Bargaining Update #18
Greetings!
Today marks our 18th bargaining session with the NNU and I’m happy to say we had productive discussions on the following topics:
- Comp time for salaried nurses (excluding Flight nurses)
- Time and Attendance policy
- Transfer language related to when a nurse can transfer from one area to another
- Conference room availability and NNU document storage
- Labor and Delivery scrub language related to ensuring proper training for nurses, aligned with new hire didactic orientation training offered in the OR
Earlier this month, our team asked NNU to identify their top economic priorities from their initial proposals. That will help us determine how best to put our finite financial resources toward the issues that matter most to UCMC nurses and make continued, meaningful progress to reach a fair and balanced agreement.
Not to sound like a broken record, but we’ve said all along that collective bargaining involves both parties working to reach an agreement on issues, balancing nurses’ needs with those of our patients, community, and the Medical Center as a whole. This process takes time, and this is as true today as it was in September.
I know I speak for the entire UCMC bargaining team when I say we have deep respect for the NNU bargainers. As we saw with this month’s SANE agreement, when our teams work together, we can make meaningful progress that’s good for nurses, good for the Medical Center, and most importantly, good for the patients who rely on us for care.
Our teams will meet again February 7, 13, and 22. We look forward to seeing accelerated progress in the upcoming discussions.
Have a good evening.
Sarah L. Kundrat MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Executive Director, Ambulatory Nursing
Associate Chief Ambulatory Nursing Officer
UChicago Medicine