St. Luke's hospital evades a
threatening strike.
A tentative agreement on a contract have been arrived
at by nurse negotiators and St. Luke's management at 6 a.m.
Wednesday after 17 hours of intervention.
The union speaking for St. Luke's 420
registered nurses, the Minnesota Nurses Association, is recommending
approval on the contract, which is on its way for a vote next
Wednesday.
?It was a long session, but a
well-worthwhile session,? said Cindy Prout, a St. Luke?s
registered nurse who was part of the negotiating team. ?We were
able to achieve for our patients a plan around staffing that will
help to ensure we will have enough nurses to take care of our
patients safely.?
At the same time, SMDC Health System,
now know as Essentia Health, is also facing a threat of a one-day
nurses' strike. Although - after learning of
St. Luke?s tentative agreement - union
negotiator for SMDC?s 958 nurses, Steve Strand, was
hopeful the situation will not end up in a strike and would have the
same peaceful result as St. Luke's.
?They were able to negotiate language that we?re certainly
looking for at SMDC,? Strand said. ?I find that encouraging.?
It?s the same language that nurses in the
Twin Cities fought for and won. Strand said the negotiating team
would accept the offer if SMDC will offer the same language.
Strand added, ?We?re hoping that with this new development,
SMDC will want to come back and talk to us further.?
In the St. Luke?s three-year tentative
contract it includes 0% wage increase on the first year, a 1%
increase on the second year, and a 2 % increase on the third year, as
previously offered. SMDC offered the same wage increases to its
nurses.
A vital part of the
negotiations focused on how to supply sufficient staff levels. The
new condition of agreements set up procedures for temporarily closing
a unit to patient admissions or transfers when nurses think they?re
unable to safely provide care.
?We were able to devise a plan for nurses to say, ?Wait a
minute, I can?t take that new admission,? because we have a
process that will start,? Prout said. ?What?s going to happen
(is), a nurse is going to be notified when an admission or transfer
is coming. She?ll be able to assess her workload. If it jeopardizes
the safety of her patients or the new patients, she will be able to
let her immediate supervisor know.?
Prout said, the situation then will be
evaluated, and an admission or transfer may beheld over until the situation is safe.
Other things included in the offer are the employers increase in
the contribution for health insurance premiums, a way for management
and nurses to work hand in hand on a code of conduct, and
opportunities for educational workshops and classes.
?We perceived it (the code of conduct) limited our ability to
speak out on behalf of our patients,? Prout said. ?So we hope to
refine that in the process.?
According to St. Luke?s President and CEO John Strange in a news
release: The hospital is pleased that the sides reached a tentative
agreement.
?We understand that the MNA will be recommending this contract
to their members, and we look forward to a positive outcome,?
Strange said.
St. Luke?s got a praise from Prout for lending an ear to the
union?s concerns.
?St. Luke?s really heard what we had to say.? she said. ?We
worked together to come to a common ground. It was evident it was the
patient above all else.?
Last July 1, the three-year contracts for both SMDC and St.
Luke?s nurses has already expired. The contract offered in August
18 was overwhelmingly rejected by the nurses at both hospitals. Thus,
authorizing a one-day strike. Before such a strike can be held, a
ten-day notice is necessary.
A federal mediation session between nurses and SMDC Health System
ended without an agreement in August 25. On Wednesday, Kim Kaiser ,
SMDC's spokeswoman said it is the federal mediator's decision to call
the sides back to the table for re-negotiation.
?We?re pleased to hear of the tentative agreement that was
reached between St. Luke?s and the MNA,? Kaiser said. ?We?re
interested in learning details of the agreement. I can?t really say
at this point how or if it will impact our negotiations.?