Negotiations Recap for May 16, 2013
This recap details the 21st session for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement between the UW/Harborview and SEIU 1199, and the 12th session to be facilitated by neutral mediators.
SEIU 1199 Counter-Proposals
SEIU 1199 presented a counter-proposal package, which included:
- Preceptor
- SEIU 1199 proposed expanding eligibility for preceptor pay to all bargaining units that it represents.
- Rest Between Shifts
- SEIU 1199 maintained its rejection of UW/Harborview’s proposal to match its rest between shifts practice for nurses with that of the other eligible Harborview workgroups: to pay employees at a premium rate only for the amount of time worked during their scheduled time off period. This practice aligns with the community standard for nurses at most of Harborview’s peer hospitals.
- Educational and Professional Development
- SEIU 1199 would agree to the increases to education support funds proposed by UW/Harborview, as long as every employee was guaranteed the maximum allotment of educational and professional leave time.
- Floating
- SEIU 1199 rejected UW/Harborview’s proposals surrounding what constitutes floating, in favor of current contract language.
- Break Relief Nurse
- SEIU 1199 proposed to double the length of UW/Harborview’s proposed break relief nurse pilot program, from six months to 12, and proposed that such nurses be paid the float premium. SEIU 1199 also proposed language to prescribe how job openings for break relief nurses would be posted, and how the pilot program would be monitored.
- Compensation
- SEIU 1199’s counter-proposal package included a response to UW/Harborview’s compensation proposal from the March 25 bargaining session.
- SEIU 1199 proposed general wage increases of 2.5 percent each year for the 2013-2015 biennium, and the addition of two extra top steps for all employees it represents. SEIU 1199 also proposed that, effective retroactively from January 1, 2013, UW/Harborview shift the entire wage scale up by two steps for social workers and health care specialists, and match pay steps for END technologists to the Valley Medical Center wage scale.
- SEIU 1199 maintained the proposed increases to pay-premiums from its previous economic proposal.
Airlift Northwest
Provisions of SEIU 1199’s counter-proposal package applying specifically to the Airlift Northwest bargaining unit included:
- Shift Differentials
- SEIU 1199 rejected Airlift Northwest management’s proposed revisions to shift differentials, which included eliminating shift differentials for 24-hour shifts and for 12-hour shifts not coinciding with on-call responsibility.
- Employee Transfers
- SEIU 1199 reiterated its proposal to guarantee that the process of a nurse transferring to a different home base be completed within six months. SEIU 1199 declined Airlift Northwest management’s proposal to allow for a longer timeframe in cases where the vacancy resulting from the transfer would leave a base vitally short-staffed.
Tentative Agreement
- Appendix XII: Layoff Units
- The parties agreed to updates to the Social Work layoff units.
Next Steps
The next UW/Harborview-SEIU 1199 bargaining session is currently being determined.