1158 RNs, LPNs and Service workers at Valley Medical Center are proud members of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.
Upcoming Bargaining dates:May 21
May 27
May 29
June 4
June 18
June 24
Read the May 12, 2008 Bargaining BulletinVisit our 2008 bargaining pageFebruary 11, 2008
More than 50 representatives, including both staff and management from all of our nursing units, spent two full days last week working to resolve important long-standing conflicting points of view on staffing issues. Our discussions centered on our mutual interest to ensure quality patient care and patient safety at all times at Valley Medical Center. We made enormous progress together and achieved significant outcomes from our work together, namely:
- Reviewed an interest-based problem solving methodology to use in achieving effective joint problem solving;
- Designed action plans around the renewed commitment to ensure that staff have lunch and rest breaks;
- Decided on key elements of those unit-specific plans which will be implemented immediately;
- Identified elements of the action plans needing more definition or budget revisions; these will be discussed in unit-based committees before February 28th;
- Decided all unit-based plans will be submitted to the Professional Practice Committee on February 28th and that the PPC will finalize recommendations for changes that will support our ability to provide breaks for staff on all shifts of all units;
- Plan that representatives of the PPC will bring recommendations to the VMC Executive OPS team on March 3rd for decision;
- Made commitment to meet again in the large forum in March to
- Bring closure to staffing concerns
- Learn effective means to better use our committee structure to problem solve collaboratively in the future.
We have much work to do, but last week's effort is an important start. If this work is successful as envisioned, the issues that led to the grievance will be resolved.