Case Manager Bargaining
NYPNU and LHH management have successfully negotiated an agreement that incorporates the Case Managers into the existing contract. The agreement includes a Case Manager differential, overtime pay, an improved and enforceable staffing standard, and limitations on the performance of non-Case Management functions. Salary increases range from 3% to 10.5% in 2004. All Case Managers will receive the same 4% increase that staff RNs receive in 2005. In 2006 the Case Managers will receive the same contractual step increases as staff RNs with those who are above scale receiving 3%. Full details of the agreement will be available as an addendum to the new contract.
Staff/Management Committee Report
A subcommittee has nearly completed the policy proposal for Professional Development Days. A completed proposal will be forwarded in the near future to the Vice President of Nursing and NYPNU for final review.
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party State Convention will be held in Albany on June 5-6 (Saturday - Sunday). NYPNU will send four individuals to the Convention. If you are interested in attending, please contact Naomi Zauderer at the NYPNU Office as soon as possible.
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Grievances and Unit Issues
The Delegate Assembly voted unanimously to take a multi-unit class action grievance involving breaks to arbitration. In January NYPNU filed the grievance on behalf of all RNs who work on units where they are consistently denied breaks. The Union finally succeeded in getting management to hear the grievance on April 5th. Although Management agreed that RNs are entitled to take their breaks and should be paid if unable to take them, nurses on some units are still frequently unable to take breaks because of insufficient staffing. We are still awaiting a written response from management despite a contractual 5-day time limit.
Contract enforcement is the responsibility of every Union member. If you are denied break relief, take a minute at the end of your shift to submit a Staffing Documentation Form to the NYPNU office. The more documentation we have, the stronger our case will be.
MICU and SICU will temporarily merge. Less than a year ago, the ICU was divided into the Medical ICU (7 East) and Surgical ICU (8 East). To accommodate construction on 5 East, the SICU and MICU will be reunited on 7 East, and CCU will move to 8 East. In multiple meetings with the ICU staff, management stated that SICU will return to 8 East when construction has been completed. In the interim, MICU and SICU staff will maintain separate schedules, and all approved vacation time will be honored.
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