Rochester General Hospital (RGH) and the Rochester Union of Nurses & Allied Professionals (RUNAP) met yesterday for our fifth bargaining session since negotiations began in October. The session ran from just after 11 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. and was very productive, with three tentative agreements reached, one pre-contract agreement and one Memorandum of Agreement as both sides continued negotiating towards a first collective bargaining agreement.
The five agreements are:
- Pre-Contract Labor Management: The parties agreed to establish a monthly Labor Meeting between RGH and members of the Union to discuss issues or concerns from members of the bargaining unit before a full collective bargaining agreement is reached. Members of the bargaining unit selected to participate in the meetings will be released from work based on the operational needs of the Hospital. The monthly Labor Meetings will remain in effect until a contract is ratified.
- Discipline: The parties agreed to specific steps for the employee disciplinary process, when and how those will be applied and the RUNAP’s role within the disciplinary process.
- Memorandum of Agreement: The parties agreed on how to classify the title “Nurse Resident – Clinical Nurse Specialist” with regard to the Union.
- Postings and Job Bidding: The parties agreed on the process in which RUNAP members will learn of, apply for and transfer to a new position within the Hospital.
- Separability: The parties agreed that if any New York State or Federal law or regulation impacts any portion of the collective bargaining agreement, the contract will comply with those laws and regulations.
During the Session, the Parties Discussed the Following Counterproposals from RGH:
- Classification of Employees: RGH proposed specific language and qualifiers to differentiate between Full-Time Employees, Regular Part-Time Employees, and Per-diem Employees. RUNAP countered the proposal by seeking that on-call hours will count toward whether an employee qualifies for Full-Time status. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
- Health and Safety, Equipment and Supplies: RGH proposed that RGH will maintain a safe and healthy workplace; provide all equipment necessary to provide the standard of care for patients and ensure it is in a safe condition; and that the parties will use the Labor Management meetings to discuss issues related to workplace violence or concerns around supplies and equipment. RUNAP rejected this proposal.
The Parties also Discussed One New Proposal from the Union:
- Devices: RUNAP proposed that if nurses are deemed competent to operate specific devices (CRRT, LVAD, IABP, Impella and Bedside ECMO), they receive a $1 per hour wage increase per device. RUNAP also proposed an additional $1 per hour wage increase if a nurse is deemed competent on all five devices.
The Parties also Discussed Several Counterproposals from the Union, Including:
- Non-Discrimination: RUNAP presented a counterproposal accepting certain language from RGH but continuing to permit grievances and arbitration proceedings over alleged discrimination issues. RGH responded with a counterproposal to permit grievances, but not arbitrations, over such issues. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
- Grievance & Arbitration: RUNAP presented a counterproposal accepting certain RGH language related to the timing of and preliminary steps within the Grievance and Arbitration process. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
- Temporary Reassignment (Floating): RUNAP presented a counterproposal detailing how employees may be temporarily assigned or floated to a different unit during an emergency. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
- Management Rights: RUNAP rejected RGH’s counterproposal that would establish RGH’s rights to administer and run the Hospital. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
- Low Census: RUNAP rejected RGH’s counterproposal outlining the process for canceling shifts when patient census in a unit is low. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
- Personnel Files and Evaluations: RUNAP rejected RGH’s counterproposal that would detail the process for employees to review their performance evaluations and personnel file. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
- Union Activity: RUNAP rejected RGH’s counterproposal that specifies when and how RUNAP and its representatives may visit RGH premises and how they must operate while at RGH facilities. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
- Successorship: RUNAP rejected RGH’s counterproposal that the Hospital would provide RUNAP written notice before there is any change in RGH’s ownership. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
- Recognition: RUNAP rejected RGH’s counterproposal that would define which roles are and are not included in the Union. The parties will continue to discuss this proposal at future bargaining sessions.
What’s Next
RGH and RUNAP are scheduled to meet again for bargaining on Thursday, February 16 and Thursday, March 2. We will issue another update following those sessions to keep you informed. You can sign up to receive email or text alerts when a new bargaining update is posted to the website and also submit any questions. Please visit www.RGHNursesMatter.org for more information.