Group Health contract ratified!
Group Health’s SEIU-represented staff voted overwhelmingly to ratify new contracts covering three bargaining units—RNs, service staff, and social workers/mental health therapists. Ninety-seven percent of votes cast were in favor of the new agreements. The contracts, which expire Oct. 31, 2011, will be effective immediately, although the timing of some provisions varies. (See highlights below.)
“The interest-based approach really worked well for us and produced improvements to our agreements and to our relationships,” said Mike Harrington, Group Health director of Labor Relations. “I’m hopeful that we can continue to integrate this process into the way we work with SEIU and with all of our unions.”
“This new contract represents a lot of hard work by both parties,” said Chris Barton, secretary-treasurer, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “It continues to make improvements for our members at Group Health, and with 97 percent approval of the agreement, clearly our members were pleased.”
SEIU provided details of the tentative agreements to staff prior to the ratification vote. This information will be posted on the HR-Benefits pages on InContext in the coming weeks. Here are some of the highlights.
See the full bulletin here.
We won wage breakthroughs:
- Service and SWEA won wage increases of 4% across the board each year for the first time.
- Increases retro to July 1st
- New top steps
- Registered Nurse wages that keep us at or close to the highest rates in the area
- Statewide equity. Spokane/Northern Idaho Registered Nurses and Team Assistants (Medical Assistant/LPN) will be on the same wage scales as Western Washington.
Year 1:
RN/ARNP: 2% (retro 7-1-08), 1% 11-1-08
Service 3% (retro 7-1-08), 1% 11-1-08
SWEA: 3% (retro 7-1-08),1% 11-1-08
Year 2:
RN/ARNP: 3% (11/1/09) , 1% (1/1/10)
*New Step 28 (1.5%) on 1/1/10
Service: 3% 11-1-09, 1% 1/1/10
SWEA: 3% 11-1-09, 1% 1/1/10
Year 3:
RN/ARNP: 3% (11/1/10) , 1% (7/1/11)
*New Step 30 (1.5%) on 1/1/11
Service: 3% 11-1-10, 1% 7-1-11, New Step 20 (Step 16) (1.5%) on 1/1/11
SWEA: 3% 11-1-10, 1% 7-1-11, New Step 23 (1.5%) on 1/1/11
*Employees move to new step, credited by years of experience
Market Adjustments – Job classes that were considered behind the market. In addition to across the board increase.
Effective November 1, 2008
1.5% Surg Tech, Delivery Rm. Tech, LPN, LPN HH/Hospice LPN + $1.25/step
6%* COA
2% COT/CRA
5% ARNP- exempt
Premiums
RN:
Evenings .25 increase to $2.75 (11-1-08)
Nights .25 increase to $4.00 (11-1-10)
Charge .25 increase to $2.25 (11-1-08)
RN Certification pay on all hours worked.
SWEA :
Weekend .50 increase to $1.50 (11-1-09)
.50 increase to $2.00 (11-1-10)
Healthcare Benefit:
.45 FTE (12 hour shift) treated as .5 FTE for benefit purposes.
Service TPT’s:
Accrue steps each year after 500 hours of service.
Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho wages
Year 1
RN/ARNP: 2% (retro 7-1-08), 1% 11-1-08,1/1/09 – Move to Western WA RN Pay scale – Same step.
Service: 3% (retro 7-1-08),1% 11-1-08,1/1/09 – Move to Western WA LPN/MA Pay scale. Same Step.
SWEA: 3% (retro 7-1-08), 1% 11-1-08,1/1/09 – Move to Western WA SWEA Pay scale. Same step.
Year 2
RN/ARNP: 1/1/10 – Audit to provide Credit for past experience as RN. Max. 2 step increase for experience credit.
Service:1/1/10 – Audit to provide credit for past service. Max 2 step increase for service credit.
SWEA:1/1/10 – Audit to provide credit for past service. Max 2 step increase for service credit.
Year 3
RN/ARNP: 1-1-11 – Full Credit for past experience.
Service:1-1-11 – Full credit for past service completed.
SWEA:1/1/11 –Full credit for past service completed.
A stronger voice in staffing decisions
Our key interests included the whole team having a voice in staffing issues, improving back fill of staff, a float pool premium and increasing low census protections.
Tentative Agreements:
Additional Nursing Practice committees: Specialty & Surgical Services, Primary Care, Home Health & Hospice, and Care Management. Primary Care and Specialty Committees will have SEIU members representing the whole team – Registered Nurses, Medical Assistants, LPN’s, HUCs and other team members.
In-patient Unit (Family Beginnings Unit & Special Care Nursery) to be covered under the new state staffing law.
Spokane/Northern Idaho Communications Committee will be a combined committee of Registered Nurses, Medical Assistants and LPNs, with the ability to address staffing issues.
BREAKTHROUGH! Float pool premium. First time ever for clinic workers!
November 1, 2008 RNs $2.00/hr After 6 months in FP LPN/MAs $1.50 After 6 months in FP
November 1, 2010 RNs $2.50.hr After 6 months in FP LPN/MAs $2.00 After 6 months in FP
BREAKTHROUGH! Low Census Fund that includes outpatient areas and service workers in addition to RNs. Registered Nurses and those covered under the Service contract who work in the in-patient nursing units, surgical services and specialty procedure areas will now be covered under the low census fund. GHC becomes only the second employer in the state where we have won access to the low census fund for service workers!
SWEA Conference Committee. Ability to address case loads and CE issues.
New process to address staffing concerns and timelines for management response.
Paid Time Off - #1 Survey issue
Improvements include:
Access to Extended Illness Bank after 16 hours (2 days), pro-rated for Part-time employees.
SWEA will accrue PTO at the same rate as the rest of SEIU. No employee will have a reduction in the PTO accrual rate. More time at top of scale.
Attendance policy to be improved to allow for six times (occurrences) a year or for more than 3% of the staff members work time before any discipline.
Medical Appointments time has been improved to allow for 4 hours per year and they will not count as occurrences.
New Hires. GHC employees will be able to use PTO as it is accrued – there will no longer be any waiting periods for new hires.
Use it/Lose it issue. PTO hours will now accrue until the employee’s PTO balance reaches 1.5 times the annual accrual rate. Once PTO balance falls below 150% of the employee’s annual accrual, the accrual of PTO hours would resume.
Conversion of Unused Paid Time Off – During the Open Enrollment Period, employees may elect to transfer up to 48 hours of PTO into their Extended Illness Bank (EIB) account at 100% value. The minimum transfer to EIB is 1 hour. PTO account balances may not go under 80 hours.
Easier ability to schedule and use PTO without the risk of denial or if you lose hours.
Retirement
The Defined Benefit Plan provides retirement security. However, we also recognize over 25% of our union does not participate in the plan and have zero retirement through GHC. Now everyone will have access to a retirement plan.
Tentative Agreements:
For all employees, starting the first full pay period in 2010, the Employer will match 50 percent of the first 4 percent of pay that employees defer into their 403 (b) (7) Custodial Plan for employee voluntary –pre-tax
contributions.
Western WA employees not currently participating in the Defined Benefit must make a one-time decision by July 1, 2009, to participate in either the Defined Benefit retirement plan or the Defined Contribution retirement plan option (6.3% of compensation contributed by GHC).
New hires in Western WA will need to make a one-time choice of whether to go into the Defined Benefit retirement plan or the Defined Contribution retirement plan option.
Retiree Medical:
Our analysis was that the benefit between age 55-64 was not truly a benefit because the cost of retiree health insurance has increased substantially, while the subsidy has remained the same.
GHC has seen an average enrollment of only 2% of those eligible using the benefit, however, because of tax laws GHC has to set aside enough money for everyone to take the benefit. Only those who live in the service area were eligible to use the benefit.
The age 65+ Medicare supplemental plan provided for a $188 subsidy.
Tentative Agreements:
All retiree medical plans remain available to employees.
Continued Coverage. Employees who retire before age 65 and continue medical coverage by utilizing COBRA will be eligible to participate in a GHC individual plan without Medical screening if they have exhausted COBRA coverage.
Important Facts:
The current retiree medical plan for age 55-64 is approx. $1,000 per month.
Utilizing COBRA and the individual market is about $500 per month.
Employees who retire before December 31, 2009:
1. Shall be eligible for the retiree medical subsidy.
2. May receive an advance notice incentive. All employees (both WWA and EWA/NI) who provide at least 3 months notice of their retirement during 2009 will be provided with additional PTO according to the following schedule:
- 3 to less than 9 months advance notice – 10 days extra PTO
- 9 or more months advance notice - 15 days of extra PTO
Employees who do not retire before December 31, 2009:
1. Shall be eligible for retiree medical plans.
2. Shall receive a one-time transition payment to their 403(b) (7) custodian plan. If an employee doesn’t have an account, one will be set up.
Our number 1 goal: Provide funds to cover the loss of the GHC subsidy for the retiree medical benefit.
Understanding the Transition Payment:
The transition payment of approximately 5.7 million will be distributed into the 403(b) in March 2010 based on cost of continuing benefit, age and growth of investment funds.
Qualifications for Retiree Medical:
Group 1: Hired before 1993. 12 years service at a .75 FTE and age 55.
1. Currently Qualified for Employee Subsidy, Group 1
a. Currently age 55 or older.
b. Transition payment between approximately $8500 to $14,000 depending on age.
2. Currently Qualified for Married Subsidy, Group 1
a. Currently age 55 or older.
b. Transition payment between approximately $10,000 to $26,000 depending on age.
c. Only those with spouses currently on healthcare plan will receive this payment.
3. Potentially Qualified for Employee Subsidy w/n 10 years, Group 1
a. Currently between age 45 and 65
b. Have some years of qualifying service (.75 FTE)
c. Transition payment between $2600 to $7900 depending on age.
Group 2: Hired after 1993. Age and qualifying years of service add up to 80.
4. Potentially Qualified for Single Subsidy w/n 10 years, Group 2
a. Currently between age 48 and 68
b. Have some years of qualifying service (.75 FTE)
c. Transition payment between $2800 to $7800 depending on age.
Other employees
a. Those who did not qualify for a transition payment above and have at least 1000 hours in 2009 shall receive $100 into their 403(b) plan. (IRS requires at least $100 transition payment).
If you have additional questions about where you are personally, you should contact the HRC service center to find out how many years of qualifying service you have.
Job Security in Changing Times
Inflation is rising. The economy is slowing. Job security has never been more important.
Tentative Agreements:
• BREAKTHROUGH: GHC agrees not to subcontract Environmental Services during the life of the contract.
• At this time it is understood that GHC has no plans to subcontract out any of our work.
• GHC agrees to provide at least 180 days (six months) notice prior to any plan to consider subcontracting.
• During the 180 days we have the ability to meet and discuss reasonable alternatives and/or preferential hiring opportunities.