Columbia Memorial Hospital Bargaining Update #3
MANAGEMENT FALLS SHORT BUT WE STAND UNITED
Big thank you to all members who were able to observe bargaining last Friday; your presence lets management know that you are paying attention and that we are standing united!
Management has sent out a bargaining update that we would like to address, in particular this section:
“Both bargaining teams discussed the comparable hospitals being used to benchmark compensation including premium pay. The hospital is using the following comparable hospitals:
Samaritan North Lincoln, Samaritan Newport, PeaceHealth St. John Longview, PeaceHealth Eugene”
In an earlier bargaining session, your SEIU bargaining team presented PeaceHealth Longview and Ocean Beaches as not only comparable but also a direct competitor for the skilled healthcare workers in the area, including current CMH employees. The employer responded that they did not agree and considered Providence Seaside and Samaritan North Lincoln as comparative.
So, last session your SEIU bargaining team compromised and utilized Samaritan North Lincoln (employer’s comparative) and Ocean Beaches (labor’s comparative) to reflect our proposals. We flagged that both these comparatives are due to negotiate their contract in the next year.
We also pointed out while our SEIU members have seen a 4% increase we have watched our RN co-workers receive 25.5%-30.5% pay increases in the same amount of time.
So we crunched some numbers…
For the Cook example below, we shared that a Cook could earn $26.99 at Panda Express; they responded with, “…but they don’t have our excellent benefits.” So, on Friday, your team brought evidence that they do in fact have healthcare benefits, flexible schedule, paid vacation, paid education, and even performance bonuses. What was their response? “We only consider other healthcare systems as comparative.”
| SERVICE EXAMPLE | ||
| Cook Grade 4.5 | Beginning wage | Top wage (25 years) |
|---|---|---|
| CMH current | $15.52 | $24.95 |
| Management’s Proposal 4% + selective grade 8 |
$18.73 | $30.09 |
| Ocean Beaches | $20.90 | $32.46 |
| Samaritan North Lincoln | $18.10 | $26.58 (14 years to top) |
| SEIU’s Proposal $7.50 | $23.02 |
$32.45 |
| Management’s other Comparable | ||
| Samaritan Newport | $19.54 | $28.69(14 years to top) |
| Peace Health Longview | $21.59 | $28.92 |
For the Pro/Tech example below we emphasized to management that a new grad RN will start at $51.08 at CMH; meanwhile, many of our positions that require just as much—if not more—education and certifications are not recognized with the same level of value and respect.
Not only that, but with Samaritan and Ocean Beaches negotiating within the next year, our proposal is not only reasonable, but it also keeps us from falling further behind as Ocean Beaches only needs to secure a 4% pay increase (which they’ve done for the last 3 years) to match our starting wage proposal, and we would still be almost $3.00 behind them at the top step! That’s how far behind we are in the market!
| PRO/TECH EXAMPLE | ||
| Radiology Tech Grade 5 | Beginning wage | Top wage (25 years) |
|---|---|---|
| CMH Current | $30.38 | $48.73 |
| Management’s Proposal 3% |
$31.29 | $50.18 |
| Ocean Beaches | $38.75 | $62.51 |
| Samaritan North Lincoln | $33.33 | $48.95 (14 years to top) |
| SEIU’s Proposal $7.50 | $40.07 |
$59.71 |
| Management’s other Comparable | ||
| Samaritan Newport | $33.61 | $50.84(15 years to top) |
| Peace Health Longview | $35.20 | $52.03(25 years) $53.11(26 years to top) |
Shift Differential
When the employer said NO to giving our members the same amount for night shift differential, we asked what the difference between an RN working night shift and a Rad Tech. They claimed it was about market rates. They then followed up asking why we keep comparing ourselves to the RNs—our simple answer: We all work for the same organization, and we all deserve to be respected.
Your SEIU bargaining team hopes that management takes the Ocean Beaches comparative under serious consideration as stated in their update and they return with a respectful wage proposal that shows they, care about our patients, staffing, and each of us on May 14!
WHAT’S NEXT?
Our next bargaining date is Tuesday, May 14. It will be an open session; all members are welcome to attend. Stop in to observe and show your support. Be sure to PURPLE UP!
We’re hitting the streets: Join us for our CMH Car Caravan on May 19!
We’ll meet in the Columbia Memorial parking lot at 10:30am to get started and drive through Astoria, Warrenton, and Seaside to let folks know our patients deserve the best from Columbia Memorial, and that includes a fair contract with wages and benefits that will retain and recruit the staff we need to provide quality care.
You can also join us for bargaining video updates on our member-only Facebook group!
