By Sabrina Singhapattanapong
Daily bruin contributor
[email protected]
The University of California agreed to end its current
merit-based pay system Thursday in its latest nurses contract
proposal to the California Nurses Association.
The old system ““ based on performance evaluations by
superiors ““ will be replaced by a new step-system that
compensates nurses based on a policy of “automatic
advancement,” according to a statement by the UC Office of
the President.
Both parties met to continue negotiations in hopes of reaching a
new nurses’ contract and are scheduled to resume bargaining
today. CNA has neither accepted nor denied the UC’s
proposal.
“The offer we made with respect to merit pay was very
significant for the university,” said UC spokesman Paul
Schwartz.
UCLA nurse negotiator Maxine Terk was pleased with the
UC’s decision to eliminate the merit-based wage system. But
there are still some flaws in the UC’s proposal, Terk
said.
Nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and mandatory overtime have
also been the key issues negotiated over to reach a new nurses
contract.
In light of the current nursing shortage, both non-registered
nurses ““ not represented by the CNA ““ and registered
nurses will be counted toward fulfilling Governor Davis’
recently announced nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, according to
UCOP.
Though the UC understands nurses’ concerns about patient
care, the “UC considers it inappropriate to create agreements
independent of any state regulations that the UC will be required
to follow,” the UCOP statement said.
Using non-registered nurses is insufficient because they do not
have as much experience and training as registered nurses, Terk
said.
The UC’s updated proposal also includes an average wage
increase of 19 to 25 percent for all nurses over the next three
years, and a guarantee that nurses will not have to work overtime,
unless there is an emergency, the statement said.
In prior UC contract proposals, the UC offered nurses an average
of a 13.5 percent wage increase over two years, but still adhered
to merit-based pay.
The UC also offered to minimize mandatory overtime and on-call
work, but stated that the issue of staffing ratios was premature
and was in the hands of the State Department of Health Services,
according to Schwartz.
If a contract settlement is not reached before the May 29 strike
date, up to 8,000 nurses plan to strike at all UC Medical Centers.
But not all nurses will strike, Schwartz said.
The UC feels that the CNA’s strike threat aggravates
contract negotiations and does not serve anyone, especially
patients, UCOP said.
Though the slated one-day strike is still on, Terk said the CNA
is “consciously optimistic” they can wind negotiations
up and prevent a strike.
But if the strike takes place, hospitals will be forced to shut
their doors to patients, delay surgeries and spend
“significant amounts of money” in hiring replacement
nurses, according to UCOP.
While UCOP said the CNA’s strike threat is illegal because
CNA failed to use certain arbitration procedures before threatening
to strike, CNA claims that the UC has been violating bargaining
tactics.
“We’re striking under unfair labor practice law …
it’s legal for us to strike,” said UCLA nurse Michelle
Ross.
The UC is currently pursuing a temporary restraining order to
prevent the strike from occurring altogether, Schwartz said.
“We want to protect employees … who may be inclined to
strike as well as those who oppose the strike and continue to
work,” he said.