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Voting has never been more important. Your Union contract provides you the opportunity to take time off from work to vote and it is important that you exercise your right to vote.
Article 17 Paid Leave
Section C. Voting time
1.
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Committees are underway: Do you see an opportunity for improvement in your workplace? Do you want to get involved in positive change? A Union – Hospital committee may be just the thing for you!
Labor Management: We will continue to have monthly labor management meetings on the 4th Monday of each month.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL CANDIDATES FOR THE DISTRICT WIDE 2022 OFFICER ELECTION!
Everyone who ran for President of their hospital’s chapter qualified except for two individuals. The candidates that qualified for those positions are uncontested, they will not need to be on the ballot. They are winners for getting the support in signatures from their respective chapters.
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NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
CEO Kate Becker thinks our staffing proposal is ridiculous. She sent her management team to deliver her misguided message during contract negotiations. KATE BECKER IS WRONG!
On May 12th we rallied to tell Kate Becker that Safe Staffing Saves Lives!!! We are tired of cake, pizza parties, and plastic water bottles. PAY ATTENTION KATE BECKER.
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Negotiations are underway!
Our proposals are ambitious and focus on better compensation and staffing! In this not-quite-over Covid Pandemic, the membership's focus is on retention and building our core teams.
The Union Website is your members only source for up-to-date information, contracts, and negotiations updates.
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Contract Negotiations Update
Contract Negotiations for Licensed and Tech and Support Staff have been scheduled. Support Staff will meet on April 12th at 2:30 pm and Licensed and Tech will meet on April 13th at 3:00 pm. We will be meeting at the hospital. The exact location is still being determined and we will notify negotiating team members as soon as we know.
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AFSCME 45th International Convention Call for Delegates
For the first time in 3 years, AFSCME is holding an in-person Convention.
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Supply Issues:
The Union continues to learn of supply issues that potentially create unsafe environments for staff and patients. Please continue to report these to your leadership as soon as you become aware of them, but also, send an email to the Union. This helps us understand the scope and frequency of the problem and helps us make sure the hospital responds appropriately to the need.
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UNMH News Flash
Extra Shift Bonus update!
As COVID numbers continue a downward trend the number of travelers at UNMH will be reduced creating the need for additional coverage. Your Union has negotiated an increase in the amount paid for working extra shifts. This is a temporary increase for about 8 weeks.
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Strike at St. Vincent Hospital ends in Victory!
On February 2, 1988, Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe went out on strike to demand better working conditions and pay. On February 9, 1988, the only strike of Nurses in New Mexico ended successfully. Delma DeLora our current District President, is pictured below celebrating with her fellow Union members.
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Contract Negotiations
We are in the beginning stages of preparing for contract negotiations for the Support Staff Chapter and the Licensed and Technical Unit Chapter. This year the entire contract is up for negotiations. This is our opportunity to make improvements in contract language as well as wages and benefits.
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Sisters and Brothers,
As we come to the end of another year, we want to share with you just a few of our accomplishments. Even with a pandemic that doesn’t seem to end, we have been able to negotiate improvements in our Union contracts and better wages for the workers we represent. We have focused on building a strong Union and a united membership.
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Retention Bonuses
Employees hired on or before August 16, 2021, and remain employed through December 22, 2021, will receive a $600 retention bonus. The hospital’s initial proposal was $250. Everyone who is qualified for the bonus will receive a check on December 22, 2021.
Union T-shirts
We have new Union T-shirts for union members.
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Union members have been meeting weekly and engaging with the hospital over critical workplace issues. We need every member to come forward and stand with your Union Brothers & Sisters!
Get involved! Call 505 884-7713 for meeting information and how to participate.
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We are changing our format for newsletters! Members can access Newsletters by logging into the Union website. Starting next week members will need to log into access Union news.
Joining your Union and supporting the work of your dues-paying peers is the quickest way to speak up and participate in Union events, activities, and actions. Non-members can contact the office to learn more.
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Attention Delegates
Due to the resurgence of Covid in our communities, The Delegate Assembly will be held via Zoom on Saturday, September 25, 2021 from 10 am-12 Noon.
We will be approving our annual budget as well as changes to the by-laws.
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Governor's Mandate
We are meeting with the hospital about the Governors Public Health Order and its impact on working conditions at UH. While we have no choice to become compliant with the Public Health Order, we want to make sure negative effects to you are minimized. Watch for more details next week.
Staffing
We are collecting information about staffing.
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Sisters and Brothers,
Yesterday Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a Public Health Executive Order mandating COVID Vaccines for certain employees.
Public Health Executive Orders are state law and have uniformly survived legal challenges in New Mexico during the COVID Emergency.
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Labor Management Update: Your Union meets with the Hospital every month for the purpose of discussing and resolving emerging issues. Here’s a summary of what we talked about on 26 July 2021:
Staffing & High-Capacity Alerts: The Hospital acknowledged there are some staffing challenges but they feel confident they are staffing in a safe manner.
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UNMH News Flash
Are you paid correctly for on-call & call-back time?
Some workers have reported they are not paid correctly for taking home call. If you take call from home and receive call back, do you know if you are paid correctly? The Union believes some workers may be entitled to back pay. Are you.
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FACT CHECK!
Fact: In an email message dated June 30, 2021, to all staff CEO Becker claimed that the Hospital had been working on raising the minimum wage and creating greater equity at UNMH for three years.
Fact: But on March 29, 2021, UNMH proposed a minimum wage of $13.65 per hour, far below what the Union considered a decent minimum wage.
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Our Contracts have been RATIFIED!
Our membership voted to accept the wage package for both the Licensed & Technical Unit and Support Staff Unit. Congratulations!
Support Staff President Address by Martha Vargas:
We did it! We promised last year to continue the fight to bring the lower paying employees up in wages.
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Ratification for the Licensed and Technical Unit will begin the week of June 21, 2021. An email with more details will be sent out on Monday June 21, 2021.
Please call the office at 884-7713 if you have questions.
You do NOT have to just take it.
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Wage Negotiations Update: Wage Negotiations have been successfully completed for both Support Staff and Licensed and Tech Chapters. We were successful in achieving a $15.21 minimum wage for Support Staff. Both Chapters will also receive a 2.74% wage increase along with step increases for years of hospital service.
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Negotiations Update
Your Union continues negotiations with the hospital over wages for the upcoming fiscal year starting on July 1, 2021. We are getting closer to a tentative agreement – the final agreement cannot be approved until it is put to a vote of the membership.
Ratification is a secret ballot voting process.
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Winning with you in Housekeeping!
In April, we reported a workplace action conducted in Housekeeping over their scrubs:
Workers confronted their management over missing replacement scrubs. The workers have been wearing the same scrubs for many years.
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Highlights & Chapter Activities: This is where we share with you what is happening in our chapters and for our members! Your Union is winning for all of us!
Christus St. Vincent Hospital
District1199NM successfully accreted Tele Sitter/Monitor Tech into Service and Maintenance. The Union is excited to have them UNIONIZED.
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Disciplined? You have the right to request removal of disciplinary documentation after one year.
Our contracts state:
“Disciplinary material placed in an Employee's personnel record shall be removed upon the employee's specific request twelve (12) months after the date that the discipline was imposed. A dated receipt shall be given to the employee.
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Negotiations Update: Negotiations resume 5/10. No meetings took place this week.
Support staff Uniforms: If you are having difficulties obtaining uniforms, including delays, please contact the office at 505-884-7713.
UH Managers do not have to act with integrity.
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Negotiations UPDATE
We base our proposals for negotiations on what members think is important. Our pre-negotiations survey revealed your priorities, including general wage increase and wages that correspond to your years of service.
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April 22, 2021 HAPPY EARTH DAY!
News Flash Week
Strength in numbers!
Because of our Union, workers at UNMH have the opportunity to be involved with their rates of pay and working conditions. If there is something that you don’t like or is not right, you have an avenue to get involved and fix it.
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Another Union Win!
Patient Financial Services (PFS) employees work and park in downtown Albuquerque. The parking structure they used, owned by the City of Albuquerque, and rented to the Hospital by Molina, was unsafe.
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Download PDF Version here.
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Negotiations is a process that allows the Union representatives to come to the bargaining table with hospital management to represent you. This year we are entering into negotiations for wages only. We will negotiate for the full contract next year, 2022.
This week during negotiations we discussed ground rules, which set the parameters and tone for our sessions.
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Negotiations start March 15, 2021
Your Union and hospital will start negotiations for wages beginning on March 15.
You should have received a members only emailed survey. Please respond to the survey as soon as possible.
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UNMH News Flash
February 25, 2021
Safety First: According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) hospitals are one of the highest risk work environments (https://www.osha.gov/hospitals).
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The Heath Security Planning and Design Act (HB 203) has been introduced at the State Legislature.
https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/21%20Regular/bills/house/HB0203.pdf
This legislation establishes a public process to start developing the many details of the Plan, based on the Framework presented in the 2019 Health Security Act.
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A benefit of seniority: There are two types of seniority- hospital and department. Seniority is defined as the length of time an employee has been continuously employed. Do you know, the longer you are employed by the hospital determines how much vacation time you earn? The longer you are there, the more you earn.
For your first year you earn 10 days of annual leave, prorated by your FTE.
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Monday, January 18 was a day of remembrance for Martin Luther King, Jr.: Martin Luther King, Jr. was and remains a powerful force for positive and equality in our day to day lives. So much has been written about him, is common knowledge, and is readily available, but did you know that he was also influential in our very Union? Please follow the link to learn more: https://nuhhce.
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District 1199NM University Hospital News Flash!
January 14, 2021
As frontline workers, we live the effects of COVID-19 every day. We are doing what we can to care for our communities, but it is time we call on our communities to rise to the challenge of the moment.
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NEWS FLASH!
Our Union is hard at work! We need your participation to continue our growth and increase our strength. Member participation is welcomed & encouraged! If you are not a Union Member, take a moment and sign your card today.
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