WSNA and Kadlec Regional Medical Center entered into a Memorandum of Understanding memorializing agreed-upon measures addressing some of the challenges nurses face in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. WSNA will continue to address issues related to the COVID-19 with Providence as the situation evolves.

Below are the key provisions of the COVID-19 MOU:

• If a part-time or full-time nurse works in a department which has been shut down, or the nurse is placed on low-census due to COVID, and that nurse cannot do their job from home, or be reassigned within their facility, KRMC will pay paid administrative leave until April 30, 2020, provided that the nurse remains available to work for KRMC during the shutdown or low census period.
• A nurse who KRMC does not permit to work due to probable exposure to COVID-19 while at work will be placed in paid administrative leave status during any quarantine period required by the Hospital.
• A nurse who self-quarantines based on concern of social/community exposure to COVID-19 shall have immediate access (e.g. no waiting period) to PTO and EIB or other paid time off accruals if the nurse has available paid time off benefits.
• KRMC will create an 80-hour Paid Emergency Time Off bank for benefits-eligible nurses that will remain in place for use by or before May 31, 2020;
• Benefits-eligible nurses who have either already utilized all of their PTO/EIB, or have not been employed long enough to have accrued enough PTO to cover a long-term illness or their own COVID-19 related illness and recovery, may use, through May 31, 2020, up to 80 hours of Paid Emergency Time Off to be utilized to cover additional time off necessary for recovery from the illness or injury, including during the waiting period for Providence-provided short-term disability benefits, if the nurse has no other banked time available, or to “top off” pay above that provided under the STD plan.
• Benefits-eligible nurse who are not ill, but cannot work for a variety of other reasons related to the COVID outbreak, for example, daycare or eldercare needs, may use PTO and EIB without any waiting period, should the nurse have this time in his or her bank. The nurse may also use their Paid Emergency Time Off to supplement this time through May 31, 2020.
• For a nurse working extra shifts (part time nurses) and overtime (full time nurses), the KRMC will consider additional incentive and/or extra shift pay, as necessary, beyond incentive pay or extra shift bonuses already provided for in the collective bargaining agreement. WSNA will receive notice of any additional incentive, and, on request, KRMC will bargain with WSNA over the additional incentive.

We will continue to address COVID-19 issues as they evolve.