Page One Archive

October 2007 — Page One, Issue 8

UC OFFERS ENHANCED PROPOSAL FOR NURSES

[Click here for UC news release]

OCTOBER 8-9, 2007:  During the past seven months, UC has offered numerous proposals, and has also made several good-faith compromises in an attempt to reach an agreement with CNA. During bargaining on October 8, UC presented CNA with a comprehensive offer that also included several additional enhancements if CNA accepted the agreement on October 9th. During bargaining on October 9, UC agreed to extend the enhanced offer in order to allow bargaining to continue next week. The details of these offers are listed below:

BASIC PROPOSAL (partial list)

• WAGES: Comprehensive wage increases at each location to ensure nurses’ salaries are competitive within their respective market. Proposed wage increases will be effective following completion of the bargaining/ratification process. UC is striving for a swift agreement so nurses can receive their salary increases this month.

• HEALTH CARE BENEFITS: UC will continue to offer nurses the same excellent health benefits as other UC employees, and UC will continue to pay the majority of the cost of health insurance premiums (approximately 87% on average). Some employees will even see a decrease in health insurance costs.

• PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS: No employee contributions through September 2008 guaranteed.

• FLEXIBLE PTO PROGRAM: Paid Time Off (PTO) is sometimes misunderstood, and it is important to note that UC’s proposed PTO program does not decrease the total number of days off provided to nurses. Rather, it would allow nurses to take more days as scheduled vacation than the current program, providing nurses greater flexibility with their time. Nurses would still have access to short-term leave for unexpected sick days, and current nurses may choose to remain in the current sick/vacation program or enroll in PTO..

• LAYOFF PROTECTION: Provides clinical nurses who have advanced via the career ladder an opportunity to assume lower level clinical nursing positions in the event of a layoff.

• PARKING: UC has proposed that nurses pay the same parking rates as other UC employees in 2007 and that parking rate caps be put into place in 2008 and 2009.

ENHANCED PROPOSAL
As additional support for nurses and reaching an agreement, UC has enhanced its basic
proposals as follows if CNA agrees by October 17, 2007.

• WAGES: Wage increases to take effect the first pay period of October. UC is willing to provide a retroactive wage increase if an agreement is reached by October 17, 2007. If there is no agreement at that time, the increases will be effective on the first pay period following ratification.

• PRECEPTOR PAY: UC will guarantee $1/hour to RNs assigned as preceptors when they successfully complete assigned duties in accordance with the location’s preceptor requirements. All locations guarantee the development of a preceptor program

• EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Full shift educational pay for nurses released from work who participate in classes that are at least eight hours.

• SEVERANCE: Extension of UCSF severance rights to all UC medical center RNs.