Negotiations Recap for November 21, 2012
This recap details the 13th session for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement between the UW/Harborview and SEIU 1199, and the fourth session to be facilitated by neutral mediators.
SEIU 1199 Counter-Proposals
- Education Support Funds
- SEIU 1199 maintained its previous proposal to eliminate the existing practice of prorating education support funds based on an employee’s full-time equivalent (FTE), such that part-time employees would receive the same funds as full-time employees.
- Mandatory In-service Education
- SEIU 1199 proposed language to clarify that the in-service education article pertains to mandatory training, and maintained its previous proposal to guarantee that such training would only occur during an employee’s normal working hours and within their FTE.
- Elective Educational and Professional Leave
- SEIU 1199 maintained its previous proposal to guarantee to all employees what is currently the maximum potential allotment of educational and professional leave, and proposed adding language to broaden the qualifying criteria for such leave.
- Airlift Northwest
- SEIU 1199 put forth a theoretical package proposal for discussion, pertaining specifically to Airlift Northwest issues.
UW/Harborview Counter-Proposals
- Harborview Preceptor
- UW/Harborview proposed language outlining criteria that would constitute a preceptor relationship between an employee and a student. The proposed language specified that employees for whom such instruction of students is a distinguishing characteristic of their job would not be eligible for preceptor pay.
- Airlift Northwest Preceptor
- Airlift Northwest management proposed language that would make flight nurses eligible for preceptor pay when working with medical residents, provided that specific criteria are met. This would include the completion of a preceptor workshop, monitoring and evaluation of the training process, and facilitating a consistent educational relationship.
- Elective Educational and Professional Leave
- UW/Harborview proposed language confirming that requests for elective educational and professional leave would be acknowledged within 14 days of receipt.
- UW/Harborview also proposed upholding existing contract language on prorating such leave according to an employee’s FTE.
- Mandatory In-service Education
- UW/Harborview tentatively agreed to a language change that would clarify that the in-service education article pertains to mandatory training, but proposed upholding current contract language for the remainder of the article.
- Education Support Funds
- UW/Harborview maintained its previous proposal to increase the funds guaranteed to each work group (registered nurses, healthcare specialists, etc.) and eliminating the pooling of such funds.
- UW/Harborview proposed upholding existing contract language on prorating education support funds according to an employee’s FTE.
- Corrective Action
- UW/Harborview proposed language to clarify that while management leads the corrective action process, a Registered Nurse 3 may be present during the process, and involved in mentorship, feedback, and evaluations.
- Meal and Rest Breaks
- UW/Harborview countered SEIU 1199’s proposed memorandum on meal and rest breaks with language memorializing the parties’ commitment to uninterrupted breaks for employees, which would commit Harborview to track any missed meal breaks.
Tentative Agreement
- Article 9.2: Hire-in Rates
- The parties tentatively agreed to language surrounding hire-in rates for health care specialists, closely aligning the definition of what constitutes applicable experience with that of registered nurses.
- The parties also tentatively agreed that credit for new-hires based on previous experience will be addressed at the health care specialist joint labor-management meeting by March 1, 2013.
Next Steps
The next UW/Harborview-SEIU 1199 bargaining session is scheduled for November 27.