Bargaining Update January 22, 2020
We met January 1-16 with the hospital's bargaining team to exchange proposals and begin negotiations (the Union's proposal package is linked below).
Thanks to the members who withstood the frigid temperatures and came to one of two in-person bargaining update meetings on Wednesday evening. Members who attended were provided with copies of our proposals, as well as a rationale for all proposals that were not taken forward.
In addition to a full exchange of proposals, the Union team provided a list of scheduling principles for consideration to the employer. From our point of view, the principles are a starting point for discussions- you can read them below.
Given the absolute importance of the scheduling issue, the parties agreed to set up a working group comprised of Union and management bargaining team members to review scheduling across all hospital departments between now and our next bargaining session March 10-14. Cara Millar and first alternate Tamara Bingham will represent the Union team.
As discussed at our membership meetings, we will be opening up the bargaining process for members who wish to observe bargaining in progress. This trial will initially allow for a limited number of members to attend.
Stay tuned for more details on open bargaining soon. We'll explain how you can register as an observer, the expectations, and the scheduled hours.
solidarity,
Your Bargaining Team
Laura Hauser, Leah Santo, Cara Millar, Anne Hotte, Becky Nash and Erna Post.