Latest Updates

October 9 – Contract Ratified

We are happy to share the news confirmed by CNA that a majority of nurses voted to ratify the new three-year contract.

We firmly believe this contract reflects our ongoing dedication to supporting you and your profession and the critical work we do for our patients.  Our thank you and congratulations go to both negotiation teams for their hard work and success in reaching an agreement we all could support. We will provide updates soon as we begin the process of implementing the new contract.

Thank you again for your continued focus on providing compassionate care to our patients throughout this process, we greatly appreciate you.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

October 5 Update

Dear Nurses,

We are pleased to share that after working through the night, we reached a tentative agreement with CNA early this morning on a new contract. Both Tri-Valley and CNA are fully recommending ratification of the Tentative Agreement, and the union will contact you directly with more details and information on when the ratification vote will occur.

We share our sincere gratitude toward the members of both bargaining teams for their hard work and success on reaching an agreement we could all support. If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact your union representatives directly. As always, thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to safe, quality patient care during this time.

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

Dear Nurses,

September 6 Bargaining Summary

Today, September 6, we resumed negotiations with CNA. We were very confident going into today’s session that the parties would reach a full agreement, as Tri-Valley’s latest proposal addressed all of CNA’s requests from their last comprehensive pass. Unfortunately, due to illness and other conflicts, two of CNA’s bargaining team members were not in attendance, which we understand left them short the numbers needed for the quorum necessary for them to make any meaningful progress. This is of course very disappointing, and we were even more disappointed that the next date CNA is available to resume bargaining isn’t until October 4^th.

Despite this, it is important to understand how close the parties are. Tri-Valley has addressed in some way everything that CNA has told us are important to you including:

• Increased Year 1 ATB to 6% (more details below, and exactly what CNA asked for in its initial proposal)
• Increased ratification bonus to $3,000 (which is exactly what CNA asked for in its most recent proposal)
• Increased Charge Nurse Differential to 5% (exactly what CNA proposed on this issue)

We once again made movement in other areas and reached conceptual agreements on two additional topics. Our team stands ready to meet with the union and is hopeful we can continue our positive momentum and reach an agreement as quickly as possible.

If you feel that the terms of our offer are something you wish to support, please ask CNA to expedite the process so we can bring our negotiations to a close.

Highlights of Our Comprehensive Package Proposal

Compensation

• UPDATED: 16% Total Across The Board Wage Increases Over a Three-Year Contract
  • UPDATED: 6% Increase in Year 1
    • 3% after ratification
    • 3% 6 months after date of ratification
  • 5% Increase in Year 2
    • 5% increase to the wage grid on the 12-month and 18-month anniversaries of the ratification date
  • 5% Increase in Year 3
    • 5% increase to the wage grid on the 24-month and 30-month anniversaries of the ratification date
  • UPDATED: $3,000 Ratification Bonus
  • NEW: Increased Charge Nurse Differential to 5%
  • Added a New 14^th Step to the Wage Scale
  • Increased Certification Recognition Pay from $350 to $1,000
    • Paid annually to all full-time and all part-time for successfully achieving or retaining a nationally recognized specialty certification per ANCC.
    • All full-time and part-time Nurses will also be reimbursed for the costs of all certification tests and all re-certifications. Only one certification bonus shall be paid per year.

PTO & Holidays

• Added a 20-Year PTO Tier Providing 2 Additional Days
• Added an Annual Floating Diversity Day
  • This floating holiday may be used by a Nurse to observe a day of cultural, religious, social, or other personal significance.

Benefits

• Increased Reimbursement for Paid Education from $300 to $450

Bargaining Schedule

Our next scheduled bargaining session is October 4, and we hope to conclude the bargaining process during that session.  We will continue to reach out to CNA to secure additional dates, or to otherwise make progress where we can.

Resources

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Dear Nurses,

August 26 Bargaining Summary

Today, August 26, we resumed negotiations with CNA. We greatly appreciated receiving the union’s comprehensive package that covered all open items. Our team was then able to respond with a comprehensive package of our own that provided additional improvements to compensation:

• Increased Year 1 ATB to 6% (more details below)
• Increased ratification bonus to $2,750
• Increased Charge Nurse Differential to 5%

We also made additional movement in other areas and continued to help close the gaps to reaching an agreement. Specifically, as part of these comprehensive packages, the teams reached agreement (conceptually) on four topics: PTO/Vacation, Holidays, Schedules, and Term and Termination.

As part of our comprehensive package, we continue to focus on reaching an agreement as soon as possible so our nurses can benefit from the improvements a new contract would provide. The Hospital’s $2,750 proposed ratification bonus is predicated upon:

• The parties reaching a comprehensive total tentative agreement on or before September 7.
• The new contract being successfully ratified by September 10.

We encouraged the union to please send their questions to our team via email. Our hope is that we can continue the momentum, get as much done ahead of our next session as possible and hopefully reach an agreement on September 6.

Highlights of Our Comprehensive Package Proposal

Compensation 

• UPDATED: 16% Total Across The Board Wage Increases Over a Three-Year Contract
  • UPDATED: 6% Increase in Year 1
    • 3% after ratification
    • 3% 6 months after date of ratification
  • 5% Increase in Year 2
    • 2.5% increase to the wage grid on the 12 month and 18 month anniversaries of the ratification date
  • 5% Increase in Year 3
    • 2.5% increase to the wage grid on the 24 month and 30 month anniversaries of the ratification date
• UPDATED: $2,750 Ratification Bonus
• NEW: Increased Charge Nurse Differential to 5%
• Added a New 14th Step to the Wage Scale
• Increased Certification Recognition Pay from $350 to $1,000
  • Paid annually to all full-time and all part-time for successfully achieving or retaining a nationally recognized specialty certification per ANCC.
  • All full-time and part-time Nurses will also be reimbursed for the costs of all certification tests and all re-certifications. Only one certification bonus shall be paid per year.

PTO & Holidays 

• Added a 20-Year PTO Tier Providing 2 Additional Days
• Added an Annual Floating Diversity Day
  • This floating holiday may be used by a Nurse to observe a day of cultural, religious, social, or other personal significance.

Benefits

• Increased Reimbursement for Paid Education from $300 to $450

Bargaining Schedule

Our next scheduled bargaining session is September 6, and we hope to conclude the bargaining process during that session.

Resources

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Dear Nurses,

August 19 Bargaining Summary

Today, August 19, we resumed negotiations with CNA. During the session, the union completed their response to our initial package economic proposal. Our team then provided an updated comprehensive package, which included significant improvements to economics and reinforced our commitment to providing nurses with a fair and robust economic package. In addition to economics, we made further movement on two important topics to help bring the parties closer together. Specifically, as part of our package – and in an effort to reach an overall agreement – our team withdrew our four-hour cancellation proposal and also agreed to a three-year contract term instead of a four-year term.

As part of our enhanced compensation proposal that would provide significant increases for our nurses, we also set a timeline in connection with the ratification bonus. Specifically, we are hoping to reach a full agreement over the next few sessions so our nurses can benefit from the improvements a new contract would provide as soon as possible. Currently, the Hospital’s $2,500 proposed ratification bonus is predicated upon:

• The parties reaching a comprehensive total tentative agreement on or before September 7.
• The new contract being successfully ratified by September 10.

We look forward to making further progress at our next session and hope our level of movement at the table is mirrored by CNA so we can continue our momentum to reaching an agreement.

Updated Highlights of Our Economic Package Proposal

Compensation 

• UPDATED: 15.5% Total Across The Board Wage Increases Over a Three-Year Contract
  • 5.5% Increase in Year 1
    • 2.75% after ratification
    • 2.75% 6 months after date of ratification
  • 5% Increase in Year 2
    • 2.5% increase to the wage grid on the 12 month and 18 month anniversaries of the ratification date
  • 5% Increase in Year 3
    • 2.5% increase to the wage grid on the 24 month and 30 month anniversaries of the ratification date
• UPDATED: $2,500 Ratification Bonus
• NEW: Added a New 14th Step to the Wage Scale
• UPDATED: Increased Certification Recognition Pay from $350 to $1,000
  • Paid annually to all full-time and all part-time for successfully achieving or retaining a nationally recognized specialty certification per ANCC.
  • All full-time and part-time Nurses will also be reimbursed for the costs of all certification tests and all re-certifications. Only one certification bonus shall be paid per year.

PTO & Holidays 

• Added a 20-Year PTO Tier Providing 2 Additional Days
• Added an Annual Floating Diversity Day
  • This floating holiday may be used by a Nurse to observe a day of cultural, religious, social, or other personal significance.

Benefits

• UPDATED: Increased Reimbursement for Paid Education from $300 to $450
• Maintain Tri-Valley’s Current Healthcare Benefit Offerings
  • Add per diem eligibility to FSA
• Maintain Tri-Valley’s Current Retirement Contribution Benefits

Bargaining Schedule

Our next scheduled bargaining session in August is the 26, and the union confirmed they are available on September 6. We hope to conclude the bargaining process over the course of these two sessions.

Resources

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Dear Nurses,

August 13 Bargaining Summary

Today, Tuesday, August 13, the parties returned to the bargaining table where they continued to make progress toward a new contract. Tri-Valley passed three (3) articles including Infectious Disease, Schedules and DEI. The union passed four (4) articles.  Those articles were pulled out of our larger package proposal that we presented on August 9, and included some – but not all – economic articles. We expressed the importance of receiving all articles from the package proposal together, and the continued importance of having full economic proposals, so that Tri-Valley is able to review them as a complete package and meaningfully respond. We’re hopeful that the remaining articles from the larger package proposal will be provided by the union at our next session.

Section Highlight—Weekends Off

It continues to be Tri-Valley’s philosophy that every nurse should have access to two full weekends off each month. This results in a better working experience for 98% of our nurses who are then able to plan weekend activities with family and friends, improves patient care and provides more fluid operations. CNA’s preference remains to allow a small group of our most senior nurses to utilize seniority to obtain partial weekends from less senior nurses. For more on this topic please see our Did You Know flyer.

Bargaining Schedule

We reconvene on August 19. Tri-Valley offered additional four (4) dates in August and so far, the union has only agreed to August 26.  We also offered four (4) dates in September on the 6^th, 9^th, 12^th and 13^th. We remain hopeful that CNA will accept all the dates offered so that we can continue to make progress and reach an agreement as quickly as possible.

Resources

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Dear Nurses,

August 9 Bargaining Summary

Today, August 9, we resumed negotiations with CNA and appreciated the respectful and collaborative discussion at the table. During the session, the union passed a total of three (3) articles, and Tri-Valley provided our initial economic package proposal that comprehensively encompassed twelve articles. Please keep in mind that, just like the union’s opening proposals on economic issues, our initial economic proposals represent a starting point to facilitate further discussion with the union. We look forward to these important discussions at our future sessions and expect continued movement and compromise from both sides as part of the bargaining process.

Initial Economic Package Proposal Highlights

Compensation

• 17% Total Across The Board Wage Increases Over a Four-Year Contract
  • 5% after ratification
  • 5% 6 months after date of ratification
  • 2% increase to the wage grid on the 12 month, 18 month, 24 month, 30 month, 36 month and 42 month anniversaries of the ratification date.
• $2,000 Ratification Bonus
• Increase Certification Recognition Pay from $350 to $750
  • Paid annually to all full-time and all part-time for successfully achieving or retaining a nationally recognized specialty certification per ANCC.
  • All full-time and part-time Nurses will also be reimbursed for the costs of all certification tests and all re-certifications. Only one certification bonus shall be paid per year.

Benefits

• Maintain Tri-Valley’s Current Healthcare Benefit Offerings
  • Add per diem eligibility to FSA
• Increase Reimbursement for Paid Education from $300 to $400

PTO & Holidays

• NEW: 20-Year PTO Tier Providing 2 Additional Days
• NEW: Annual Floating Diversity Day
  • This floating holiday may be used by a Nurse to observe a day of cultural, religious, social, or other personal significance.

Bargaining Schedule

Our next scheduled bargaining sessions are on August 13 and 19 and will continue to work with the union to schedule additional dates in the near future.

Resources

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

July 23, 2024

Dear Nurses,

July 23 Bargaining Summary

Today, July 23, we returned to the table with CNA for our second day of bargaining this week. We had another productive day, with Tri-Valley passing five (5) total proposals/counterproposals and CNA passing six (6) proposals/ counterproposals. Most significantly, CNA presented their opening proposal on compensation. This is a significant step, as it reflects a major component of their initial economic proposals, and we look forward to receiving the rest of CNA’s economic proposals in the near term.

Tentative Agreements

The parties reached agreement on two (2) additional tentative agreements, Side Letter C and Extended Sick Leave, bringing the total number of TAs from 28 to 30.

Current Open Articles as of July 23, 2024
Bold indicates new/updated this session

What could Tri-Valley’s Weekend Proposal Mean For The Majority Of Nurses?
It is Tri-Valley’s philosophy that ensuring every nurse has two full weekends off each month results in a better working experience for 98% of our nurses, improves patient care and provides more fluid operations. We believe that all Tri-Valley nurses should be able to count on having two predictable, full weekends off a month to plan activities with family and friends. While CNA’s preference is to allow our most senior nurses to utilize seniority to obtain partial weekends from less senior nurses. This could result in the less senior nurses having to work partial and additional weekends each month.  For more on this topic please see our latest Did You Know flyer.

Bargaining Schedule
We reconvene on August 1, with additional sessions scheduled for August 9, 13 and 19. Tri-Valley will continue to offer additional dates in hopes of meeting more frequently over the next several weeks.

Resources
For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

July 22, 2024

Dear Nurses,

Today, July 22, we returned to the table with CNA. We had a productive day, with Tri-Valley passing eight (8) total proposals/counterproposals and CNA passing three (3) proposals/ counterproposals. The parties reached three (3) more tentative agreements on Nurse Response Network, No Strike/No Lockout and Jury Duty/Witness Pay, bringing us to 28 total tentative agreements. We return to the table tomorrow where we hope to continue this positive momentum.

After tomorrow’s session, we have additional dates set for August 1,13 and 19. Tri-Valley offered the union five additional dates for its consideration and CNA agreed to add one, August 9, to the bargaining schedule. Tri-Valley will continue to offer additional dates in hopes that the union will be available so that we can get you the contract you can be proud of and support as quickly as possible.

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

Current Open Articles as of July 22, 2024
Bold indicates new/updated this session

July 8, 2024

Dear Nurses,

Today, July 8, we returned to the table with CNA. We had another productive session, with Tri-Valley passing 2 counterproposals on Hours of Work and Scheduled Call, and CNA passing a counterproposal to Scheduled Call a proposal on Holidays, and a partial proposal on two subsections of Benefits. Tri-Valley reiterated that we are unable to consider or return partial proposals and will await a full set of economic proposals to move forward with a reply on economic issues. Our total tentative agreements remain at 25.

We will return to the table on July 22, 23 and August 1 and the parties agreed on two additional dates, August 13 and 19. We have also offered the union five additional dates for its consideration.  Tri-Valley is dedicated to getting you a new contract with improvements as quickly as possible and will continue to offer additional dates in hopes that the union will be available.

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

What is the difference between Tri-Valley and CNA’s approach to Scheduled call?
Tri-Valley and CNA are close to resolving the Scheduled Call Article.  All issues have been agreed to, except one – on which the parties have different philosophies around how Scheduled Call should be assigned. CNA’s proposal is focused on a seniority-first approach, proposing that Scheduled Call should be bid on monthly based on seniority, which could lead to most or all Scheduled Call opportunities being limited to just a subset of senior Nurses.

While Tri-Valley has great respect for the importance of seniority in terms of scheduling, when it comes to Scheduled Call, we believe that providing an even rotation among all eligible nurses is the more fair and best approach. We believe this method eliminates the risk of burnout, should a small group elect to pick up the majority of the Scheduled Call shifts, while also ensuring that all eligible nurses have an equal opportunity to work Scheduled Call.

We have explained these reasons to CNA and hope we can reach agreement on the Scheduled Call article soon. 

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

Current Open Articles as of July 8, 2024
Bold indicates new/updated this session

June 18, 2024

Dear Nurses,

Today, June 18, we returned to the table with CNA. We had another productive session, with Tri-Valley passing four (4) proposals/counterproposals on Floating, Workplace Violence, Probationary Period and Jury Duty, and CNA passing a partial proposal on Benefits as well as a proposal on Education Leave. Our total tentative agreements remain at 25. We expressed the importance of receiving full proposals to the union as partial proposals are very hard to respond to in isolation. We return to the table on July 8, and Tri-Valley is looking forward to receiving full proposals from the union so that we can continue our progress.

We have additional sessions scheduled for July 22 and 23, and we continue to make ourselves available for additional bargaining dates and offered five new dates, with the union accepting one date (August 1).

As always, for the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Current Open Articles as of June 11, 2024
Bold indicates new/updated this session

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

June 11, 2024

Dear Nurses,

Today, June 11, we continued negotiations with CNA. It was another productive session, with five (5) additional tentative agreements (TAs) reached on Leave of Absence, Bereavement Leave, Patient Needs Staffing and the removal of Side Letters A and B, bringing our total number of TAs reached to 25. In addition, Tri-Valley passed counterproposals on Non-Discrimination and Side Letter C. CNA also passed a counterproposal on Side Letter C.

The next bargaining date is scheduled for June 18, with additional sessions scheduled for July 8, 22 and 23.  We look forward to returning to the table to work with CNA to bring you a contract that you can be proud of and support as quickly as possible.

As always, for the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Current Open Articles as of June 11, 2024

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

June 5, 2024

Dear Nurses,

Today, June 5, we returned to the table with CNA. It was a productive session, with the parties reaching tentative agreements on three additional Articles: Management Rights, Seniority and Bulletin Boards. Tri-Valley also passed proposals on Bereavement, Scheduled Call, Grievance and Arbitration, and three side letters that have outdated language.

The next bargaining dates are scheduled for June 11 and 18.  The Tri-Valley team proposed eleven additional dates for bargaining, and CNA agreed to three of them: July 8, 22 and 23. We appreciate the progress that has been made so far and look forward to continuing this positive momentum at our next session.

As always, for the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

May 30, 2024

Dear Nurses,

Today, May 30, we continued negotiations with CNA. It was a productive session, with the parties reaching tentative agreements on four additional Articles: Safe Patient Staffing, Patient Care, Discharge and Discipline and Personnel Files. In addition to the four new TAs, Tri-Valley passed proposals and responses on eight (8) articles, including on Nondiscrimination, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Weekends, Bulletin Boards, Infectious Disease, Management Rights, Leave of Absence and Patient Needs and Staffing, and the union provided responses on three (3) articles.

The parties discussed their shared commitment to the Articles on Non-Discrimination and Harassment, and on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We are dedicated to continuing to reinforce these areas at the highest level through the ongoing backing of our IDHE council among other support structures, policies and best practices.Your Tri-Valley bargaining team also proposed eight (8) additional dates for bargaining, but unfortunately the union was only able to agree to one. We will continue to make ourselves available for additional dates and look forward to our upcoming sessions on June 5, 11 and 18, and to making further progress on our new contract.

As always, for the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website.

May 24, 2024

Dear Nurses,

Today, May 24, we returned to the table for our second bargaining session this week. We continued to build on the momentum from Wednesday’s session with another signed tentative agreement on Filling of Vacancies, bringing the total number of signed tentative agreements to five. Your Tri-Valley bargaining team passed an additional two articles: Personnel Files and Discharge and Discipline. The union responded to two articles Tri-Valley had previously passed, rejecting language on Weekends Off and providing a reply on the Bulletin Boards article.

Additionally, the parties have agreed in principle to 8 additional articles that Tri-Valley had advanced and expect to formally TA these at the next session: Bargaining Unit Integrity, Job Security, Savings and Severability, Uniform Allotment, Nurse Staffing Ratios, Employment Categories, New Hire Orientation and Layoff/Reduction in Force.

We will return to the table for full day sessions on Thursday, May 30, June 6 and June 11. We are dedicated to maintaining the forward momentum necessary to bring you a contract that respects you and your profession and one you can be proud of and support. Please see the bottom of this email for additional details about Tri-Valley’s Weekends Off proposal.

As always, for the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

What was the Weekends Off concept presented by Tri-Valley and rejected by the union?

We were surprised by CNA’s rejection of our Weekends Off proposal. The proposal was designed to avoid the splitting of nursing shifts over two separate weekends, which could result in Nurses working one day on two consecutive weekends, and on more than two weekends a month.  Tri-Valley proposed language stating that weekends may not be split, thereby preserving the integrity of full weekends off for our Nurses.  We believe this is better for both our Nurses and the Hospital, as it maintains unit continuity and consistency, while also maintaining the integrity of full weekends off for our Nurses.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

May 22, 2024

Dear Nurses,

Today, May 22, we returned to the bargaining table. Our fourth session was once again productive, with your Tri-Valley bargaining team passing several non-economic proposals on topics such as Bulletin Boards, Filling of Vacancies, and Grievance and Arbitration. The union provided proposals on Hours of Work and provided a response to our proposal on Filling of Vacancies.

We are pleased to share that we finalized tentative agreements on three articles: Nurse Representatives, PPC, Association Leave, Elimination of LifeStyleRx (program has sunset). We also have an agreement in principle on Filling of Vacancies which is awaiting the union’s signature.

We will return to the table this Friday, May 24 and again on May 30. We have also scheduled several dates through June. We look forward to making more progress towards your new contract. We have included a few brief Q&A’s at the bottom of this communication addressing some recent questions we have received.

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

What is Tri-Valley looking to accomplish with changes to flex shifts?

Our priority is to ensure we can adequately staff to support our nursing population and maintain the highest level of patient safety.  Tri-Valley is looking for opportunities for additional flexibility for nurses when it comes to flex shifts, such as the option to not be canceled for a full shift, but rather have choice to be canceled for partial shifts (e.g., 4-hours, 6-hours, 8-hours, etc.) We are evaluating different scenarios, but these conversations are still in the very early stages, and we look forward to further discussions at the bargaining table.

Is the Acuity system being removed from the staffing manual?

No, we have not proposed any substantive changes to our use of acuity for staffing. We remain committed to staffing using acuity and our proposal is simply a housekeeping change to outdated language in the contract.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

May 13, 2024

Today, May 13, we returned to the table for our third bargaining session. We had another productive day, with your Tri-Valley bargaining team passing 5 non-economic proposals on topics such as Extended Sick Leave, Employment Categories and Cancellation/On-Call. The union provided a partial proposal on Rest and Meal Periods, and a counter proposal on Association Leave which we believe we are very close to reaching an agreement on.

We also proposed May 21 as our next bargaining session and are awaiting confirmation from the union. Otherwise, we will resume bargaining again on May 22 and have additional sessions scheduled for May 24, 30 and also have June 6 and 11 confirmed. We look forward to continuing these collaborative discussions with CNA and making further progress on our new contract.

For the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table, or to submit questions, please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

May 6, 2024

Dear Nurses,

On May 6 we returned to the table with CNA to continue work on reaching agreement on a new contract. We had a productive day, addressing 13 non-economic articles and reaching our first Tentative Agreement (TA) on Nurse Representatives.

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for May 13, and we look forward to continuing our positive momentum. We have additional sessions scheduled for May 22, 24 and 30, and your SHC Tri-Valley Bargaining Team offered 9 additional days for the month of June and looks forward to hearing back from the union.

Please visit our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com, for the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table.

In closing, we want to wish everyone a very happy Nurses Week! We thank you for the dedication, caring and professionalism you give to our patients every day.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

April 30, 2024

Dear Nurses,

On April 30 we began formal contract talks with the California Nurses Association (CNA) – the first step toward the goal of reaching agreement on a new contract for you, our valued nurses.

We know how important your contract is to you, and our bargaining team’s pledge throughout these negotiations is to bargain in good faith to reach a mutually acceptable agreement that supports you and the nursing profession.

We had a productive day at the bargaining table. The parties exchanged initial proposals on several non-economic contract topics. While we may not always agree on the approach, we both have similar goals and our nurses’ best interests at heart. Based on this first session, we are confident that we can work together to find solutions that better support you.

As we continue throughout this process, please be sure to check out our negotiations website, SHCTri-ValleyNegotiations.com. This site will be regularly updated with the latest facts and information on what is happening at the bargaining table.

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for May 6, and we look forward to providing you with an update at that time.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer

Christopher Lyons
VP, Human Resources

April 23, 2024

Dear Nurses,

As we look ahead to contract negotiations scheduled to begin on April 30, I want to share our commitment to you throughout the upcoming negotiation process.

We look forward to a productive dialogue with CNA where we can work together toward solutions. While we may not always agree on the path to these solutions, we believe by working together we can achieve our goal of reaching an agreement that respects you and your profession, advances nursing practice, and supports our ability to provide high-quality care to our community in the East Bay and beyond.

Also new for this year, we have created this negotiation website, a new resource where you can find out the latest facts and information on what’s happening at the bargaining table, view the negotiation calendar and ask questions. We also have sessions scheduled for May 6 and May 13, and are in the process of scheduling additional dates with the union.

I am grateful for this extraordinary team, and I look forward to providing you with updates throughout negotiations.

Respectfully,

Hirut Truneh
Interim Chief Nursing Officer