Negotiations begin
The HPAE Negotiations Committee held their first meeting with University Hospital on August 24th in an effort to negotiate a successor agreement. The meeting began with both sides establishing ground rules for the bargaining sessions followed by discussions related to the frequency of future sessions. As we approach the expiration of the contract on September 30, 2021, we are asking for a commitment from management to prioritize future bargaining sessions to ensure that they are scheduled on a weekly basis throughout the remainder of 2021.
Next, HPAE presented our initial proposals on healthcare, staffing and pandemic language as well as addressed every question that had been asked by management. In addition, there was some discussion related to the Inclement Weather proposal which addresses Category Blue members who are forced to use their benefit time during an event while also being directed to work from home. There was also a discussion related to the APN proposal that seeks to protect members working in a collaborative agreement with job security. HPAE expressed our concern that these members are basically at-will employees merely because they lack “just cause” protection related to the termination of a collaborative agreement.
HPAE is scheduled to meet with the Hospital on Monday September 27th and will provide an update as new information develops. If you would like more information on negotiations or how you can become more involved with the union, please feel free to contact your local union rep or email dbaker@hpae.org.
HPAE Negotiations Committee: Banita Herndon, Cynthia Baez-Lugo, Wendy Bobcombe, Wanda Caudle, Joselino Ulanday, Dara Skinner