Union: Vote is protection measure

SANDPOINT — Bonner General Health nurses recently voted to approve a strike authorization, but according to Val Holstrom with the Teamsters Local 690 in Spokane, it is strictly a protection measure for the nurses.

"It is not our intention to go on strike or to call a strike," said Holstrom, secretary and treasurer with the Teamsters. "It is our goal to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement with the hospital, and I truly believe that is the goal of the hospital as well."

Hospital officials released a statement Monday regarding the vote, calling it "disheartening." The Daily Bee was unable to obtain information from the Teamsters at the time, and Holstrom since reached out to comment on the strike vote and the status of current negotiations.

Holstrom said they have been in negotiations since August 2015 and have had about 30 sessions, narrowing down several issues to "just a small handful."

"So far as we are concerned, negotiations are open — there is no impasse," Holstrom said. "We want to be able to continue to bargain with the hospital and come to a mutually agreeable settlement."

Holstrom said they are in the process of negotiating the fourth agreement with the hospital since BGH nurses organized with the Teamsters in 2006. A topic of discussion during each of the negotiations is staffing and competition in the local market. Holstrom said it has been suggested the hospital raise the wage for nurses because the numbers show that as much as 30 percent of BGH nurses leave each contract cycle.

Some leave due to retirement, Holstrom said, but believes the majority leave because they can go to nearby hospitals and make $10 to $15 more per hour, specifically at Kootenai Health and Spokane hospitals like Sacred Heart. In the previous contract the nurses were able to negotiate a $0.35 raise, which they "made the right decision" and put into a pension. Holstrom said the Teamsters have one of the strongest and most secure pension plans in the nation.

"This is the first negotiations that the hospital has finally recognized that they have a problem with recruitment and retention and they have decided to offer a very good wage increase," Holstrom said. "This will not bring the nurses up to the bigger hospitals and it may be unrealistic to expect them to compete on equal footing with Kootenai or Sacred Heart, but it's a step in the right direction."

The hospital also acknowledged in their statement that the proposed wage scale was acceptable by the union, stating it would ensure the nurses are "competitively compensated in comparison to their counterparts in similar sized hospitals in the state of Idaho." Holstrom said the nurses developed the economic package that was accepted and focused on giving the largest raises to entry-level positions. The nurses want to recruit and retain new nurses, he said, because they are the future of the hospital.

There are two looming issues acknowledged by both Holstrom and hospital officials. One is a 16-hour rule for occasional nurses and the other is a mandatory call schedule.

Occasional nurses are currently paid a premium if they are asked to work with less than a 16-hour notice. Hospital officials said in the release that the position was created to fill unanticipated staffing needs on short notice, so the 16-hour rule should not apply because the position was specifically designed to be an "as needed" position.

Holstrom said the 16-hour notice was already hospital policy when they negotiated their first agreement. He said the union aimed to keep as many policies in place as possible, incorporating them into the agreement.

"Many occasionals have jobs outside the hospital but are required to be available a minimum number of hours to the hospital," Holstrom said, adding that the union suggested a compromise that was rejected by hospital officials. 

The mandatory call schedule, which the hospital's statement says would affect maternity and emergency department nurses, would assure specialized nurses are available at all times. Holstrom said BGH has trouble filling shifts and they have spent months negotiating a "flex schedule." This requires nurses to flex their schedule to volunteer to work additional days on top of their regularly scheduled work week. It is already a requirement that nurses add a minimum of one shift per pay period, he said.

Holstrom said during the most recent round of negotiations, hospital officials said the nurses would need to volunteer more time outside their regularly scheduled work-week and be on mandatory call. The nurses would be required to put themselves on a schedule to wait at home on their days off in case they are called in to work, unable to plan events with family or leave their home, he said. 

The nurses feel the problem is staffing, so they offered a compromise of a voluntary call schedule for a period of one year with a monthly review by department. The nurses could then look at potential problems and work with their management team to come up with ideas to solve problems on a regular basis. He said the other reason for a one-year trial period is the union feels that the wage increase will create the ability for the hospital to fill positions and eliminate the flex schedule altogether.

"Right now there are many open positions, so the nurses are taking them, and taking them, and they are getting a little fatigued from all the volunteerism," Holstrom said. "So if there are less openings to fill, naturally that would increase the competition among the nurses to pick up those few remaining open positions."

Holstrom added that in his experience with the nurses and hospital staff, they are some of the "most dedicated" people he has ever met.

"I think the hospital is a top-notch facility that provides excellent care to the community," he said. "I just think Sandpoint is fortunate to have such a dedicated group of nurses and hospital administrators that want to provide the highest level of service to the people of the community."