Throughout Months of Negotiations Management Fails to Talk About Plan for Schedule Changes

The Union learned this week about a management plan to implement new pattern schedules even on units where pattern schedules already exist.  Nurses on PCU were told yesterday that management intends to replace their current pattern schedules with different five-week rotations.  Nurses were told that it would not be possible to retain their old patterns and that everyone would have to select new ones.  Nurses were also told that this was only the beginning and that the changes would be rolled out house-wide.

Supposedly, the change is to address staffing problems.  Despite the Union pressing management to take safe staffing seriously for more than three months, management never once hinted at their intent to make these changes, nor did they ever make any proposals on the matter despite having a legal obligation to bargain over it.

At the negotiations session today, the union demanded that management bargain over the issue.  It took a heated exchange to get management to bring someone in to explain what they were doing, why they were doing it, and how the intended to do it.  The union is still waiting for information necessary to bargain over the issue.

There appears to be no end to the management stall tactics--from unfair labor practices, to targeting union leaders to the last minute introduction of new issues.  The Negotiating Team has sacrificed many hours of personal time to get a good contract, but we need your help to get this done.  Tell management to stop stalling and address safe staffing so we can get the contract done!