Bargaining Update #16
UCMC Nursing Team:
Today we completed our 16th bargaining session with the NNU bargaining team.
When I started at UCM in 2018, one of the first projects (or challenges perhaps) I chose to work on was the creation of a dedicated SANE team for both of our emergency departments. Let me be clear, I did not achieve that goal, but some much smarter, passionate people that followed did. So, it was especially meaningful for me to be a part of the team that reached a tentative agreement and side letter on the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program with the NNU bargaining team.
This is an accomplishment and means we will be able to implement the changes now, allowing us to make marked progress in developing what, I believe, will be the model program in Illinois and to deliver better care to our patients. This means we will begin to develop a SANE call pool, provide our SANE team member their differential, and begin to recruit for our regular SANE positions.
In addition to the SANE agreement both our team and the NNU team responded to previous proposals. The NNU provided a response to economic proposals late in the day today that we will respond to during our next bargaining session.
We continue to make progress on these proposals.
I know this may not sound like earth-shattering progress, but I would draw your attention back to our original guiding principles shared after our first session – the process is deliberate and slow – but continues to move forward.
I’m going to wax a little philosophical for a moment. This SANE agreement is an example of what groups of passionate, caring people can achieve. It spoke to my nursing soul – and we all need that every now and again. Each member of the bargaining team approached this with our patents and nursers interests in mind. I want to recognize Scott Mechanic and Brandi McNally for their advocacy for both our community and their peers.
Stay warm,
Jeff
Jeff Murphy, DNP, RN, CEN, NEA-BC
Vice President Comer Children’s Hospital
Associate Chief Nursing Officer
UChicago Medicine