On Wednesday, our bargaining team entered the next phase of negotiations, where we exchange counterproposals in hopes of reaching agreements on each issue. Our team worked hard to find ways to address management’s concerns but hold firm on what is important to us. We were so glad to have had observers join us from six departments, along with nursing students. The bargaining teams discussed many issues: posting of jobs and hiring practices, the Transition to Practice Program (TTP), the process for enforcing our contract, temporary work, job shares/split positions, lactation breaks, on-call, travelers, and more. Be sure to check out the full summary below.  

Working through so many issues felt productive and conversation with management seemed to help move things forward on a variety of items. We know our biggest issues are still ahead and look forward to members packing the room at our upcoming sessions addressing staffing, safety, retention & recruitment, and justice, equity, inclusion & diversity! It’s going to take every member getting involved to push for the hardest issues.

Katie Dalberg, a nurse from 9KPV showed up to support bargaining and shared about her experience: “I am thankful for the team representing OHSU nurses at the bargaining table. It was beneficial to learn and converse with nurses in other parts of the organization as to what they see as priorities for this contract and why. It helps keep us united, which is what is needed to win!”

UPCOMING EVENTS
May 8th - AURN Info & Action Fair
At OHSU, we are inviting all nurses to celebrate nurses’ week by coming to our AURN Info and Action Fair! Our peers across the state are taking part in a Nurses’ Day of Action on May 8th. Nurses are calling to “Recruit, Retain, and Respect” to stand up for nurses and our patients. Join your fellow AURN nurses that day to take action and learn more about how to get involved to make OHSU better! Getting engaged is essential for us to win a strong contract! Make a button, bring an item for screen printing, sign a safe staffing letter to our legislators, learn your union 101 and more! Details coming soon!

Wear Your Shirts! Remember to keep wearing AURN purple and green on Wednesdays, and blue on Tuesdays to show support for the OHSU AFSCME Graduate Research Union which is also in negotiations.

Committees Need You!  Join one of our committees to plan our next actions using our consent to serve form: Contract Action Team, Unit Rep, Communications Committee, Membership Committee, Grievances Committee

Schedule of Remaining Bargaining Sessions
May 3 at ONA office in Tualatin*
May 10 virtual (zoom link will be provided for observers)
May 24 at OHSU Waterfront Knight Cancer Center rm 1011
May 31 at ONA office in Tualatin*
June 7 at OHSU Waterfront Knight Cancer Center rm 1011
June 14 at ONA office in Tualatin*
June 21 at OHSU Waterfront Knight Cancer Center rm 1011

* @Oregon Nurses Association Office
3rd floor conference room
SW Boones Ferry Rd
Tualatin, OR 97062

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Bargaining Summary #12
We started the meeting with management at noon after preparing counterproposals all morning. This stage of bargaining is about reviewing the proposals management has given us, accepting what we can and rejecting what we cannot. Each proposal is considered by the other team and counter proposals are presented back and forth in hopes of reaching tentative agreements that will then be up for a full vote of the members to ratify a new agreement.

AURN/ONA countered on the following proposals:

Article 19- Posting and Filling of Positions
•  We added that minimum qualifications should be stated in job postings.
•  The total number of open positions need to be evident.
•  Added language of the in-unit posting being text paged out to nurses who are signed up for that.
•  We added language to expedite postings.
•  Clarified our members’ rights for interviewing priority.
•  Clarified that our job posting process should be the same for Transition to Practice (TTP) applicants.
•  Reached agreement with management that transfers to new positions must occur within 90 days (instead of 6 months).
•  Retirees: Added language that allows retirees to be hired as an external employee, regardless of them being on PERS. In recent history, management has only allowed retirees to come back as travelers, which costs more. 

Appendix D- Transition to Practice Program
•  Added terminology of specialty fellowship (internal or external candidate) and residency (new graduates). 
•  Accepted management’s language regarding the learning paths for TTP: residency, specialty fellowship and fellowship. 
•  Clarified the language in the reimbursement section: calculated from the first shift of taking an independent assignment.
•  We continued to propose that there be a process to discuss the workload of the TTP Coordinator; so that can be brought to the AURN Cooperative Committee. 

Article 22- Grievance and Arbitration
•  We agreed with them that there should be no audio/video recording and that the time limits should be in calendar days.
•  We added language regarding demotions, clarifying that a differential being taken away is a demotion and can be initiated at step two of the process.
•  We asserted that association (group) grievances are for more than one employee, rather than at least 5 nurses from 2 or more units.
•  Grievances regarding discrimination, harassment, retaliation, bullying or concerns regarding the grievant’s safety shall have the opportunity to go directly to step one, rather than requiring a pre grievance meeting.
•  We added that nurses can bring a union representative to the pre grievance meeting rather than a non-participating witness. 

OHSU Countered on the following articles:

Article 5- Definitions
•  They agreed with us on adding split positions, which are like job shares, but changed some of our language.
•  They agreed with us on defining cross-trained positions but did not agree to all our added language, which included necessary training. 
•  They accepted our new pivot nurse concept without any edits. This would better define when a nurse helps pick up shifts in a unit not necessarily related to their own, we would like to call that person a pivot nurse. It could be any unit in the hospital that a nurse is qualified to work and volunteers beyond their current position to help there.

Article 7- Hours of Work
•  They agreed with temporary assignments being added, along with volunteers being sought first. They did not agree with our 12-week maximum on required temporary assignments or that the assignments and extensions should be posted. They removed our sentence regarding temporary assignments not being used indefinitely to replace open FTE positions that must be posted. 
•  They accepted most of our language on requests for extra weekend shifts off for nurses with 10 or more years of seniority. 
•  They accepted that meal periods should be uninterrupted.
•  Lactation Breaks & Spaces- they agreed to comply with the applicable laws but rejected a majority of our proposal.
•  Mandatory scheduled call units- they reasserted that Adult Trauma ICU, and L&D should have this required.
•  On call conditions- they clarified that employees can volunteer to use their personal devices yet did not address our concerns regarding nurses having to come pick up and then return a pager.
•  Shift curtailment and cancellation- they did not agree to add advanced notice for procedural units. 
•  They continued to propose that with temporary closures in Acute Care they should be allowed to reassign nurses to other Acute Care Nurses, such as when cases are low on holidays and weekends.