Solving Workplace Concerns

All of our contracts are designed to protect and enhance the voice of Health Care Professionals. In fact, many UNAC/UHCP members formed their unions because they didn’t feel as though their professional opinions were being listened to when they had valid patient care concerns. In response, these Registered Nurses and other Health Care Professionals formed their own unions to obtain a contract that ensured a strong voice for themselves in the decisions that affected their workplace.

One-on-One with Helen Bouman, RN, Garden Grove

Having a professional contract with Prime Healthcare means a lot to me. The contract protects us in so many ways. Yes, even with a contract, there are many issues that come up – but with a contract, I feel protected. For example, we have a provision in our contract for a Patient Care Committee. This committee is vitally important because it brings management, UNAC/UHCP representatives, and Registered Nurses together to work toward our well-being and the well-being of our patients. It also gives our members the opportunity to discuss potential problems regarding all aspects of care relating to patient care, including safety. Without the protection of a contract, I don’t think we would feel as free as we do communicating our concerns to our managers.

All UNAC/UHCP contracts have provisions that give our members the security to feel confident voicing their opinions without fear of retaliation. We believe that an important pillar of quality is the heath care professional’s voice. After all, our important problems don’t get resolved if they are never voiced.

One-on-One with Valentina Zamora-Arreola, RN, Kaiser Bellflower

I’ve been given the opportunity to talk to Health Care Professionals who have expressed to me that it is easier for them to just let their concerns linger, rather than risk being fired or harassed for voicing their concerns. I know the feeling, but I don’t have that problem at Kaiser Bellflower. Life isn’t perfect at my hospital and I have definitely seen many managers act poorly towards some of my coworkers. The major difference is that, when problems arise, we have the legal right to defend ourselves because we have a union contract. Let me give you a real life example.

When I first came to Kaiser I was new to unions and I did not know much about my union representation rights. My best friend and I started at Kaiser together. One day she was very involved with a patient who was in pain and she was not able to give a physician the attention he demanded of her. This physician made a complaint about my friend to the house supervisor, who took my friend into a private office and belittled her for over an hour. She came out crying and very distressed. She had to finish the shift and the other unit nurses were stressed to see her like that.

When the charge nurse, who was a union steward, was told about the incident from another nurse, he counseled my friend and accompanied her to a union meeting to speak with our officers. They took the time to listen to her and helped her communicate with our human resources department. The supervisor was put “on notice” that her behavior would not be tolerated by the organization because the supervisor had indeed violated the rights of the employee.

If you have ever been blindsided by management handing down an unreasonable new policy that negatively impacts your ability to perform your duties, then you can understand why UNAC/UHCP members have pushed for contract language that guarantees a voice in workplace decisions. UNAC/UHCP believes that, when Health Care Professionals have a voice in the decisions that affect their workplace, it serves as an acknowledgement of the value of their contributions and their professionalism. Because UNAC/UHCP Health Care Professionals negotiate their own contracts, our contracts contain provisions that guarantee members’ involvement in workplace decisions.

One-on-One with Valentina Zamora-Arreola, RN, Kaiser Bellflower

Our union and management have created unit level “Teams” to solve our unit level problems. On my Team, we select representatives from our unit to discuss topics that range from quality of care concerns to innovative ideas that make our unit a better place to work and a better place to receive care. In these meetings, I have a voice in the decisions that are affecting my unit and my manager benefits from my ideas and those of my coworkers.

After we determine our mutual goals, we work hard together to achieve them. For example, in my unit many nurses were concerned that we were the unit with the highest number of on-the-job injuries. Our Team worked hard to develop a program that included paid training to educate the staff on proper body mechanics. Our Team also brought in staff from other departments, such as environmental services, to help identify ways we could prevent injuries.

Today, our Safety Team make monthly rounds to do peer coaching. During these rounds, everyone working on the unit has an opportunity to design solutions to prevent injuries. The best thing is that everyone got involved and we all felt responsible for helping make our unit a safer place to work.

All UNAC/UHCP contracts provide members with a transparent pay and benefits package. By looking in their contracts, UNAC/UHCP members can determine how much they will earn for the duration of their contract. Many Health Care Professionals have formed their unions with UNAC/UHCP because they wanted increased security in their pay and benefits. If you’ve ever experienced an unexpected wage or benefits cut, then you’ll understand why our members work to secure their pay and benefits in a contract. We all understand that there are times when a hospital might have to make cuts, but our members believe that those cuts should be negotiated. When you have a contract, any change in wage and benefits that are covered by the contract must be negotiated.

One-on-One with Valentina Zamora-Arreola, RN, Kaiser Bellflower

I am a mother and have been able to provide for my family because of the great pay and benefits I have at Kaiser Permanente. I thank the Registered Nurses who came before me and paved the way to secure the pay and benefits that I have in my union contract today.

I’ve learned that the members of Kaiser management have no automatic pay and benefit guarantees. I’ve learned that, by putting ourselves in a position to negotiate our pay and benefits when Kaiser can afford it, our collective strength yields positive pay and benefits results – much better than any of us could have achieved alone. Since we negotiate multi-year contracts, I know exactly how much I will be making in the years to come, which in turn allows me to plan for the future for my family. Over the past 3 years alone, my hourly rate has increased by 25 percent.

The dues that our members pay allow them to fund their professional health care union. Although there are no guarantees when it comes to contract negotiations, in every new contract UNAC/UHCP has negotiated, wage improvements have far outweighed dues. Also, dues are tax deductible because unions are non-profits.

One-on-One with Helen Bouman, RN, Garden Grove

It is totally worth my union dues to a member of UNAC/UHCP. The job security, improved work environment and having my voice in the workplace are definite benefits that are top on my list, but I’ve seen a financial benefit too. At my hospital, UNAC/UHCP members do not have salary caps – everyone gets the same increase every year. My wage increases have far outweighed the cost of union dues, which are tax deductible. My base hourly rate has increased by 74.61% since 2000.

I urge you to figure out what you were making in 2000 and see what you would be making now if you had received salary increases like I did. When I look at how much I pay in dues every month and compare it to my annual salary increases, the dues are well worth the investment. I really don’t think we could have negotiated these increases without having our union. We are stronger together.