Bargaining Update #7

It’s hard to believe it’s already November, Daylight Savings Time has ended, and today we finished our 7th bargaining session. We continue to make steady, forward progress.

I wanted to take time in today’s communication to summarize the tentative agreements we have reached to date.

• Dues Deductions
• Vacation Accrual
• Medical Examination
• Leave of Absence
• Credit for Experience
• Posting of Notices

In addition, we made progress on several proposals, including Workplace Violence and the Labor and Delivery Scrub Nurse proposals.

We shared with the NNU that the Medical Center is vacating a conference room on the first floor of CCD East, allowing the NNU to return to a conference space that is easily accessible for our staff.

We proposed additional compensation for our salaried nurses who precept. We recognize the training these nurses provide is essential and we have proposed an extra service payment for salaried nurses after a nurse completes their orientation.

Today, we responded with our initial proposals and responses addressing staffing. This includes our initial proposal to move an additional seven units to a staffing model where the charge nurse does not have a patient assignment. We know that continued progress on our unassigned charge structure is important to you; it’s also important to us. Emily, myself, and the other ACNO’s felt it was essential to put this proposal on the table to demonstrate our commitment to this type of staffing model and to recognize the vital work our charge nurses do. We are committed to continued discussions on this topic as we continue through the bargaining process.

We are proud that our staffing guidelines (the number of nursing hours we dedicate to patient care on any given day) are among the best in the state of Illinois. We also recognize that we need to continue to work together to close these staffing gaps through continued hiring and retention efforts. Progress on these initiatives is a shared responsibility for all of us, and we are committed to continuing these discussions on making meaningful improvements in nurse staffing at UCMC.

I continue to be impressed with the collaboration at the table, the work our bargaining team nurses are committing to developing meaningful proposals, and the progress we continue to make.

Jeff Murphy, DNP, RN, CEN, NEA-BC,
Associate Chief Nursing Officer
Vice President, Comer Children’s Hospital