Add Three More to the Win Column for UNAC/UHCP

May 2014

As always, UNAC/UHCP has been diligently safeguarding our rights. Our legal team at UNAC/UHCP racked up two strong recent settlements. Meanwhile, three SCNSC members saw a big payday in March.

We Won’t Be Excluded
(Kaiser Downey)

Kaiser Downey management broke the law when they created a safe patient handling committee and chose union members for it without consulting the union; and then failed to provide us a list of the committee members within a reasonable time after the union requested it. So we filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The Board was prepared to issue a complaint against Kaiser, but instead Kaiser agreed to a settlement.

This is a huge victory for the Union, particularly the KDRNA members. Kaiser agreed to notify all of Kaiser Downey—by posting a notice in public places, emailing it to KDRNA members and posting it on their intranet—that they will not:

• Establish joint committees without involving the Union;
• Select the RN representatives to such committees; and
• Delay in producing requested information.

These notices inform Kaiser local facility management that the Federal government will intervene if they try to exclude us from joint decisions, committee creation, and committee member selection.

Our Right to Information
(Kaiser Regional)

When union members file grievances, we’re entitled by law to relevant information we need to fully represent our members. When Kaiser’s local management and legal counsel recently delayed or failed to provide information relevant to several grievances, including HealthConnect records, they found themselves in trouble with the National Labor Relations Board.

Again, after the Board informed Kaiser that it would issue a complaint, Kaiser agreed to a settlement that included posting a notice publicly and electronically that going forward they will provide such information to the Union in a timely manner.

Our Right To Be Paid for Our Work
(SCNSC)

Thousands of dollars in back pay has been awarded to three members of the SCNSC (Southern California Specialty Care Nurses) affiliate to settle a grievance for unpaid standby pay. Three newborn screening coordinators were on-call during weekends to answer questions and help resolve issues for a year without being paid for it as called for in the SCNSC contract. One of SCNSC’s Vice Presidents, Liza Ventura, did the major work on the grievance which led to the settlement. Settlements ranged from $6,300 to over $7,400.