Local 5089 Bargaining Update, November 19, 2021

On Tuesday, November 16th, HPAE met with management for our third bargaining session. We were able to reach an agreement which clarifies when a member is required to attend court appearances on behalf of hospital related issues. There were also more discussions related to staffing issues like inclement weather as well as a few of the health and safety provisions in the event of any future public health outbreak such as Covid.

HPAE rejected management’s proposals regarding floating, holidays, bereavement, shift differential and overtime. We went on to express our frustration with their proposals as they seem clearly intended to make it harder to retain staff.

Despite management’s pleas of being in the midst of a national staffing crisis their actions say otherwise. There are still several proposals that HPAE has presented that will have a direct impact on staffing that remain in a pending status. We are continuing to fight for language that will ease some of the staffing issues such as: allowing members to work weekend shifts only and still be considered full time; or implementing a bonus program to entice members to report for extra shifts; or creating dedicated rapid response teams; and etc.

Lastly, HPAE is committed to strengthening the protections related to the working conditions of the APNs. Specifically, the fact that all APNs must enter into a collaborative agreement with a doctor however there are no provisions to protect the APN in the event the doctor opts to terminate such agreement nor do they have to justify their reason for the termination. Furthermore, there are certain APNs that are regularly scheduled to work 12 hour shifts and receive the pleasure of working extra hours and/or shifts as well as holidays for the same amount of money. This is a major issue as we must all be treated fairly while providing care to our patients and we can not allow a certain group of our members to have a lesser standard when it comes to their working conditions.

The next negotiating session is scheduled for Tuesday, December 7th and we will provide an update as soon as new information develops. If you would like more information on how you can participate or any other issue, please contact your local union rep or email dbaker@hpae.org for assistance.

In Unity,

HPAE Negotiations Committee
Banita Herndon, Cynthia Baez-Lugo, Wendy Bobcombe, Wanda Caudle, Joselino Ulanday, Dara Skinner