Fact Finding report on SVMHS and CNA negotiations released
An independent fact finding report was released on Wednesday, which outlined the differences between the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and the California Nurses Association.
The hospital and the union have been at the bargaining table for over a year now. An independent and experienced fact finder named Barry Winograd was brought in to look at both sides, as a way to resolve these longstanding negotiations.
“I am hopeful this day will be remembered as the start of a new, more collaborative relationship between our hospital and the union representing Salinas Valley Memorial nurses,” Pete Delgado, President/CEO of Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System said in a statement. “It is time for us to move past this chapter. It is time for an agreement.”
One of the major sticking points was wages. The hospital was asking for a 4.5 percent increase over four years. The union was proposing a 27 percent increase. The fact finder had a gradual compromise, reaching more than 7.5 percent at five years. The hospital is also accepting the recommendation to drop a new pay scale.
Another sticking point was healthcare. Surprisingly, the fact finder found employees should be paying more. Right now, they are fully covered. However, if they have dependents, the fact finder says they should contribute more, starting at 25 percent for the first year.
Also, the union was upset with the restructuring proposal. The report suggested merging the ‘assistant head nurse’ and the ‘charge nurse’ positions into one, without layoffs or a heavier workload. This was one of the union’s biggest sticking points.
“We are grateful that the fact finder understood the critical role charge nurses play in ensuring safe patient care. We, as nurses, should not be removed from the bedside, Vanessa Lockard, an emergency department charge nurse at Salinas Valley, said in a statement. “Every day I use my skills to intervene and advocate for my patients.”
Finally, the fact finder recommended a ban on so-called ‘sympathy strikes.’ So if one union goes on strike, the nurses’ union can’t join.
The hospital accepted most of his recommendations. A representative with the nurses’ union says because they are in agreement with the fact finder on much of these recommendation – they want to hurry and settle the dispute.
“The Factfinder report allows us to reach a compromise we could not reach at the bargaining table,” Michelle Childs, Sr. Administrative Director of Human Resources said in a statement. “While difficult, this process has brought us to a place of common ground.”
“Nurse negotiators have been bargaining in good faith for over a year trying to reach an agreement that ensures safe staffing and quality patient care,” intensive care unit RN and charge nurse Tracy Chavez said in a statement. “On nearly every issue, nurses and the fact finder are in agreement. We call on the hospital to stop wasting the public’s money, do what’s best for our patients, and settle this dispute.”
SVMH FactFinder Report