As you know, we met with management to discuss the 8-hour shifts converting to 12-hour shifts. There is a lot of conversation about this on the unit, so this is a summary of what we discussed and what to expect about this transition.

Contract concerns-

There were concerns about whether this decision violated the contract. It did not.

Management has rights to restructure the unit for the needs of the organization and that is part of the contract. In this case, management is restructuring to assist with staffing, a chronic issue on the unit.

Can they give lower FTE’s to these nurses? Yes, they can.

The 8-hour FTE’s do not match the 12-hour FTE’s, so they must be adjusted. The new FTE’s will result in a decrease of total FTE’s that the 8-hour nurses can apply to, so some nurses will have to decrease their FTE to meet this. There are also nurses who will be increasing their FTE in the process.

Do these need to be posted to the entire unit? No, they don’t.

The nurses will be retaining their positions, and will only be changing their FTE, and two nurses will change their shift. The MOU for 12 hour shifts (innovative work schedules) allows these nurses to change the terms of their current employment agreement with the Employer (including  FTE and shift) by mutual consent. It does not apply to the language about posting new positions.

The Process-

We are currently in the beginning stages of the process for selecting their new FTE’s. It is our understanding that management will be assessing what the nurses need/ want and will be working with them to fill the total FTE’s available for this group. Since these will be mutually agreed upon, there is no need for a formal bidding process, nor will there be a rebid of the entire unit. We will have further conversations about the process in the coming weeks.

Nurses who decide that they cannot make this work for work or personal reason may be able to consider on-call options.

Picking up shifts-

Per diem nurses will still be able to sign up for 4-hour, 8-hour, or 10-hour blocks to fill their hours requirements.

Nurses who wish to work extra will also be able to volunteer for 4-hour, 8-hour, or 10-hour blocks to assist with shortages on the unit.

PTO-

Currently approved PTO will be honored.

Start Date-

The current proposed start date is May 4. Although that is over 6 weeks away, the self-scheduling process starts significantly before that. Due to nurses not currently knowing what they will be working, and therefore not being able to adjust their lives before self-scheduling starts, we do not feel that this is enough time for them to know when they are available to schedule themselves. We have requested that this process start on the next scheduling cycle following May 4. We are waiting for management’s response to this request.

These nurses are not changing their FTE’s or shifts by choice. This is a management decision, and it is a hardship on these nurses. Please be aware of the communication on your unit and how that affects the nurses who are already having their lives changed by this move.

As always, please direct questions to Brenda Balogh, your nurse rep., at  bbalogh@wsna.org.