Union in Brief – July 2014

July 2014

LEGAL VICTORIES

UNAC/UHCP’s dynamite legal team has been working hard for our members and chalking up victories, including:

1. Winning two settlements for the Optometrists of KPASCO:

• One involved an agreement on job bidding for Per Diem Optometrists.

• The other settled a grievance and an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over Kaiser South Bay’s violation of a 2006 Fast Track Agreement covering workload for the Kaiser Optometrists. That agreement implemented a productivity standard of 15 bookings over an 8 hour period for an unassisted optometrist, plus two added bookings to cover anticipated average patient no-shows.

Despite that agreement, Kaiser South Bay unilaterally increased the productivity standard due to what they perceived as a higher volume of patient no-shows — without providing notice to the Union or an opportunity to bargain over their decision. They also delayed providing information to the Union for our grievance over the unilateral implementation. Both of these are ULPs. To avoid action by the NLRB, Kaiser agreed to return to the standards in the original agreement, and to use the process outlined by that agreement of collaborating with KPASCO leadership to address any problems that might arise, rather than direct-dealing with individual optometrists.

2. Winning payment for a cancelled shift for an RN at Garden Grove.

3. Winning a few thousand dollars for unpaid miles traveled in her capacity as Contract Specialist for a Kaiser San Diego RN.