Where Negotiations Are At as of 11/16/22
Ascension’s Current Wage Proposal
- Nurses placed on a step-system based on years of licensure
- Year 1 pay range: $33.44 – $46.82.
- Pay will increase an average of 19% in the first year, but the amount will vary based on where you are now and where your years of licensure put you on the new scale
- Nurses move up a step (2% pay increase) each January
- Top of Scale is 17 years of licensure on ratification, but goes up to 19 years by end of contract
- No cost-of-living adjustments in Years 2 or 3 of the contract
- See 11/10/22 email from Dr. Rohs for a chart showing the pay grid
- $1 per hour preceptor pay
- No other changes to differentials (nights, weekends, charge, reassignment, on-call, etc.)
- No appreciation/retention bonus for experienced nurses (despite $20K sign-on bonus for new nurses)
Concessions Management is Currently Demanding
- Requirement to work every second weekend, instead of every third weekend
- In departments with self-scheduling, managers will move nurses off their chosen days when needed on a rotating basis, not based on seniority
- Nurses in ALL departments, including those with mandatory on-call and closed units (e.g. OB, CSS, Behavioral), can be floated or assigned as helping hands
- Eliminate right to Family Medical Leave until you work 1250 hours in a year
- Eliminate right to extended leave for a new child in your family
- Eliminate right to extended leave for personal injury or illness of employee
- In place of our current leave language, we would have the same leave policies as other employees, which Ascension can change unilaterally
- Eliminate Retirement HRA account which provides $1200 per year of service for health expenses in retirement if you retire after at least of years of service and age 55
- Eliminating all management accountability for following staffing guidelines
- Right to employ STOs for up to 39 weeks
Improvements Ascension Has Agreed To
- Eliminate BSN requirement
- Increased consultation for temporary or permanent unit closures