Norma Torres Shadows Pomona Valley Nurse

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1 APRIL Norma Torres Shadows Pomona Valley Nurse Local 121RN Participates in SEIU s Walk a Day in My Shoes Program When Assemblymember Norma Torres, 61st District, arrived at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center on March 19, she looked a little scared. That s when she admitted that she was nervous about following an SEIU Local 121RN registered nurse as part of the national SEIU Walk a Day in My Shoes program. I didn t know what to expect, Torres said after learning she would be in the Labor & Delivery department rather than the Intensive Care Unit as originally planned. By walking a day in the shoes of a nurse, I saw the tremendous amount of physical and mental stress nurses face. Workloads can change drastically without notice and the joy of helping deliver a newborn can quickly shift to the anguish Assemblymember of helping someone deal with the Norma Torres end of life. Torres was given a tour of the Women s Center a department at Pomona Valley Hospital that has delivered as many as 8,000 babies in one year by Local 121RN Nurse Tammy Block holds Adelynn in the Pomona Valley Hospital nursery while Jeanette Clermont, RN, Jeannie King, RN and Norma Torres ask her about the Billy Blanket providing phototherapy to her daughter. Jeannette Clermont and met with several new mothers on the unit. New mother Evelia Serrano introduced Torres to her baby, Marc Javier Flores, born on March 18 and weighing 7 pounds. Torres accompanied another mom, Tammy Block, to the nursery on the second floor to see her daughter and second child, Adelynn Helen Ziegler. Adelynn was in the nursery because of jaundice, a conplease see TORRES / Page 5 HCA Nurses Win 3-Year Fight for Denied Step Raises As a result of HCA hospitals failure to pay anniversary step raises in accordance with our SEIU Local 121RN contract, class-action grievances were filed first by Registered Nurse and Local 121RN Steward Jennifer Potts for nurses at Riverside Community Hospital, and then by our Union on behalf of registered nurses at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center and West Hills Hospital & Medical Center. The grievances were filed in 2007 and the arbitrator first started to hear the case in Since then, arbitration procedures have been ongoing. Frustrated over the lack of progress, our Union filed a dispute resolution in March a procedure recently negotiated by our Union and representatives from HCA, providing the hospitals with a final chance to resolve the case before our Union started a concerted campaign to high- light continuing payroll problems. Through this process, we were able to reach an agreement to bring all employees to within 2 percent of scale and issue checks for back pay owed to those who were not moved to the appropriplease see HCA / Page 4 "It's unfortunate that employers don't always do what is fair and right by paying their more experienced nurses and those who have been loyal to the hospital for years more than a novice nurse. I'm grateful that our union supported those of us affected and fought for us to get closer to the contract scale." Jennifer Potts, RN, Riverside Community

2 Local 121RN Our Union Works! Encino Nurses Win Through Grievance Process The Daylight Savings Case In March 2009, night shift RNs approached Nene because they were only paid for 11 hours instead of 12 as a result of the daylight savings time change. Encino Steward Nene Ruelo filed the case to grievance and to arbitration because the hospital not only violated Flex Time In a final ruling on what was originally six grievances filed for nurses in the NICU, our Union successfully proved that Providence St. Joseph Medical Center management inappropriately allowed traveling nurses to work while calling off permanent staff or in-house registry nurses throughout the hospital. Arbitrator Michael Prihar wrote in his Feb. 1, 2010 opinion that The employer violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement in the scheduling of staff and use of Travelers. The remedy issue is remanded to the two parties. Union Representative Tina Bordas will now gather information on those nurses called off inappropriately and submit her findings to management. Arbitrator Prihar stipulated that if our Union and management are unable to come to agreement on the remedy, that he will then decide what award is appropriate. Bordas says that the award could amount to thousands of dollars in back pay for inappropriate call-offs for some nurses since the time period of the complaint extends back to Nov. 28, Years of Experience Nearly 200 registered nurses at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center have been listed by the hospital as having zero that s right, 0 years of experience. And their paycheck may reflect it. Members Local 121RN contract requires that a nurse s pay be increased according to the number of years of nursing experience they have, whether it s with Providence St. Joseph or another hospital. Our Union successfully fought the payroll issue and was able to settle the issue just prior to its scheduled arbitration on April 16. Clinical Ladder Dispute Settled Some Providence St. Joseph nurses met the requirements of their Clinical Ladder program to move from level 3 to level 4, but were not given the pay i n c r e a s e associated with the a c h i e v e - ment. Instead, the h o s p i t a l c o u n t e d their Clinical Ladder increase as part of the yearly pay raise guaranteed to all Local 121RN nurses at Providence St. Joseph through our Union contract. However, raises earned through the Clinical Ladder program are separate and distinct from regular cost-of-living raises. Clinical Ladder offers additional the contract but also California State Law, specifically Wage Order No. 5. Wage Order No. 5 says that if you are a 12-hour employee but work more than 8 hours but fewer than 12 hours, you will be paid time and one half for all hours over 8 but fewer than 12. Continued Next Page Union Finds St. Joseph Nurses Owed Money raises to nurses participating in the prescribed course of study. New Grads According to the SEIU Local 121RN contract for Providence St. Joseph nurses, new graduates who are hired before they receive their nursing license are paid at the New Grad (IP) rate. However, once a new grad receives their license from the Board of Registered Nursing, they should be moved to the RN Start rate, which is currently $34.94 vs. the New Grad (IP) rate of $32 per hour. New nursing school graduates who received their license before starting at St. Joseph should have been placed at the RN Start wage, not New Grad (IP). If you re allowing Travelers to work instead of in-house registry or SRP staff, the hospital is paying out a lot more money. It doesn t make sense financially for the hospital or for the nurses dedicated to the Providence St. Joseph family. Laura Thibodeaux, RN, 4 NE Providence St. Joseph Medical Center Our Union presented a case in front of an arbitrator on April 16 in an attempt to gain back pay and correct placement on the wage scale for the affected nurses. Decisions by an arbitrator generally take at least six to eight weeks. 2 RN News / April 2010

3 ENCINO Continued from previous page When union representatives attempted to settle the case, hospital representatives told them that they disagreed with the law and therefore were unwilling to pay. The hospital settled in order to avoid going to arbitration. Congratulations to the nurses who worked on the night shift in March They will see another hour in their pay as will anyone who works daylight savings this year. Reserve Sick In February, an arbitrator ruled in our favor regarding our reserve sick grievance and ordered reinstatement of the program. Every RN at Encino Hospital is impacted by this win and employees who are not at the cap will receive hours owed. Some employees may need to be owed this time for hours they used. Our Union Works! We meet with Human Resources as needed when we have issues. We work very hard to resolve any problems. Especially anything involving changes to benefits, we clarify and look into it carefully to make sure we represent the best interests of our members. Grace Haidenthaller, RN, ER Encino Medical Center Steward On January 1, 2009, the hospital stopped accruing CashPlus for sick time. In response, Anabel Mason filed a grievance. The arbitrator ruled that everyone will accrue reserve sick benefits. Full-time nurses will receive six days per year and part-time nurses will get three days. Reserve sick accrual is prorated over 26 pay cycles. Step Raises In winter 2009, Local 121RN Steward Anabel Mason (now retired), filed a grievance because the hospital failed to pay some eligible registered nurses their step raises according to Article 13 of our Union contract. Our Union met with management several times to no avail. As a result, our Union filed the case to arbitration. The case was scheduled for arbitration in January 2010, but the hospital agreed to settle on December 30, Positive Changes Upcoming at Barlow The Barlow Respiratory Hospital Bargaining Team continues to make progress during current contract negotiations. Though bargaining is ongoing, several tentative agreements have been made that will improve working conditions for registered nurses. Bereavement Leave: Employees no longer have to take an unpaid personal leave of absence. May use paid vacation time if vacation time is available. Discharge & Discipline: Discipline will be corrective rather than punitive. Jury Duty: Employees won t have to report to work and complete half of a regular shift if released early in the day by the court. Seniority: No loss of seniority if employee voluntarily quits and is rehired within 90 calendar days. RN News / April 2010 Kaiser-Moreno Valley Prepares for Bargaining In preparation for bargaining, registered nurses at Kaiser-Moreno Valley selected the following members for their bargaining team: ICU, PCCU, ER Barbara Washington-Knight Jasper Diaz, alternate Medical/Surgical, TELE, PEDS Anita Triglia-Hook Michele Barnes, first alternate Mimi Stapleton, second alternate OR, PACU Elvie Palac Tricia Gibson, alternate L&D, Nursery, PP Jeannie Wu CBM Susan Pethos Our Union arranged a meeting in April with Walter Allen and Tanya Wallace of the Coalition of Kaiser Unions, during which they talked with members about the Kaiser National Agreement. Now that Local 121RN is a member of the Kaiser Coalition, members are eligible for National Agreement benefits such as flex time, performance sharing plan bonuses, defined benefit retirement plan, 401k plan, medical coverage for parents, and more. The Kaiser Coalition has already begun bargaining a new National Agreement with Kaiser management. Areas of focus include attendance, workforce, performance sharing, wages and the Labor-Management Partnership. According to our Local 121RN National Agreement representative and Kaiser-Moreno Valley Chapter President Barbara Washington- Knight, RN, SEIU Executive Vice President Dave Reagan spoke at the initial meeting and said that no benefits will be taken away. On a different subject, focus groups have been set up by the Union in two departments to encourage employees to express their concerns regarding improving the work environment. 3

4 HCA Nurses Fight Take-Aways, Stalling Tactics The Local 121RN Bargaining Team for nurses at Riverside Community Hospital, Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center and West Hills Hospital & Medical Center is recommending a lunchtime picket to call on HCA to stop stalling negotiations and insisting on take-aways. The Bargaining Team wants members to show their unity so that HCA management will bargain a fair contract for nurses HCA makes $3.3 billion dollars in profits and instead of investing in better care for our patients and safe staffing, all the hospitals proposals have been take-aways. How can they justify that? Alicia Taboada, RN, Super Float Pool West Hills Hospital & Medical Center and improve staffing and patient care at the three hospitals. The vote took place April 26, 27 and 30, but results were not in by the time this newsletter went to press. Key Non-Economic Proposals Include: Maintaining staffing ratios at all times A fair and equitable system to distribute available work Clinical Ladders that reflect our commitment, education and training No call-offs Lift and transport teams Proper training for new technology and equipment in the workplace More training and educational opportunities Improved float language HCA: Some Will Get Back Pay Continued from Page 1 ate wage scale. The resulting settlement affects hundreds of registered nurses at the three hospitals. When we re honest-to-goodness, rock-solid sure of our contractual rights, we stick with it until it s resolved. This class-action grievance-turned-arbitration is just such a case. It s taken three long years to resolve, but we did it! Our nurses don t give up on their patients and our Union does not give up on its obligations to represent members. Thank you to all the Riverside, Los Robles and West Hills nurses who worked so long and hard to see this through! Local 121RN Disaster Response Nursing Team Being Formed Our Union is starting a Disaster Response Nursing Team. If you would like to be added to the list of Local 121RN nurses to be considered for travel to disaster areas in times of need, contact Representative Mimi Holt, RN, at (213) or [email protected]. SEIU Hospital Corp. of America (HCA) nurses and healthcare professionals from California, Nevada and Florida met recently to discuss organizing priorities, common issues and coordinating the overall bargaining campaign. NCLEX-RN Exam Made More Difficult to Pass as of April The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN) voted last December to raise the passing standard for the NCLEX-RN Examination (the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses). The new passing standard is logits on the NCLEX-RN logistic scale, 0.05 logits higher than the previous standard of The new passing standard took effect April 1, After consideration of all available information, the NCSBN Board of Directors determined that safe and effective entry-level RN practice requires a greater level of knowledge, skills, and abilities than was required in 2007, when NCSBN implemented the current standard. The passing standard was increased in response to changes in U.S. health care delivery and nursing practice that have resulted in the greater acuity of clients seen by entry-level RNs. 4 RN News / April 2010

5 John F. Kennedy Stewards Graduate from Training John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital members now have six fully trained stewards to assist with any workplace issues. The following nurses graduated from steward training on March 1, 2010: Amanda Gibson Ralph Strnad, PCU West Paige Radcliff, ICU Dora Machuca, Recovery Tracey Pryor, Recovery Amanda Gibson, PEDS Jeannie Bruce, PEDS Ralph Strnad These JFK stewards participated in many hours of education and study, including topics such as talking to coworkers, problem solving, the role of the steward, and disputes and grievances and the related rights, procedures and best practices. Congratulations to the new JFK Memorial stewards! JFK members may contact any one of them with workplace problems or concerns. Dora Machuca Jeannie Bruce The single biggest reason that people like union stewards is because they can come to us and get unbiased information and we will support them totally. We will listen to their side and support them. I ve also been told that SEIU 121RN, particularly Debbie Jackson, gets positive results that we are unable to get out of the system, in other words out of the hospital, any other way. Ralph Strnad, RN, Union Steward John F. Kennedy Memorial Tracey Pryor Paige Radcliff TORRES: State Needs Decision-Makers Who Base Legislation on Reality Continued from Page 1 dition where the liver is too immature to break down waste products. She was wrapped in what s called a Billy Blanket that provides phototherapy to babies with jaundice. In order to be eligible for an SEIU political endorsement, all candidates, even incumbents who were previously endorsed, must participate in either a Walk a Day or town hall. Then SEIU members will vote on their endorsement based on the candidate s participation and/or answers to questions. We have issues that affect nurses that legislation can either hinder or RN News / April 2010 help, said 121RN Vice President makers who can make decisions Jeannie King, who also accompanied based on reality and not just politics. Torres on the Walk a Day. Some of these include changes in nurse-to-patient ratios, requiring relief nurses for breaks and lunch periods, and possible changes to the Board of Registered Nursing s diversion program. Torres agreed: I decided to participate in SEIU s Walk a Day in My Shoes because the people Norma Torres with new mom Evelia Serrano and of this state need decision her son Marc at Pomona Valley Hospital. 5

6 You know you re a nurse when... You ve been exposed to so many x-rays that you consider it a form of birth control. Your family and friends refuse to watch medical sitcoms with you because you spend the whole time correcting everyone and pointing out upside down x-rays. Your idea of fine dining is anywhere you can sit down to eat. You ve told a confused patient that your name is that of a co-worker and to call if they need help. You ve ever placed a bet on someone s blood alcohol level. You believe that saying, It can t get any worse, causes it to get worse... just to show you it can. You believe that any job where you can drive to work in your pajamas is a cool one. You mutter, great veins when being introduced to a complete stranger. You ve heard a patient with a nose ring, a brow ring, and 12 earrings say, I'm afraid of shots. You believe in the aerial spraying of Valium. Discussing dismemberment over a gourmet meal is perfectly normal to you. You recognize that you can t cure stupid. You have the bladder capacity of five people. You ve sworn to have Do not resuscitate tattooed on your chest. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall anyone who utters the phrase, Wow, it s really quiet, isn t it? You don t get excited about blood, unless it s your own. Your idea of a good time is a cardiac arrest - at shift change. You have ever had a patient look you straight in the eye and say, I have no idea how that got stuck in there. You ve had to leave a patient s room before you begin to laugh uncontrollably Lankershim Blvd., Ste. 404, North Hollywood, CA 91602