Another Victory for OSH Members

After months of talking about violations of the union contract language regarding feasibility studies being conducted prior to contracting out bargaining unit work, Local 392 leadership filed a grievance. They felt forced to take this action because of management's lack of a response to our requests for resolution to these violations. Local 392 received a response to that grievance this week.
 
In their response the hospital administration acknowledged that OSH has been out of compliance with contract language since at least 1999 in regard to seeking the services of Agencies to fill CNA positions. They admitted that they had never completed the required feasibility studies for contracts at least back to 1999 and have continued them from biennium to biennium since that time.
 
The Nursing Administration has been directed to complete a feasibility study no later than September 4, 2009 relevant to Agency staff in CNA positions.
 
While OSH staff hiring continues at a snail's pace, that does not mean that contractors can just come in a fill the void willy nilly. New hires, transfers, and promotions are all necessary to overcome the staffing shortages at OSH. The use of over priced outside contractors who provide subpar benefits for their employees is a poor solution to a long standing problem.
 
Management's inability to seek out, hire, train and place new staff in positions that have been vacant for months results in more mandates, forces more voluntary overtimes, and disrupts staffing throughout the hospital. The use of Agency staff to cover for these shortcomings has created a lose-lose situation in which OSH has been stuck since the 1990s.
 
Local 392 leadership is committed to being a part of the solution at OSH and in helping the administration to overcome the ineffective methods of the past, especially as we transition into the new hospital.

Look for updates to this situation as they become available.