HEADQUARTERS - Business Manager Chris Darker will travel to 6 cities this week to meet new members of the Local and provide updates and information on the local. “This is a big week for the Local and for our Union”, said Darker. Following the Labor Day festivities in Anderson on Monday, the Local will be signing the first Collective Bargaining Agreement on Tuesday, September 2nd in San Francisco for the Presidio Trust employees who have been without a contract for 8 years. The Presidio Trust Employees were merged into Local 792 from Local 36 in July 2007. Business Manager Darker assigned Senior Labor Representative Steve Allen as Chief negotiatior for the 172 member bargaining unit. “Most of UPEC’s staff have worked on this contract campaign for the past year as well as Public Employee Director Bob Purcell and his Assistant Bill Keeton from LIUNA Headquarters, and Presidio Trust Stewards Norm Infusino, Margaret Loo, Paul Hahn and Sam Clinton. You couldn’t have asked for a better team to get the job done. I am proud of everyone who put forth the effort”, said Darker. Local 792 also received the support of the San Francisco Labor Council and their President, Tim Paulson.
Business Manager Darker invited LIUNA Pension Fund Administrator Mark Speakes from LIUNA Headquarters in Washington D.C. to meet with members in the central coast area this week who participate in the LIUNA Industrial Pension Fund. On January 1, 2008, fifteen (15) bagaining units were merged into Local 792 from Local 270 some who participate in the Fund. “I think it’s very important for the members to meet with the top union officials whenever possible. Mark is a good friend and colleague and never fails to respond to our needs”, said Darker. Darker and Speakes will meet with members in Milpitas on Wednesday, Capitola on Thursday and Seaside on Friday. In addition Darker along with Senior Labor Representative Steve Allen and Labor Representative Rick Burruss will meet with the Monterey Employees Association Board (MEA) in Monterey on Thursday night and attend their membership picnic on Saturday.
Shasta Regional Medical Center RN’s Approve Contract
Friday, August 29, 2008
The RN’s at Shasta Regional Medical Center recently approved a two year contract with management. The nurse’s have been at impasse for several months. The two year contract includes a 3.25% salary increase for all nurses upon ratification and a 4% salary increase on June 1, 2009. Any increases to the health insurance plan during the life of the contract will be spilt 80/20 with management paying the 80%. All members represented under this contract will pay dues if they work during the pay period in which dues are taken out. PTO accrual has been raised for nurses that have over fifteen years of service at SRMC. The 401k match has been raised to 2.5% of a nurse’s contribution to the plan. Management has agreed to record and track PTO accrual when an employee is involuntarily called off of a shift.
Weekend shift differential has been raised to $2.60 per hour. Management has agreed to make CPAN certification as the recognized certificate for Recovery/PACU and has also agreed to grandfather all current CCRN certifications in these units. The two floating holidays that are currently in the contract will be added to the individual nurses PTO accrual at the first of every calendar year based on the employees shift assignment.
The bargaining team of Danielle Standley, Robyn Nickels, Lee Sutter, Tina Eslinger-Vaughn and Debra Belstad put in numerous hours to get this contract. Some gave up shifts while others gave up sleep to sit at the bargaining table. Thank you to all of the bargaining team for all of your efforts.
PRESIDIO - The ballots have been counted and members of the Presidio Trust Bargaining Unit ratified a contract that took nearly 8 years to get. “We now have 172 Presidio Trust employees who have a contract that secures wages, hours and working conditions”, stated Local Business Manager Chris Darker. Senior Labor Representative and Chief Negotiator Steve Allen worked the last ten months and credits LIUNA Public Employee Department Director Bob Purcell for his persistence and the critical roll he played in negotiations. Allen fielded questions from members on Tuesday and Wednesday describing the three year contract as a great start for Presidio employees. “We achieved every priority the members asked for last November in this agreement”, stated Allen. The Labor and Management committee will work on tough issues that could not be put in the contract this time. PED Director Bob Purcell announced there will be a formal contract signing with management on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 on the Presidio at approximately 1:00pm.
Our members who are Federal Government employees will find useful information in U.S. Code Title 5. Available information includes pay and classifications, insurance, appeal procedures, hours of work and leave, performance and performance reviews, Merit Systems and Office of Personnel Management information (among other topics).
SRMC management has offered the nurses at the hospital a two year contract. This offer includes an across the board 3.25% salary increase for all members upon ratification of the contract and a 4% salary increase on June 1, 2009. Management has agreed to paying 80% of any health insurance increases during the life of the contract and they are willing to increase weekend shift differential from 5% of pay to $2.60 per hour worked. Management has also agreed to have all nurses represented under this contract to pay dues if the employee works in the pay period in which dues are withdrawn.
The package also includes an increase in PTO for employees with over fifteen (15) years of service at SRMC as well as SRMC matching 2.5% of a nurses contribution to the 401k plan. Management has agreed to record and track PTO accrual for involuntary call-offs and they have agreed to recognizing CPAN certification for the Recovery and PACU Units as well as the grandfathering of the current employees with a CCRN certification in those units. Management has agreed to add the nurses floating holidays to their PTO account each calendar year. The amount of time being equal to their respective shift assignment.
A vote of the members is scheduled for August 25 through 28, 2008.