A deep-rooted labor disagreement between the official who
operates Stanford?s medical facilities and the nurses who staff them fired up
this week when hospital officials declared they would enforce terms of their
latest proposal on the nurses.
Lorie Johnson, union president, wrote in a letter to union members: "Everyone
should understand that this is a declaration of war by the hospitals against
(the Committee of Recognition of Nurses Achievement) and the nurses, and a
blatant attempt to try and force us to accept a bad contract." The union stands
for 2,700 registered nurses at Stanford Hospital and Clinics and
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.
In the meantime, hospital officials stated the conditions are fair and will
help ameliorate patient care.
In a prepared statement, Dale Spartz, vice president of human resources for Stanford Hospital and Clinics, stated "We
firmly believe that these provisions reflect the high regard we have for our
nursing staff and our commitment to nursing excellence."
"We look forward to a time when we can reach contracts with CRONA,"
he added.
The union's leadership arrived at a tentative agreement with hospital
administrators, in December, however union members turned it down. The
agreement included a 4 percent pay increment as well as a new career
advancement system.
The union has contended that the new career advancement system would make it
hard for some nurses to get promoted and result to the demotion of others.
According to the union instead of evaluating nurses on their
bedside skills, the new system would necessitate nurses to conform to
certification and education requirements in order to continue or acquire top-level
nursing positions. Throughout the course of labor talks, which finally included
a federal mediator, hospital officials indicated it was time to modernize the
promotion system and that most hospitals around the country apply the new
system.
Sarah Staley a spokeswoman for Lucile Packard Children's Hospital said other
terms being enforced will add paid time off in line with what other hospital
employees accepted. Sick and bereavement leave benefits will be covered, too.
"All of those were part of the tentative agreement reached between the
leadership of CRONA and the hospital," Staley said.
Union attorney Peter Nussbaum, on the other hand, said the hospitals are holding
some other terms over the nurses' heads in an attempt to get them to sign the
contract.
"They're using it as a club to get the nurses to accept the contract
that they voted down already," he said.
Johnson said in her letter, "Not everything we are planning on doing
will be made public for obvious reasons."