Bargaining Update - December 19, 2012 |
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Sisters & Brothers! Here's the latest on what's happening with the contract - please distribute widely (especially if you are a site rep!): TIMELINE: As management notified you yesterday, we still don't have a contract. Bargaining is going slowly, and unfortunately due to the difficulties of coordinating schedules over the holidays, we don't reconvene for more bargaining until mid-Jan. Yes, this means we won't get raises on Jan. 1 :( BUT, it's possible that whenever we do negotiate raises, we could negotiate for them to be enforced retroactively starting Jan. 1. Again, possible but we can't know yet. Also, pay and any other economic issues get bargained for last of all, so we haven't even gotten there yet. BARGAINERS: For the Union we have Tim Yeager (lead bargainer + our national union's Regional Organizer), Dave Hongisto (Chair), Ursula Wagner (Vice-Chair/me), Vicki Roebuck (Grievance Coordinator), and on a rotating basis some combination of: Joyce Bartlett-Salaam (HA), Michael Bonslater (HHCS), James Kowalsky (HHO), & Theressa Wonzer (HHCS). On management's side of the table, we have Betsy Leonard (ESWD), Marci Kresin (HHO), Susan Trudeau (HHCS - YRS), David Sinski (HHCS's new E.D.), and Amy Gaylord (a lawyer contracted by management as their lead bargainer). NEXT SESSION: Jan. 15, 10am-5pm, at our Union hall - 28 E. Jackson, Suite 1400. Hopefully we'll get lots done during this marathon session. Please consider taking personal time to come to some or all of it. We'd love as much support & agency-wide representation as possible. ON THE TABLE: Issues that are, have been, or will be up for negotiation include · Salary & benefits · Meal periods · Competencies listed in job descriptions · Bumping & layoff · Investigation of complaints made by participants · Timelines for EBEs · Calling-off prior to shift · Productivity · Sick leave adjacent to holidays · Probationary period for temp employees · Residential services staffing ratios · Career & professional development · PTO benefit design & structure I've attached the most recent Negotiations Status Document we received from management before the 12/19 bargaining session. I've added my own notes in teal to update any items we'd discussed by the end of the session. Anything that says "TA" is something we've Tentatively Agreed to (i.e. settled), pending a final Union vote on the whole contract. The doc has a weird break between pages 3 & 4 that I can't fix. Read all 4 pages for thorough updates. Sorry for not sending out updates sooner - I was unsure of what could go out over work email, but I've been told it's fine for me to send this out to you all now. Also, if you are curious to learn more about how bargaining is going, I encourage you to attend a bargaining session and/or our next Union meeting. Feel free to email me (uwagner@heartlandalliance.org) if you'd like to be notified of future meetings related to this, or if you'd like to get more involved in your Union. Our organizer, Tim Yeager, is setting up a webpage with bargaining updates you can go to anytime. It will be on our Union's website at http://nolsw.org/, which you should totally be going to all the time anyway. Peaceful, happy, and merry EVERYTHING! Ursula, Vice Chair of UHSW
Download: Heartland_s Negotiations Status Document-UW.doc |
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HEARTLAND Negotiations December 19, 2012 1.
Salary and Benefits (Articles 1 and 10): No written proposals on the table. 2.
Meal Periods (Article 2, Section 3): TA 12/7/12 3.
Competencies/Job Descriptions/Qualifications
(Article 4): No written proposals on the table. 12/19: Management is supposed to send us something about
this prior to 1/15. 4.
Bumping and Layoff (Article 5): Heartland
provided a written proposal on Article 5 during the parties’ December 7, 2012
session. Heartland is waiting for a response
from the The
Management asks: What if the 1st person
takes 10 days to even notify if they want to bump? What we’re concerned about
is a delay, in those rare cases of mass layoffs 5.
Investigating/Conflict of Interest (Article 18): Heartland
provided a written proposal on Article 18 during the parties’ December 7, 2012
session. The Heartland maintains its December 7, 2012 written proposal. Heartland is consulting with the Adler School of Professional Psychology for ethics guidance on this issue. Heartland further notes that its proposal relates only to who may interview a participant and does not have any effect on the bargaining unit member’s right to their choice of Union representative during any grievance or investigative proceedings. It likewise does not limit what bargaining representatives may review notes and/or reports of participant interviews, only those who actually conduct the participant interview. In response to
the 12/19: Management says: The Adler School of Professional
Psychology references NASW Code of Ethics section on Dual Relationships,
as well as the APA Code of Ethics. The Tim says: The Union is sensitive to this issue of the dual relationship/conflict of interest. It could be impractical to address the conflict of interest in the exact way that management wants to do it. We ask that management please bring us examples of when this has been an issue. We’ll wait for this from management and discuss it on 1/15. 6.
Timelines for Employee Business Expenses (Article
20): Verbal agreement on November 28, 2012 to clean up the language so that the second paragraph in Article 20, Section 5 agrees with the first paragraph in that same section (i.e., both paragraphs should state "30 days" not "60 days”). No written TA. 12/19: We agree we can TA the 30 days for EBEs 7.
Calling-Off Prior to Shift (Article 30): Heartland
provided a written proposal on Article 30 during the parties’ December 7, 2012
session. Heartland is waiting for a
response from the As of 12/19: 8.
Productivity (Articles 30 and 31): To be discussed. As of 12/19: Need to discuss
more on 1/15. 9.
Sick Leave and Holidays (Article 26, Section 8): Heartland proposes to maintain the status quo, current contract language. The policy of not paying holiday pay to employees who call in sick before or after a holiday is applicable across all of Heartland’s entities. As of 12/19: 10. Temporary
Employees/Probationary Period (Article 13): Heartland proposes to maintain the
status quo, current contract language.
Heartland further proposes that in those rare situations where a
temporary employee is hired on as a bargaining unit employee performing
identical duties to those performed while a temporary employee, the Union will
utilize the grievance procedure to bring such situations to Heartland’s
attention and adjustment of the probationary period as appropriate. The 12/19: 11. Residential
Services Staffing Ratios (Article 15, Section 2(B)): Heartland proposes to maintain the
status quo, current contract language. The
Heartland sees no need for the proposed ratio language. A review of the incident reports does not support the need for additional staff at Pathways. The 6th Floor is not a program that is required to be staffed 24/7 and the current staffing levels are appropriate. Additionally, Heartland is not aware of any staff member on the third shift who could be reassigned to the 6th Floor but states that the supervisor is frequently present at the Pathways building at night. 12/19:
Management only submitted their evidence regarding this on 12/18. 12. Career
and Professional Development No written proposals on the table. 12/19: This was something from
management that may or may not even come up. 13. PTO,
Benefit Design and Structure No written proposals on the table. 12/19: This was something from
management that may or may not even come up. . |