at the bargaining table Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 2421 Main Street, Buffalo. Sign up with your union to ensure that there is space available.
Membership Meeting: Our next Teletown hall membership meeting is Thursday, August 11 starting at 8pm as we prepare for an upcoming job action. Come get information and ask questions. Please join us by answering the call from (716) 982-0540. If you aren’t getting the call, please contact your union directly to update your contact information.
