by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The United Nurses and Allied Professionals Union members at the Brattleboro Retreat are beginning a series of public protests with an "informational picket" on Tuesday afternoon on The Brattleboro Common. The Common overlooks the Retreat. The Retreat is a private, mental health and treatment facility. Union members said they overwhelmingly voted at meetings last Friday to begin a series of pickets following administrative policy changes.
Along with staffing and wage issues, the principal concern, according to the union, has to do with a new work schedule issued by the administration June 15. In a statement issued Monday, the union said: "Employees who’d had established schedules for decades suddenly were told they would be working completely different days and weekends. To say this has caused an uproar is putting it mildly. Union members feel it’s an outrage for a psychiatric institution to so unnecessarily and arbitrarily create hospital-wide anxiety and stress. A number of employees cannot change their current schedules, and will have to leave their jobs. The vast majority of staff just want our schedules to remain the same, and if some need new schedules, to be given the time and opportunity to let each unit work out those few issues amongst themselves."
Konstantin von Krusenstiern, Vice President, Development and Communications, Brattleboro Retreat, sent this response to VBM: "At the Brattleboro Retreat, our #1 priority is to provide the safest, highest quality and most effective, compassionate care to the patients and families we serve. That’s why we are making important operational changes to align with industry standards and proven practices.
"We believe the Retreat’s recent decision to adopt a new scheduling approach for direct care inpatient staff is the driving issue behind the union’s move to call for informational pickets.
"While we appreciate the fact that change can be difficult, the Retreat is not asking staff to adopt any work practices that aren’t already considered normal and customary at healthcare organizations in Vermont and elsewhere.
"The new scheduling model that will take effect on July 15th is a proven approach that is used successfully at hospitals across the nation. We believe we owe it to our patients and to our staff to revise decades old scheduling practices that no longer fit the operational and safety requirements of modern, hospital-based healthcare delivery.
"The Retreat asked the union to fast-track arbitration on this issue and to get the case before an arbitrator this week to resolve our disagreement. The Union has declined in favor of picketing. We respect the union’s right to inform the public about any opinions they may have; however, we are confident that resolving our differences is best achieved through face-to-face dialogue.
"Retreat personnel are our most valuable resource and we are committed to providing a work environment that prioritizes safe patient care and is fair and equitable for all of our employees. We look forward to a timely resolution of this matter."
The informational picket is expected to take place Tuesday at 4 pm.