Labor Relations

Negotiations Recap for September 28, 2015

This recap details the 22nd session for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement between the UW and SEIU 1199, which expired as of July 1, 2015. This was the 10th session to be facilitated by State-appointed mediators.

SEIU 1199 Proposals

General Wage Increases – SEIU 1199 proposed general wage increases of 3.5 percent effective July 1, 2015, and another 3.5 percent effective July 1, 2016.

New Top Steps – SEIU 1199 proposed that one new step be added at the top of all pay tables effective July 1, 2015, and another new step would be added at the top of all non-nurse pay tables effective July 1, 2016.

Filler Steps – SEIU 1199 proposed pay step increases from the previous step at steps I, L, and N.

Standby Pay – SEIU 1199 maintained its proposal to increase the premium for time spent on call to $6 per hour for all eligible employees.

Targeted Wage Increases – SEIU 1199 proposed the following wage adjustments specific to individual job class series:

  • Anesthesiology Technician Series – 5 percent wage increase.

  • Vascular and Cardiac Lead Sonographers – Move from pay range 96 to range 99.

  • Flight Nurse Premium – $5 per hour flight nurse premium.

  • Juneau-based Flight Nurses – 5 percent wage increase for flight nurses based in Juneau.

Break Relief Nurses – SEIU 1199 proposed to add day shift break relief nurses to three additional acute care units one year from the contract’s ratification, and that all acute care units have day shift break relief nurses in place by June 30, 2017. The union maintained its proposal for the details of the phase-in schedule to be discussed at the joint labor-management committee.

Call Back and Prescheduled Standby Assignments

  • No New Mandatory Call – SEIU 1199 proposed prohibiting the hospital from introducing mandatory call anywhere without first reaching full agreement with the union.

  • Call Committee – SEIU 1199 maintained its proposal for a committee specific to call, to include physicians, management, and unit staff.

  • Premium Pay – SEIU 1199 maintained its proposal for on-call employees who are called back and work more than 12 hours to be paid double their normal rate of pay for hours worked beyond 12.

  • Callback Relief – SEIU 1199 maintained its proposal to allow employees who have worked on-call within eight hours of their next scheduled shift to call out sick citing fatigue, to which they could apply annual leave, sick leave, or leave without pay.

Healthcare Specialist Consolidation – SEIU 1199 proposed the consolidation of inpatient and outpatient healthcare specialists step for step, with payment retroactive to September 1, 2015.

Social Work Consolidation – SEIU 1199 proposed that the parties form a committee to explore the consolidation of the Social Worker 1 and 2 job classifications, and that effective July 1, 2015, employees in the Social Worker 1 job class be moved to the Social Worker 2 pay range.

The union proposed a 6 percent hourly premium pay for all licensed social workers, and that employees in the Social Worker Assistant 2 job class receive a 6 percent wage increase, both effective July 1, 2015.

END Technologist Job Descriptions and Increases – SEIU 1199 maintained its proposal for UW to undertake a review of the Electroneurodiagnostic (END) Technologist series job descriptions and provide a response within 45 days of the contract’s ratification. The union proposed that END technologists receive a wage increase of at least 8 percent, regardless of the outcome of the review.

BSN Premium – SEIU 1199 maintained its proposed pay premium of $1 per hour for nurses holding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.

Research/Hall Health Nurses

  • Research/Hall Health Nurse Pay Tables – SEIU 1199 maintained its proposal for the Research Nurse 1 job class to be placed on the BW pay table such that it aligns with the Hall Health Nurse 2 job class. The union maintained its proposal to establish a 6 percent pay differential between the Research Nurse 1 and Research Nurse 2 job classes.

  • Credit for Past Experience – SEIU 1199 amended UW’s proposal to evaluate the experience and placement of Hall Health nurses, such that nurses receiving a salary step adjustment would be paid retroactively to July 1, 2015.

  • Research/Hall Health Addendum – SEIU 1199 delivered a comprehensive counter-proposal, which included proposals to incorporate certain provisions from the main contract related to hours of work and pay premiums, as well as a prohibition on mandatory standby assignments for Hall Health nurses without union consent.

Per Diem Proposals

  • Per Diem Wage Differential – SEIU 1199 proposed to increase the per diem nurse wage differential to 8 percent.

  • Per Diem Step Increases – SEIU 1199 proposed that per diem nurses receive annual step increases upon reaching 1,872 hours, as frequently as once every 12 months, and that UW track this data and report it annually to the union.

  • Per Diem Float Premium – SEIU 1199 maintained its proposal for per diem nurses to be eligible to receive float pay.

  • Applicable Contract Provisions – SEIU 1199 proposed several additions to the list of regular contract provisions that apply to per diem nurses.

  • Per Diem Hours and Employment – SEIU 1199 accepted UW’s language memorializing that assignment of hours and continuation of employment for per diem employees are at the employer’s discretion and are not subject to grievance, and that upon employee request, a meeting to explain such an action will be held with a representative of the employer.

  • Per Diem Hire-in Rates – SEIU 1199 withdrew its proposal for hire-in rates for per diem nurses to be based on year-for-year credit for applicable experience.

Negotiations for a Successor Contract – SEIU 1199 maintained its proposal for UW to provide paid release time for 16 union designated bargaining team members for all sessions during future rounds of contract negotiations, as well as for two bargaining team members to attend statewide Healthcare Coalition bargaining.

UW Proposals

Per Diem Nurse Overtime – UW supplemented its last proposal with language memorializing that time worked beyond 40 hours in one week is considered overtime and will be paid at one and one-half times the regular rate of pay.

Negotiations for a Successor Contract – UW maintained its proposal for paid release time for up to 15 union designated bargaining team members for the first 10 sessions (for up to eight hours per session) during negotiations for the 2017-2019 contract. After 20 sessions, the union could request that the parties discuss additional paid release time for union team members. UW would provide paid release time for one bargaining team member to attend statewide Healthcare Coalition bargaining.

UW Standby Package Proposal

UW put forth a package proposal in which all provisions would need to be accepted in their entirety. Provisions included:

  • Call Back and Prescheduled Standby Assignments – UW maintained its proposal for the parties to withdraw their outstanding proposals and revert to current contract language.

  • Harborview Standby Hours – UW proposed the creation of an ad hoc joint labor-management committee to meet, evaluate, and discuss issues related to standby hours at Harborview, including departmental utilization of standby assignments, number of standby hours being worked, and alternatives to utilizing standby assignments.

    The committee would include equal union and management representation, and would meet at least four times during calendar year 2016.

UW Economic Package Proposal

UW put forth a package proposal in which all provisions would need to be accepted in their entirety. As a condition of this package, the union would withdraw all of its economic proposals. Provisions included:

  • General Wage Increases – UW maintained its proposed general wage increases to 2.5 percent effective the first available pay period after ratification, and 2 percent effective July 1, 2016.

  • New Top Step – UW maintained its proposal to create an additional salary step for all SEIU 1199-represented job classifications, such that non-nurse employees who have been at the top step for more than five years (and nurses at the top step for more than six years) as of July 1, 2016, would advance to the new top step on their periodic increment date.

  • Break Relief Nurse – UW proposed to maintain the existing break relief nurse model on 6EH and 7EH at Harborview and to assess the other acute care units to determine the most effective care delivery model for day shift break relief.

    Nurses in each applicable unit would participate in the evaluation and development of a break relief plan for their unit, and management would provide regular updates on this process through the joint labor-management process. Each unit’s plan for day shift break relief would be implemented by June 1, 2017.

  • Hall Health Nurse Salary Step Analysis – UW maintained its proposal to evaluate the experience and placement of Hall Health nurses who the union believes are placed on a salary step that does not appropriately reflect their years of experience.

    Any nurses deemed by UW to be on an improper salary step would receive an additional step increase for their next periodic increment date, and the union may request an explanation of UW’s determination.

  • END Technologist Job Descriptions – UW maintained its proposal for the UW Compensation Office to undertake the union’s proposed review of the END Technologist series job descriptions, and provide a response within 60 days of the contract’s ratification.

Next Steps

The next UW-SEIU 1199 bargaining session is currently being determined by the parties. Since the contract has expired, the previous contract will remain in effect until the parties negotiate a successor agreement. Similar to the approach used across the University and in prior contract negotiations, UW has stated that it does not intend for wage increases to be applied retroactively, meaning wage increases would not begin before the new contract goes into effect.