What Are We Thankful for This Year?

Among the things our nurses have achieved by acting collectively:

• Model Unit Process to redesign each unit at FAHC to better serve patients and to support positive working environments. This will directly address our staffing concerns because budgets and plan must be immediately conformed,
• LPN Education Program = FAHC LPNs to achieve their RN degree for free
• An end to "at-will" employment
• The ability to meet, as equal partners with management, to direct change that benefits our patients, ourselves and our healthcare worker colleagues
• A unified voice in our workplaces
• "Just Cause" discipline.
• Step-system for wages so veteran RNs and LPNs are never "capped"
• Significant improvements to shift differentials,
• New differential for resource nurses,
• Improved differentials for per diems,
• A ban on mandatory Floating.
• Float pay for nurses with skill/ability who volunteer to float to another unit.
• A fair grievance procedure
• No bargaining unit member will be mandated to take time off more than twice in a month.
• Voluntary on-call to provide extra staffing support
• More job postings for RNs and LPNs
• More LNAs hired to help us improve patient safety and the quality of care
• Language to protect orientation for new hires or members orienting to new units
• Clarification of seniority without adversely affecting current members
• Preference for work over traveler nurses (agency nurses).
• Hiring guidelines
• Concern Forms and Safe Reports to protect patients and/or to protect our licenses
• Significantly improved wages each year - including catch up steps for those who are not on the correct step based on all years in nursing,
• Labor Management Committee to meet with FAHC administration which includes 2 RNs, 2 LPNs and an APRN representative
• Nurses unfairly terminated were reinstated.
• 72 hours as full-time
• Preference in parking for members with 15 years at FAHC
• Many new scheduling protections
• Decreased shift rotation
• Better lighting and security in parking lots
• Urgent pay negotiated into contract to include outpatient nurses.
• Education days & other required unit ed will not diminish our education budget
• The ability to organize around important issues
• No Mandatory overtime in our contract
• Education bonuses for members achieving RN, BSN, APRN, Masters degree
• More nurses speaking up as professionals and truly advocating for patients
• Baylor Plan for LPNs in the LPN education program
• Filling vacancies and creating postings to improve staffing.
• Nurses are not required to regularly do non-nursing functions, FAHC required to hire adequate support staff
• The right to information, including FAHC's annual audited financial statements.
• Better leave policies (family medical leave, personal leave, etc).
• An Executive Board of 15 committed RNs and LPNs meeting monthly to build our professional organization and address contract implementation/enforcement
• Best Whistleblower protection in the country that includes the right to refuse to do anything that compromises the quality and safety of patient care.
• Ability to sell back additional CTO hours towards benefits
• Freeze in employee % contribution for health care benefits for three years
• Negotiated tuition reimbursement
• Increased education funding and increased education days for RNs and LPNs
• Creation of dedicated education funding for APRNs.
• Increased certification reimbursement funding for all members including APRNs
• Ten $7,200 Scholarships each year
• Meeting with and working with political leaders on health care issues
• New hire bonuses will be negotiated each year.
• We will be informed and involved in annual benefit planning and will be notified annually of cost changes in advance of their implementation
• Several "me-too" clauses to ensure that members receive pension and benefit increases when and if other groups at FAHC receive such increases.
• The ability for each unit to work with their manager to negotiate the number of FTE's or hours permitted to be granted CTO as part of our vacation/CTO sign up procedure.
• Increased on-call pay to carry the pager.
• Committee appointments to address our concerns around safe patient handling and violence in the workplace.
• A significant change in the climate at FAHC from feeling discouraged to feeling empowered
• A growing number of RNs, LPNs and APRNs involved as stewards and unit activists to facilitate positive change
• New equipment purchased and broken equipment repaired
• Increasing success in bringing Retention and Recruitment issues to the forefront as the heart of the solution to address the staffing shortage at FAHC.

We are thankful for member involvement on hospital based committees

• Staffing Committee
• Labor Management Committee
• Professional Nursing Councils
• Environment of Care Committee
• Safe Patient Handling Committee
• Model Unit Process Teams

We are thankful for the continued respect and support of the community

• For the thousands of signatures on the community petition to support safe staffing at FAHC
• The cheers and kind words from community members at every July 4th and Labor Day parade
• For the support of the Vermont Workers Center and VT AFL-CIO unions in New England and around the country
• For the support from the community leaders, the religious leaders and the political leaders across the state

We are thankful for all the healthcare workers at FAHC that work side by side with us to ensure that patients are safe and well cared for.

• For our members, the nurses that have been at FAHC for many years – we appreciate their expereince and willingness to mentor our newer nurses. We respect you and we need you to stay in nursing and stay at FAHC.
• For our members, the nurses that have recently been hired at FAHC. We want you to know that nursing is one of the greatest professions! We want you to stay in nursing and stay at FAHC.
• For all the other workers at FAHC that help us care for the patients and the community.

Use our contract to see these and other changes made on your unit.

Are you interested in helping other groups organize a union, so they have their own list of things to be thankful for next year? Call the office at 657-4040.