Bargaining Update Oct. 29, 2024
The collective bargaining agreement expires on October 31st however we have agreed with the hospital to extend the terms of our contract until November 22nd as we continue to try to reach a deal. We have been conducting numerous and regular collective bargaining sessions. With NYU coming in, the negotiations have become very comprehensive and complex with many issues on the table, both operational and financial. This is not a bad thing by any stretch but has slowed things down. We are currently working our way through the non-financial issues with the hope of being able to focus on salary, health insurance, pension and staffing as soon as possible.
Bargaining Update Oct. 8, 2024
Contract negotiations were cancelled today due to the presence of The Joint Commission. We meet again on Friday 10/11/24
In the meantime, our meeting with local politicians yesterday was highly productive. We addressed the loopholes in safe staffing ratios and the lack of accountability among hospitals and nursing homes. It feels like a positive step forward. Five of us (BMHFNHP members) from different areas of the hospital participated to voice these concerns, and the politicians were very receptive, asking many questions. This is just the beginning; we are tackling these issues at the bargaining table and will continue to escalate them to Albany. Because we are part of a powerful union representing over 700,00 New Yorkers, NYSUT ahs valuable connections and influence, which were evident in the meeting. NYSUT is dedicating all its resources to tackle the challenges facing our nurses and healthcare professionals, which makes us hopeful that change is coming! This issue affects all sectors within healthcare and is a systemic problem in the New York State system.
Bargaining Update Oct. 1, 2024
We conducted negotiation sessions on September 24, 26 and 30. Much of these sessions were focused on critical operational issues. We have all been extremely frustrated with our time off procedures, changes that have been made to call and the disciplinary process utilized by the Hospital. We spent a lot of time on these issues during these sessions. The Hospital brought in managers to the negotiations who are involved in these issues to facilitate the discussion. We are hopeful that progress can be made as these are all important quality of life issues for all of us. We have negotiations scheduled for October 8, 9, 11, 15, 17, 22, 24. We are committed to do everything we can to reach an agreement before our contract expires on October 31.
Bargaining Update Sept. 23, 2024
We conducted negotiation sessions on September 10 and 12. These were definitely more productive sessions than the prior ones. There has been a back and forth on a number of the language issues we are trying to address and an exchange of proposals on some financial issues such as precepting, tuition reimbursement, charge pay, call and other similar differentials.
In addition, we emphasized the frustrating problems we are having in regard to time off procedures and we will be getting into further detail about that at our next session.
We still have a long way to go on the larger issues including salary, experience, staffing, pension, health insurance. We go back to the table this week. Please stay engaged with us as we will provide an update following these sessions.
Bargaining Update Aug. 27, 2024
We have introduced a comprehensive set of both financial and non-monetary proposals to the Hospital intended to improve the work and personal lives of each and every one of our members.
Salaries: Top of our list. In January, the hospital implemented salary increases for RNs that they called “Fair Market Value.” The hospital’s analysis did not include other NYU campuses or our biggest competitor, Northwell, and it also negatively impacted our most senior staff. Therefore, we are seeking substantial increases for both new and experienced members. It’s what we deserve, and it will help recruit and retain staff. Other NYU workers earn as much as 7-10% more than we do and that is what we are demanding.
Staffing: We have demanded staffing ratios be added to our contract! This is the best way to protect our patients and provide our critical services in a safe manner.
PTO: We are seeking additional time off and changes in procedures that ensure that we can actually use the PT that we currently have.
401K: We proposed increasing the Hospital contribution to our pension and also nearly doubling the company match and raising the contribution ceiling. The hospital has not responded to this.
Health Insurance: We have proposed a decrease in the amount we pay for health insurance as well as increasing the financial compensation for those who decline the hospital's health insurance, but again, no counter from the hospital. At the same time, we believe that we may need to defend the health insurance plan that we already have. Stay tuned as we expect the Hospital to seek potential take backs on this issue. BMFNHP is committed to maintaining our access to quality health care.
Other Financial Benefits: Proposals for BSN pay, experience pay, tuition reimbursement, charge pay, and preceptor pay have been made. We are hoping that the Hospital is committed to the educational advancement of our membership.
Retirement: We proposed extending the age for a financial supplement to offset out-of-pocket Medicare expenses, recognizing that many are retiring later than 62.
Additional Proposals: These include expanding eligibility for uniform allowances, addressing float pool issues, excessive floating, seniority concerns, and cleaning up and restructuring contract language for clarity and strength.