Bob CollinsWho won and lost with the final deal that’s been negotiated between area nurses and hospitals? Here are the proposals from each side and the result.
|
THE DEAL
|
||||
| Subject | What the nurses wanted | What the hospitals offered | The deal | Winner |
| Staffing | Nurses wanted hospitals to budget all units at no less than 115 percent of capacity. They asked hospitals to set nurse-to-patient ratios for particular units. | No change from current practice. | No change from current practice. A commitment to addressing both parties’ staffing issues through the existing committee systems at the various hospitals. |  |
| Salary | 4.5 percent salary increase for each of the next three years. | 0%, 1%, 2% increase in each of the next three years. | A wage-only agreement with 0%, 1%, 2% increase in each of the next three years. |
|
| Pension | Preservation of retirement benefits via pensions. | Cutting the pension fund. Nurses said it would reduce their retirement benefit by one-third. | Pensions benefits preserved. |  |
| Scheduling | No proposal indicated | Increase number of days they can cancel a nurse’s shift at the last minute from 3 to 15 annually. | Dropped | |
| Patient care | Contract language requiring that proper equipment and planning are in place to protect patients in case of disease outbreaks such as the H1N1 virus. | No proposal indicated. | Dropped | |
| Technology | Asked for contract language that ensures patient care is enhanced by new technology. | No proposal indicated. | Dropped | |
