May 16, 2022 - Your Providence Portland Medical Center (PPMC) bargaining unit executive team is proposing bylaws amendments to the PPMC bargaining unit bylaws.This is notice of proposed changes and voting timelines.
Proposed Changes
You can view all of the proposed changes in the "redline" PPMC Bylaws document here. The rationale for all of the proposed changes can be found below.
Voting
Voting is now closed.
Any questions or concerns should be directed to news@oregonrn.org.
Changes and Rationale
Following are the rational for the changes required by the PPMC ONA Executive Committee regarding the PPMC ONA Bylaws. These changes have been reviewed and agreed upon by the members of the PPMC ONA Executive Committee.
Overall, the changes in the document are required to more clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the members of the executive committee and as a result make the workings of the committee and the support we provide for our nurses more comprehensive, effective, and efficient. The additional positions will provide both broader information from our constituents as well as provide additional communication channels to our constituents, both of which will improve the workings of the committee and out ability to provide the support needed at PPMC.
Specific changes are as follows:
6.1.1 Duties – the change to this article is to ensure that committee members are aware of and committed to attending the monthly meetings of the committee, and to make best effort to make any ad hoc meetings that may be scheduled. The committee will reserve the right to replace members who cannot make and fulfill this commitment.
6.1.2 Scope – the change to this article is the addition of a Communications Chair, a Chief Steward, and the Staffing Committee Liaison. A more detailed rationale for these additions can be found lower down in this document.
6.1.3 Term – the commencement date has been changed to more closely reflect the timeframe at which contract negotiations are complete (when in progress) so there is no conflict with the ongoing business of the committee. The caveat to an officer holding more than one position at a given time is to cover any situation where a member resigns, or terminates employment, and is meant as a temporary measure until such time as that member is replaced by the committee.
6.1.4.5 COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR: The first of three new positions. The importance of effective and accurate communication to our nurses cannot be overstated, nor can the importance of communications with the ONA Communications Team, or to any media outlet. This has become even more important as we have evolved additional ways to communicate and have meetings; added social media as a means of communication; expanded interest from our membership in the workings and activity of our union; initiated additional ways of providing information (e.g., QR codes); and established standards for our bulletin board across the hospital.
6.1.4.6 GRIEVANCE CHAIR: This is quite simply reverting to the original make-up of the committee membership prior to the changes made in 2017. We are constantly dealing with grievances, and it is necessary to have one person who can work with both our labor representative as well as HR on grievances. Tracking, monitoring time commitments, ensuring our CBA is followed.
6.1.4.7 CHIEF STEWARD: The second of three new positions. At PPMC, we have more than 50 Stewards and are hoping to increase that number to where we have a minimum of one steward per department and two for the larger departments. Coordinating steward education and training; scheduling meetings to keep stewards appraised of what is happening; communicating with stewards to gather information from our nurses; and conversely communicating and requesting stewards to carry out activities to support our union, are all functions to be performed by this position.
6.1.4.8 MEMBERSHIP/ORGANIZING CHAIR: Again, this is reverting to the original make-up of the committee membership prior to the changes made in 2017. Coordinating membership; signing up for ONA membership; providing new employee orientation; maintaining accurate records; are all key responsibilities. Re-establishing this position formalizes this role.
6.1.4.9 PNCC CHAIR: This is the third position that was included in the original make-up of the committee membership prior to the changes made in 2017, and the description of the requirements for this position are directly lifted from the pre-2017 bylaws and as such will provide a vital oversight and review function for the processes and procedures required (and at times proposed) for our nurses.
6.1.4.10 STAFFING COMMITTEE LIAISON: The third of the three new positions. As staffing becomes a bigger issue at PPMC and indeed at all hospitals across the country, with dire projections for significant reductions in the nursing workforce over the upcoming years in addition to the already reduced number of nurses in the workforce, and the reduced number of people coming into the nursing profession, this is a facet of our working environment that will require increased attention. Maintaining awareness of this situation, providing support for nurse staffing, and inclusion of staffing language into our contracts will be imperative.
6.2.1 COMPOSITION – This language has been changed to simply state that there will 7 members of the executive committee who represent the nurses on the bargaining committee.
7.1 NOTIFICATION – changed to assign the Communication Chair the responsibility to communicate proposed contract to our nurses.
HOUSEKEEPING CHANGES - there are also some housekeeping changes included to make the bylaws language match some changes in ONA. For example, the ONA Cabinet on Economic & General Welfare (EGW) has been renamed as the Labor Cabinet, so updating this language to match the ONA Bylaws.
