Joint Contract Negotiations Continue This Week
Parties Exchange Proposals on Monday
Message to Management: You Must Address Staffing!
We held our second joint negotiating session on Monday with both the University campus negotiating team and the Memorial, Hahnemann campus negotiating team together at the same table with management. On Monday, we presented a comprehensive package proposal to settle the contract, and management responded with a counter proposal that included all their takeaways (on pension, health insurance and time off benefits) and, once again, NO proposal to improve poor, and sometimes dangerous, staffing conditions at our facilities.
We informed management that there can be no settlement of this contract without concrete, enforceable staffing improvements and that we expect to see a proposal at our next sessiontomorrow.
UMass management has agreed to meet with our joint team for a schedule of two more bargaining sessions, with the last joint session scheduled for Thursday,Jan 31. We hope that we are able to reach agreement on a new contract by January 31, but we informed management today that we will need to make a more concerted effort to provide a contract that meets nurses needs and protects patients as opposed to harming us.
To keep you informed about this process we have scheduled weekly open meetings to be held at Coral Seafood on Shrewsbury St. (see details below).
Open Membership Meetings to Learn More
Dates: Wednesday. Jan 30, and Feb. 6
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Coral Seafood Restaurant
225 Shrewsbury St., Worcester
Your committee will continue to be reaching out to speak with each and every member to hear your input regarding priorities for a new contract and frankly how far you are willing to commit to action to achieve those priorities.
And remember, nurses united can never be defeated!
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