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Staffing News

Issue 4, January 30, 2003

  Safe staffing

 SEIU proposes staffing language that will establish unit/area based staffing  ratios and an enforcement mechanism.
 So far the only proposal from UIHC is to have quarterly meetings between nursing administrators and staff nurses.

 Safe Patient Care

 The union proposals address ways to reduce staff burnout and associated patient care risks, retain quality staff, decrease the use of temporary healthcare personnel and enforce safe staffing levels.
 The hospital has refused to acknowledge that a problem exists.

 Retention/recruitment

 Our members of the nursing retention task force heard many times that certain issues could not be discussed within the task force, but would be dealt in bargaining.
 The hospital has proposed nothing so far to promote recruitment or retention. In fact their proposals are going backwards.

  Bargaining

 Our union team has worked hard to find a reasonable middle ground on many issues.
 Management has yet to propose meaningful offers regarding most contract issues and has offered only a 2% wage increase.

Click here to take action! Send a fax to UIHC CEO to let her know that you are serious about safe patient care.