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May 2024 Update
The hot weather is here and it’s time to get into gear! With our contract expiring next January, it’s time to start getting into campaign mode. We want to make sure each department is represented on the negotiating team.
If you are interested in being part of the negotiating team, reach out to Mary Delplato at 570-290-0942. We want to unite the largest, most dedicated committee to sit at the bargaining table, and win the strongest contract we can. We know nurses have busy lives so we don’t want to let time slip away from us. Reach out today!
November 2023 Update
We Took Action To Tell Management: “We Demand Affordable Health Insurance!”
On Wednesday, Nov. 22nd and Thursday, Nov. 30th, we organized actions to deliver our petition to management to demand affordable health insurance!
“Shouldn’t healthcare professionals have affordable and quality healthcare? There shouldn’t be such a gap in fees between Geisinger and Kaiser.” – Sara Keller, Radiologic Technologist
“There needs to be a change with the Geisinger health plan. And a change for the better. Every year costs increase and we lose benefits. As caregivers we deserve better, especially from the company that owns the insurance plan. This is what we are fighting for, a change for the better!” – Robert Almedina, LPN
Mental Health Day Requests:
We are tracking when mental health days are requested and whether requests are being approved or denied. When you request a mental health day, please follow these steps:
- Call house supervisor and say, “I’m using a mental health day on this shift.”
- Text or email your manager and say, “I’m using a mental health day on this shift.”
- Let us know!
- Take your mental health day.
- Fill out the Mental Health Day Request form (LINK HERE)
You can also scan this QR code to access the form: 
Assignment Despite Objection Form:
When you are taking an assignment you feel is unsafe, please follow these steps:
- Notify your supervisor, and give them the reason why you feel the assignment is unsafe.
- Fill out Assignment Despite Objection Form (LINK HERE) This gives us an additional layer of protection.
You can also scan this QR code to access the form:
GWV Member Update:
EXCITING NEWS!
Last week over 75,000 healthcare workers went on a three day strike at Kaiser Permanente in CA, OR, CO, and VA. This was the largest healthcare strike in U.S. history and a demonstration of the strength and unity among workers. Workers successfully won improvements in wages, and staffing.
Our Geisinger members are inspired by these fellow union members for taking action and standing in solidarity on behalf of patients, communities for all healthcare workers in this country.
Kaiser’s tentative agreement centers healthcare workers in the decision making process for the health system However it leaves unanswered questions about how Kaiser’s new entity, Risant Health, will engage with our members at Geisinger.
The New York Times reported that Kaiser’s
“proposed four-year contract would include significant wage increases, setting a new minimum of $25 an hour in California. The unions said the proposed wage hikes were essential to attracting enough workers to provide adequate staffing at Kaiser’s facilities.
The agreement would raise the hourly rate to $23 in other states and would stagger a 21 percent increase in wages over four years. It also includes what the union described as important protections against Kaiser’s ability to outsource jobs.”
CNN Business provided more details about Kaiser and the series of healthcare strikes across the country:
Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health providers. Unlike a fee-for-service health care model, in which doctors and other providers are paid for each service performed, Kaiser Permanente patients or their employers pay a membership fee to access Kaiser Permanente’s wide range of health care services. According to its website, Kaiser Permanente has 12.7 million members and operates 39 hospitals and 622 medical offices.
The tentative agreement comes during heightened union activity in the United States. And the health care sector has seen much of the strike activity, with unions and their members complaining about pay and staffing shortages impacting the quality of care.
From the start of 2022 through August of this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has tracked 42 work stoppages of 1,000 or more strikers. Its count shows a third of those strikes were in the health care industry. That’s up from 24% of major strikes in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
The increased number of health care strikes have happened despite health care workers making up only about 9% of private sector union members nationwide.
NEWS FOR GWV UNION MEMBERS
Union RNs Win Big Settlement!
In February of 2021, Geisinger proposed a 1.5% wage increase for in-patient nurses as a retention incentive. We countered that ALL GWV nurses should receive the increase. Geisinger refused and we voted it down because every nurse at our hospital worked tirelessly and risked their lives through the pandemic.
In September of 2021, we returned to the bargaining table and negotiated an incentive bonus for ALL nurses — $25,000 for in-patient nurses and $10,000 for out-patient nurses. That incentive bonus was voted on and ratified by us.
Days later, Geisinger attempted to change job codes for a number of nurses, changing them from in-patient status to out-patient status in a clear effort to avoid paying those nurses the full incentive bonus they deserve. We filed a grievance because Geisinger’s move was a violation of our contract and they were refusing to make these nurses whole.
This week, we reached a settlement with Geisinger wherein they have agreed to pay these nurses what they are owed!
While this is a significant win, this was about more than just money for us — it was about holding Geisinger accountable to nurses and to our union contract. We have a union and they cannot ignore us!
If you have a workplace issue, you can reach out to one of our chapter leaders. And remember — when we fight, we win!
UPDATES
March 14
Election Update!
We will be holding elections from March 20 through April 3rd for anyone interested in running for a leadership position in our union. We will be holding elections for chapter officers, delegates, and work area leaders. If you are interested in stepping up to make a stronger chapter or would like more information, please reach out to Mary DelPlato at 570-290-0942.
NOTE: If someone asks you to sign their petition, this is your vote for them.
From Feb. 16
New PTO & hours of work language for RNs!
Our new contract includes new and better PTO and work hour procedures forGWV RNs! We will be reviewing many of the new details of our contract at our All-Member Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 8am or 8pm (details below), but since summer vacation requests are happening now, we thought we should review some of the important details you should know.
Hours of Work
Our new contract stipulates that the hospital will grant us one (1) entire additional weekend off per year without being required to make up the weekend, so long as:
- The employee requests the weekend off four (4) weeks prior to the schedule being posted; and
- We work collaboratively with management to find coverage for that weekend.
This benefit is limited to one person per department per shift per weekend.
PTO
Work area seniority will determine requests for time off. For any work area, management can establish periods of time during which PTO may be taken and/or periods of time during which the requests for such PTO must be submitted.
If any employee is denied PTO at any time, management agrees to work with that employee to schedule an alternate day(s) off within the following two (2) weeks from the original request.
Management will notify employees if their PTO requests were approved or denied within three (3) days of the close of the scheduling period. For requests submitted with greater than four (4) weeks’ notice, the response will be provided no more than thirty (30) days of the date of request.
Each employee may request a maximum of five (5) days consecutive during the first round of the process unless there was a priority request up to fourteen (14) calendar days (i.e., employee’s wedding, prolonged planned vacation, extraordinary event, etc.).
Requests for additional days shall be granted if workload permits and the request does not conflict with time off requests from employees who have not reached the five (5) day limit or from employees with greater work area seniority within the work area. The employer will not unreasonably deny any request for paid time off.
If there are competing vacation requests that are not worked out informally, they shall be granted on a rotating basis, so that priority, holiday vacation periods are not monopolized.
The rotation shall begin with the employee having the greatest work area seniority and consider previous years.
Note: ALL requests for scheduled PTO will be approved by the employer based on the needs of the employer.
But there’s so much more in this contract!
Make a plan to join us on Wednesday, February 23 at 8am & 8pm to learn about important new benefits and details in our new contract.
IMPORTANT ALL-MEMBER MEETING
Wednesday, Feb. 23 – 8am or 8pm
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8450191247
From Feb. 3
WE HAVE A CONTRACT!
On Wednesday, nurses at Geisinger Wyoming Valley voted unanimously to ratify a new three-year contract with the highest wage increase EVER!
We all stood strong through a very difficult bargaining process to settle a contract with a historic investment in frontline care that will help us keep nurses in our hospital and bring more nurses back to the bedside.
Highlights include:
- Immediate $6.09 increase on start rates and adjusted wage scale steps from 18.40% to 22.28%!
- Mental health days for nurses – two days a year for full-time; one day for part-time. If you have no time this year, Geisinger will pay for one day!
- Rehire language that says RNs who leave the bedside can come back within 45 days and maintain their seniority!
- RNs can take one additional weekend off per year without finding a replacement so long as they work with management to find coverage!
- Union recognition for Per-Diems!
Thanks to our bargaining committee for their tireless work and to the many members who participated in bargaining, wore stickers, signed our petition, and so much more!
But our work isn’t done. We’ll need to make sure this contract is implemented and that everyone adheres to it. You can help us continue to build the strength of our union by becoming a delegate or volunteering for a committee. Reach out to our organizer, Mary DelPlato, to learn how.
From Feb. 1
WE HAVE A TENTATIVE AGREEMENT!
Our bargaining committee met with Geisinger for our final scheduled day of bargaining on Monday and after negotiating until 2am, we are happy to announce that nurses achieved one of the best potential contracts with the highest wage increase EVER!
There are many details to review, but by standing together through a very difficult bargaining process we’ve settled a contract that will bring nurses back to our hospital!
All GWV and GSWB union nurses — including Per Diems — must make a plan to come on Wednesday, Feb. 2nd, to review the details and vote on the agreement. NOTE: Only union members in good standing can vote. You too can have a vote. You can sign your card now HERE.
Nurses can vote in person on Wednesday at 8am & 8pm at the Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre – East Mountain, 600 Wildflower Dr., in Wilkes-Barre. If you can’t make it in person, you can join us by Zoom at those same times. Register for the Zoom meeting time that works for you below:
Register for the 8am Zoom HERE
Register for the 8pm Zoom HERE
If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to Mary DelPlato at 570-290-0942 or at mary.delplato@seiuhcpa.org.
From Jan. 28
One More Session!
We are offering creative solutions to recruit and retain nurses but we have only one more day to reach an agreement.
Our bargaining committee met with the employer again on Thursday, Jan. 27th, and we have still not reached an agreement. We have only one more bargaining session to win the contract we deserve. One more day for Geisinger to do better for the nurses who make our hospital the best in the region.
We are still fighting to achieve movement on core issues, like:
- Wage increases that will help recruit and retain nurses;
- Mental health days;
- Recognition for Per Diems;
- Maintaining our PTO so nurses can take time off to care for ourselves and our families; and
- Loan debt forgiveness.
WAGES
Traditionally, a 7% wage increase would be an incredible achievement. However, we are not in traditional times. Inflation has climbed 7% in 2021, the largest 12-month increase since the economic crisis of 1982.
Geisinger saw record profits for our facility in 2020 totaling more than $111 million! They got more than $215 million in federal pandemic aid and now GWV is getting another $745,000 in state aid that is supposed to go directly to workers.
We are trying to keep nurses from leaving the bedside and bring more nurses to our hospital! We can’t do that if Geisinger won’t recognize that we need to significantly invest in frontline care.
Is a 7% wage increase good enough? That’s not investment, that’s breaking even.
MENTAL HEALTH DAYS
“There is no one in this organization that doesn’t value mental health. We would do anything to make sure anyone would be able to have the time to deal with mental health issues”
That’s what Geisinger negotiators said during bargaining, but they consistently tell us they “don’t have an answer” to our mental health day proposals.
Is getting a day off for mental health important to you? Is it important to your family?
What will you do to take a stand?
Be there for our last day of negotiations on Monday, Jan. 31st at 10 am. It will be our last and best chance before our contract expires to win a new contract that guarantees we can deliver the best care to our patients, our community, and ourselves.
LAST BARGAINING SESSION
Monday, Jan. 31 at 10AM
TIME TO VOTE
Whether we reach an agreement with Geisinger on Monday or get a final offer that doesn’t meet the standards we are setting for our hospital, every union member in good standing will have a chance to vote on Wednesday, Feb. 2nd.
Nurses can vote in person all day at the Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre – East Mountain, 600 Wildflower Dr., in Wilkes-Barre, or via Zoom on Wednesday at 8am & 8pm. Register for the Zoom meeting time that works for you below:
Register for the 8am Zoom HERE
Register for the 8pm Zoom HERE
If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to Mary DelPlato at 570-290-0942 or at mary.delplato@seiuhcpa.org.
From Jan. 26
GWV: ‘This is Our Universe’
Management thinks nurses aren’t being realistic!
Our bargaining committee met with management once again on Tuesday and again left the bargaining table with no real movement on core issues like wages and mental health days. Nurses have come to the table determined to find innovative solutions and management continues to offer the same old platitudes.
WAGES
Without real investment in frontline caregivers, we’ll continue to lose our nurses and not be able to recruit new nurses. Just look at what GWV considers a reasonable offer in this market:
MENTAL HEALTH DAYS
“We’re not prepared to discuss this.” That was management’s answer to our proposals around mental health days. During this historic pandemic that has raged on for years, we’ve continued to protect our community and deliver the best care to all of our patients. We can not do it alone! It’s time management recognizes that nurses are at our breaking point and need relief.
With only a few days left, it’s crucial we find common ground in one of the next two bargaining sessions. If management can’t meet us on reasonable terms we’ll have to take the necessary steps to protect our patients, our community, and ourselves.
Be there on Thursday, Jan. 27th at 10am and on Monday, Jan. 31st at 10 am (you can use the same link). Together we will win the best contract we can for nurses and our patients in the Geisinger system. If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to Mary DelPlato at 570-290-0942 or at mary.delplato@seiuhcpa.org.
NEXT BARGAINING SESSION
Thursday, Jan. 27 at 10AM
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4124916037
From Jan. 20
TIME TO TALK WAGES
On Jan. 18th and 19th, our Bargaining Committee met again with management to continue bargaining and while some significant progress was made we still have much work to do. Time is a factor with our contract expiring at the end of the month and only three more negotiating sessions to go.
With our inpatient census surging thanks to Covid, nurses are fighting hard at the bargaining table to make sure we have mental health days available to us when we need them. Thankfully, we’ve come to agreements on most of our non-economic policies and are beginning to address economics.
LET’S TALK ABOUT WAGES
We are still fighting for our top priorities and that includes a significant wage increase for every nurse. It is more important now than ever that we show our strength and unity. That means getting every nurse in the room (via Zoom) for negotiations on Tuesday, Jan. 25th at 10am.
Decisions are made by the people who show up. If your wages are important to you, make a plan to be there on Tuesday and be part of the process.
IMPORTANT BARGAINING ON WAGES
TUESDAY, Jan. 25 – 10AM
bit.ly/gwvwages
OUR PLAN vs. THIERS
Our wage proposals reflect a historic increase in wages for RNs. For just the 5, 10, and 15-year marks we are proposing an average of more than 31% increase in RN wages. This is how we keep our best nurses at the bedside and attract even more to our hospital.
OUR OTHER PRIORITIES
It isn’t just wages we’ll be talking about on Tuesday. Other top issues we’ll be addressing on Jan. 25th include:
- Mental health days
- Recognition for PerDiems
- Eligibility for incentives while on a leave of absence
- Holidays for part-time RNs
- Shift differentials for everyone
- On-call pay
- PTO off on weekends
- Tuition assistance and loan debt forgiveness
- Career enhancement language
- Float language
Make a plan to be there on Jan. 25th at 10am and again on Thursday, Jan. 27th and on Monday, Jan. 31st at the same time (you can use the same link). Be there and help us win the best contract we can for nurses in the Geisinger system.
From Jan. 14
IF WE WANT TO BE THE BEST, WE NEED TO INVEST IN NURSES!
On January 11th and 12th of this week, our bargaining committee met with Geisinger management to continue negotiations as our January 31st contract deadline approaches.
Sadly, our first day this week saw little progress at the table — many of our priorities continue to be ignored. At a time when nurses are doing everything we can for our patients and many of us are getting sick with Covid, management actually proposed to REDUCE our PTO accrual!
Thankfully, our second day (Jan. 12th) was much more productive and we made progress on some key priorities but we have still not reached agreement on several important issues like:
- Mental Health Days so nurses can take care of themselves when they reach a breaking point;
- PTO we can actually use (including weekends!) to rest and spend time with our families;
- On-Call should not be used to fill in holes in the schedule;
- Not Floating RNs to work areas when they do not have the appropriate training.
Wages Still an Issue
We are still very far apart on wages. Management’s last offer was 3.5%, 3.5%, 3.5%, and 4%. We recognize this proposal would be a great start under normal circumstances, but these circumstances are far from normal. We have been working tirelessly and at our own risk through a pandemic that is continuing to put an unimaginable strain on every one of us. Right now, if we want our hospital to be the best, to be the leader in the market, we need wages that reflect that commitment. Management’s proposal doesn’t cut it. We can’t recruit and retain the best nurses without significantly better wages!
“We love our hospital. We are committed to our patients and our community. We want to stay here at Geisinger and we need region-leading wages to make it happen!” — Ryan Mallis, RN, ICU
The Vote
On Jan. 13th, we held an all-member meeting to vote on next steps and more nurses attended this meeting than ever before! We all shared our concerns and hopes that Geisinger will do right by us and our patients and reach a settlement that helps stop nurses from leaving and brings more of us back to the bedside.
After much discussion, nurses voted overwhelmingly to authorize our bargaining committee to send Geisinger a 10-day notice of action if the need arises.
We’ll be headed back to the bargaining table at 10am on Tuesday, Jan. 18th, and again on Wednesday, Jan. 19th. Make a plan to join us via Zoom at bit.ly/gwvjan18-19 and show management that nurses are serious about settling a contract that truly makes our hospital the best! We ARE Geisinger!
NEXT BARGAINING SESSION
10AM – Tuesday, Jan. 18 & Wednesday, Jan 19
bit.ly/gwvjan18-19
From Jan. 5
“By failing to prepare, you prepare to fail!” — Benjamin Franklin
Our Bargaining Committee met with management again on Wednesday, Jan. 5th and unfortunately, we made no new progress. Our employer’s failure to present a full economic proposal is disappointing, especially given that we delivered our economic proposals to management on Nov. 30th. We know getting to economics is critical, especially now that COVID has escalated and we are losing nurses faster than ever before.
We believe our economic proposals reflect what nurses are worth as we navigate the worst nursing crises many of us have ever seen. It is time to see what Geisinger Wyoming Valley thinks WE are worth! Our contract expires on Jan. 31, 2022, and we have lots of work to do over the next several weeks.
Committee members Ruth Visintainer, Ryan Mallis, and Christine Minet presented our petition featuring our priorities for our new contract to management today. The petition featured the signatures of an overwhelming majority of the nurses in our bargaining unit.
Management seems to lack urgency, but we are determined to address meaningful economics at our next bargaining sessions on Tuesday, Jan. 11th at 10am and on Wednesday, Jan. 12th at 10am. Plan to join us via Zoom at bit.ly/gwvjan11-12
Given management’s demeanor, we’ll be holding an URGENT all-member meeting on Thursday, Jan. 13th at 8am and 8pm. At this meeting, we will be voting on our next steps. It’s important that we are prepared for anything, even as we plan for success!
From Dec. 29
We’re having a happy holiday!
We are close to finishing with the non-economic issues at the bargaining table. Our bargaining committee continued negotiations on Wednesday, Dec 29th, and were able to agree on the majority of non-economic issues left on the table. These include:
- Military leave;
- Receiving PTO time upon a 2-week resignation;
- Health and safety language; and
- International nurse language.
The employer is due to respond to our proposals at our next meeting on Jan. 5th. We plan to finalize the non-economic proposals and move on to economic proposals then.
We are urging every nurse to attend negotiations on Wednesday, Jan. 5th at 11:00am via Zoom. Link and details below.
JOIN OUR NEXT CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
11am on Wednesday, January 5th
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4124916037
From Dec 22
We are making progress!
Our bargaining committee continued negotiations with GWV management on Tuesday resulting in a very good dialogue and a better understanding of the hospital’s attendance policy.
Our discussions with management on Tuesday also included the issue of nurses being floated to different work areas and units in the hospital. Management believes that “a nurse is a nurse” and we disagree
We have proposed individualized training and education for nurses who are designated to float to other units in the hospital. GWV nurses provide a high quality of care to our patients and that level of care requires more than just a standard orientation to the unit in question.
We will continue to push and advocate for the training nurses need to do our jobs well.
Our bargaining committee is coming close to wrapping up our non-economic proposals and we hope to begin discussing economic proposals in the beginning of January 2022.
Our next bargaining date is Wednesday, December 29th, at 9am. You can use the link below to join us at that time. Make a plan to join us and show management we are united for a fair contract for GWV nurses.
JOIN OUR NEXT CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
9am on Wednesday, December 29th
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4124916037
From December 16
We had two productive days of bargaining this week, and gave a presentation to GWV management that focused on core goals for our next contract and concerns nurses have around the turnover.
So far we have reached tentative agreements on the following:
- Seniority: Seniority List will be provided bi-annually in work areas and Nurses who leave the Bargaining Unit at GWV and stay at GWV will have the right to return back to the RN Bargaining Unit within 6 months and have their seniority frozen, and Flex will have Seniority in the Contract.
- Hours of work: In areas that are not using electronic scheduling, requests to work extra time will be submitted in writing, via e-mail or via paper sign-up sheet, until such time that electronic scheduling is available.
- Employees normally shall not be scheduled to work more than three (3) consecutive twelve-hour or four (4) consecutive ten-hour shifts or six (6) consecutive days for eight-hour employees, unless the employee agrees to such a schedule or unless patient care needs require otherwise.
We had some good conversations and made some progress around the following issues but do not yet have agreements:
- The ability to take a full weekend off per year.
- Switching Days off being granted.
- Per-Diem language around seniority.
From Dec 10
Emergency RN meeting this Monday re: surge plans & redeployment!
As many of you know, late Thursday afternoon, hospital officials informed us that effective Monday, Dec. 13, GWV will be implementing an emergency surge plan for surgical services. While this will directly affect nurses in many of our surgical services departments, ALL of us will be affected in some way.
As nurses, we have a choice: you can let Geisinger call the shots or dictate implementation and tell you what to do, where to go, and how to do your work OR you can stand up and be a part of the process so you have a voice in what happens to us and our patients in our hospital.
We will be meeting on Monday, Dec. 13 at 8pm via Zoom to discuss the impact of the surgical services surge plan, what questions still need to be answered, and how we make sure that we are part of any management discussion about redeployment, reassignment, scheduling changes, work-life balance, and individualized training.
EMERGENCY SURGE PLAN MEETING
Monday, Dec. 13 at 8PM
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4124916037
According to GWV officials, surgical services surge plans may include adjusting schedules to 12-hour shifts, adjusting OR schedules, and making room for ICU, PCU, and/or Med Surg patients. Pre-op, PACU, and some RNs with recent Med Surg/PCU/ICU experience may be combined to staff surgical services surge beds in PACU. Management said it will ask for volunteers before requiring shift and schedule changes but some nurses may be required to work shifts they normally do not.
There may be more changes to come as this latest Covid surge hits our region.
This current surge of Covid patients may be the worst we’ve seen and it will take all of us working together to make sure our patients, our coworkers, and everyone at our hospital is safe, supported, and treated fairly. That’s why we have a union — to give us a voice in the decisions being made in our hospital.
If you have any questions or concerns, please bring them to the meeting on Monday at 8pm. If you are unable to join us but have concerns, please reach out to our organizer, Mary DelPlato, at 412-491-6037 or at mary.delplato@seiuhcpa.org.
From Dec 8
We’re Going Back to the Table!
Our first bargaining session went well and we are hoping to recreate the same energy and outcomes when we head back to negotiations on Tuesday, Dec. 14, from 9am to 4pm. Our bargaining committee will be in person at the Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre – East Mountain, but everyone else is encouraged to join us by Zoom here.
This is your chance to meet our bargaining committee and at the same time, show management how united we are and committed to this fight.
Make a plan to join us on Tuesday. Information and link below.
GWV CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
Tuesday, Dec. 14 – 9am to 4pm
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Mary DelPlato at 717-238-8354 or at mary.delplato@seiuhcpa.org.
From Nov. 30
Respect Us, Protect Us, Invest In Us
Our bargaining committee of over 30 RNs met with management Tuesday for our first contract bargaining session.
For nearly two years we have been carrying our community through this pandemic. Nurses are exhausted, burned out, but still fighting for the highest quality of care for our patients. We know GWV must respect, protect, and invest in nurses so we can recruit and retain the professionals we need.
At contract negotiations, we presented our proposals to build a strong contract that will attract nurses to our hospital and keep those we have. Our proposals include:
One wage scale for all RNs.
- Across-the-board wage increases with cost of living increases built in over the next 2 years for ALL RNs:
- 1st year: Total of 6.3% increase plus $12/hr to bring up our rates to be the leader in our profession right here in NEPA.
- 2nd Year: Total of 5.5%
Other proposals include:
- Flex RNs to the union with a $10/hr differential and a voice in how you’re scheduled to work.
- Loan repayment program that would provide full-time RNs with up to $1000/mo (up to $500/mo for part-timers) to assist in loan debt and retention at our hospital.
- Increases in float pool of $10/hr and $7/hr for all other RNs who float from their work area.
- Our own RN traveler program.
- On-call restrictions so RNs are not working all the time:
- Limit of 2 on-call shifts per month, including increase of on-call pay of $7/hr.
- Charge Nurse-no patient assignment, 1 year experience, and $7 per hour differential.
- Emergency mental health days: 5 for full-time and 4 part-time per year, flex 3 per year.
Our 30-nurse bargaining committee made a strong impression, but we need nurses from all departments to join the committee and build a contract that moves us all forward! To get involved or for more information, you can email, call or text me.
In Unity,
Mary DelPlato, 412-491-6037, mary.delplato@seiuhcpa.org
From Nov. 8:
Are you ready?
We’re kicking off contract negotiations in just a few weeks! Our first session will be Tuesday, Nov 30, at 10am at the Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre – East Mountain (600 Wildflower Dr, Wilkes-Barre Township, PA 18702). Details on how to join by Zoom can be found below.
This is our time to unite as nurses and stand together for our patients, our community, and for what we know we are worth! Our goals for this contract are clear:
- Leading Wages for Nurses — so we can keep nurses at the bedside to provide the best quality care to our patients and lead the market in NEPA to become the hospital of choice for our region.
- Staffing and Retention — so we can attract and retain experienced registered nurses to provide the best care at our hospital.
- PTO and Sick Time — so we will be able to care for ourselves and continue to operate at the highest levels for our patients.
- Respect for All Nurses — so that we feel valued and empowered to effect change and make improvements to the delivery of care in our hospital.
Leading the charge in this year’s negotiations is our Bargaining Committee. Find your representative for your unit and make sure you keep in touch with them about what’s important and how you can participate in the process.
Our Bargaining Committee:
- Kaitlyn Boyce, GSWB-ED
- Terri Menichelli, OB
- Shaina Catizone,GWV ED
- Teresa Worth, OB
- Christine Cologie, Ostomy WC
- Lindsay McKim, OB
- Taylor Audia, GSWB OR
- Margaret Ort, PACU
- Danielle Rapson, Ostomy WC
- Raymond Metzo, PCU
- Nicole Horn, GSWB OR
- Connor Garvey, GWV OR
- Shaina Catizone, ED
- Melissa Partington, GSWB-MS6S
- Chris Habrack, ED Flex
- Christine Minet, IR
- Ryan Mallis, ICU
- Rachel Grabowski, IR
- Ruth Visintainer, ICU
- Beth Martin, Rad. Oncology-Flex
- Melissa Czock, Medical Obs.
- Mary Galuska, Endoscopy
- Tina Zannetti, Med Surg Float
- Clarissa Gingell, Endoscopy
- Courtney Hoats, MS5W
- Elizabeth Rafalko, PCU
- Lacy Rice, MS4W
- Diane Wyda, GSWB Peds Urgent Care
- Mary McElheney, MS4W
- Holly Mayhue, GSWB MS3 South
- Helen Davis, MS6W
- Nichol Williams, GWV CSU
- Jennifer Sanchez, GWV ED
- Elizabeth Lester, GWV ED
- Danielle Guzenski, GSWB Acute Care
We need everyone to take part in bargaining in some way if we truly want to show our strength through our unity. So make a plan to be at bargaining or talk to your rep or our organizer about how you can be more involved.
If you can’t join us in person for bargaining on Nov. 30, but would still like to participate, you can attend via Zoom using the link below
FIRST BARGAINING SESSION
Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 10am
Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre – East Mountain
600 Wildflower Dr, Wilkes-Barre Township, PA 18702
Via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/8450191247
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Mary DelPlato at 717-238-8354 or at mary.delplato@seiuhcpa.org.
From Oct. 27:
What Are We Worth?
Yesterday nurses from across the hospital met to discuss our wages and our plan to get the increases we deserve in our next contract. We’re proud of the work we’ve put into our wage scale proposals and it seems that other nurses really like them too.
We’re confident that once negotiations begin in just a few short weeks, we’ll be well-armed with the numbers and figures we need to win at the bargaining table. The only thing we need is for all of you to join us as we begin this fight on November 30!
We also discussed the grievance filed regarding the job code change some nurses have experienced and how that’s moving forward. We are meeting with affected nurses to determine exactly what happened and the factors we have to evaluate going forward.
Departments affected include:
- Interventional Radiology
- Hematology Oncology
- Anesthesia Hospital Services
- Endoscopy
- Ostomy Wound Care
- Careworks Acute Care Center
- Pediatric Urgent Care Acute Center
- Pain Medicine Acute Care Center
- Cath Lab
This meeting is today, October 28th at 4:30 pm. If you are interested in attending please contact Mary DelPlato at 412-491-6037.
SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL INCREASE
It was recently brought to our attention that shift differential increases were not meant for outpatient nurses. According to management, nurses in these areas will not see an increase in their shift differentials in this pay. Our union contract states that ALL RNs get shift differential when they work more than 50% of their hours into the off-shifts. Management never raised that outpatient nurses were not eligible in any of our effects bargaining sessions! This is not acceptable!
We are currently trying to resolve the matter but if we cannot, Mary DelPlato will be in touch with ALL outpatient nurses to schedule a meeting so that we can decide our next steps! Stay tuned!
NEXT STEPS
Our discussions around wages and other benefits we want to improve in the next contract will continue over the next few weeks but right now there are a few things each and every one of us can do to move us forward.
- Sign our Unity Petition here! Let’s show management we are standing together to fight for the priorities we’ve laid out for bargaining.
- Check out our Union Resource Page! You’ll find links to almost everything you need here from Assignment Despite Objection forms to the page where you can update your contact information. Bookmark it for sure.
- Fill out this short wage survey:
Create your own user feedback survey
JOIN THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE
There are still units unrepresented on the committee and that means the needs of your coworkers on those units might not be addressed or even brought up at the bargaining table. The only way to be sure they are is to have a representative in those meetings speaking up for you.
If you’re on one of the following units, consider joining the committee or nominating one of your coworkers. It’s the best way to make sure you and your coworkers have a say in the process. Reach out to Mary DelPlato at 412-491-6037 or at Mary.DelPlato@seiuhcpa.org with your nomination as soon as possible.
| MS 5W | NICU |
| GSWB Periop | GSWB ED |
| MS 5E | MS 3W |
| MS 6E | HemOnc |
| Peds Acute Care Unit |
If you have any questions or concerns or would like to learn more about what it means to be a union member and how to get involved, contact Mary DelPlato at 412-491-6037 or at Mary.DelPlato@seiuhcpa.org.
From Oct. 13:
We recently learned that management changed the job code for some nurses before we finalized the retention bonus policy, meaning those nurses could lose out on some of the bonus money we were expecting. Because of our union contract, a change to any job code should be negotiated under effects bargaining so we have filed a grievance to address the issue.
This is exactly why we have a union contract — to protect all of us from management making any changes to our working conditions.
We’ll begin bargaining our new contract in just a few weeks and this Wednesday, Oct. 27 will be holding our last ALL-MEMBER MEETING before negotiations start. We’ll be reviewing our proposals, discussing strategy, and making our plan to win at the bargaining table, so take a moment and register to attend at the time that works best for you.
IMPORTANT ALL-MEMBER MEETING
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27
We’ll need everyone standing together to show management that we’re serious about winning a fair contract. We won’t win unless we’re all on board with the plan so join us and help build power for nurses so we can continue to “make the best better!”
If you want to learn more about what it means to be a union member or how to get involved, contact Mary DelPlato at 412-491-6037 or at Mary.DelPlato@seiuhcpa.org.
From Oct. 1:
On Wednesday, we voted overwhelmingly to ratify our final proposals to improve GWV’s vaccine mandate, shift differential changes, and retention bonuses. If you didn’t make it to the meeting or haven’t had a chance to review the agreed upon proposals, you can do that by downloading a pdf of the proposals here.
We also voted unanimously to ratify our top 5 priorities from our bargaining survey, which will guide our bargaining committee members in crafting proposals and making tough decisions at the table.
Those priorities are:
- Leading wages;
- Improving staffing;
- Retention;
- Protections on PTO requests; and
- Respect for nurses!
NEXT STEPS
We still have several large units that do not have a bargaining committee member as of yet:
- OR (30 RNs)
- MS 3W (18 RNs)
- MS 5E (25 RNs)
- HemOnc (17 RNs)
- MS 6E (24 RNs)
- Same-Day Surgery (17 RNs)
- NICU (22 RNs)
- Endoscopy (12 RNs)
- GSWB ED (19 RNs)
- Peds Acute Care Unit (11 RNs)
Without a committee member, your unit’s issues and opinions WILL NOT BE REPRESENTED at the negotiating table. If you are in one of the above units, I urge you to think about the best person to represent your unit on the committee and reply to my email so we can discuss. If you think YOU would be the best person to represent your unit, please reach out to Mary DelPlato and fill out our commitment form here.
If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to me at 570 401-9713 or 570 788-3705 or at ruthvisintainer@frontiernet.net or Mary DelPlato at 412-491-6037 or at Mary.DelPlato@seiuhcpa.org.
From Sept. 21:
On Wednesday, we continued meeting with management to discuss details of our proposals for the retention bonus and vaccine mandate. Our committee of RNs has been very thoughtful and worked hard to develop proposals that are fair and move nurses forward in the Geisinger system.
In Wednesday’s session, our nurse committee added improvements to our proposals including:
- Extend the vaccine mandate date to November 1, 2021;
- Calling off on a weekend will be an occurrence under the Attendance Policy but it will drop off once you make up the weekend day(s) unless that occurrence puts you in PIP status;
- Short Term disability waiver will be fourteen (14), thirty (30), or sixty (60) days depending on the selection you made for the benefit; and
- Implementation dates for the following:
- October 10 – Shift Differential begins;
- November 12th – $500 Vaccine Bonus begins; and
- October 29th – Retention Bonus begins.
We will be meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 8am and 8pm to discuss our final proposals and vote to ratify them. There is a lot more to go over so it’s important to join a meeting and hear all the details before you vote. And urge your coworkers to join this urgent meeting as well!
You can register for your preferred meeting time at the links below. Note: Only full union members will be eligible to vote on our proposals but all RNs are invited to attend the meeting.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at 814-360-1478 or at patty.ludwikowski@seiuhcpa.org.