by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine University of VermontMedical Center President Eileen Whalenstated in a press release Thursday that it has offered a "last, best and final offer" to the nurses union after negotiations broke down. The union has been working without a contract since early July and went on a two-day strike in mid-July. Whalen said the hospital still would negotiate with the union as required by law but will not change its offer. The union is continuing with its "Vote of No Confidence" campaign and could still go back on strike, though it has not indicated yet it would do so.
“We have negotiated in good faith with the Vermont Federation of Nursing and Health Professionals for nearly six months," Whalen said in a statement. "Throughout the process, we have put forward proposals to increase wages and address concerns about staffing and continuing education.
“At this point, the most significant difference with the union is about pay raises. We have presented significant wage increases that are fair, competitive and consistent with our market-based compensation philosophy.
“As is true in any negotiation, there comes a time when you have to state your final position, and that time has come. To move forward, today we issued a fair and competitive last, best and final offer to the union in a good faith effort to reach an agreement.
“This offer is responsible and provides meaningful wage increases in addition to many other benefits and does not seek a single concession. The proposal includesa total average base salary increase of 15% over a three-year period, with substantially higher wage increases ranging up to 30% for nurses in certain roles. The union’s current proposal is 20% over three years.
“A last, best and final offer means it will be our last offer to the union. It is consistent with our mission to deliver high quality and affordable care to patients, families and the communities we serve. It does not mean we are ‘imposing a contract.’ We will continue to meet with the union as required by national labor law.
“We have asked the union bargaining team to bring our last, best and final offer to the nurses for a vote. We want to begin the important work of implementing these positive changes including enhanced staffing and wage increases.”
The hospital could impose a contract that could have included a raise to the level of the hospital's most recent offer. The union did not ask for contract imposition. In September 2017 during bitter contract negotiations which also included an expired contract, the Burlington School Board did impose a contract that included an increase in wages that was below what the union had asked for. The School Board and union eventually settled on a new contract.
A summary of the hospital's offer can be foundhere.
Nurses said in their own press release Thursday that they had offered a proposal that included a 20% wage increase over 3 years, down from their last offer of 22%. Molly Wallner, lead negotiator for the union, stated that “the union is dedicated to reaching a fair agreement and making significant movement in our wage proposal is in an attempt to do just that.”
VFNHP President Deb Snell responded, stating that, “We are fighting for a contract that supports recruitment and retention of skilled nurses and addresses a real staffing crisis. 15% just is not going to cut it.”
Following bargaining, the union held a rally around the Vote of No Confidence campaign at 6 pm outside the Colchester Avenue entrance to the hospital. VFNHP had announced the Vote of No Confidence campaign last month following the hospital’s release of their fiscal year 2017 Form 990, a financial statement which revealed significant increases to executive compensation, including over a 20% annual raise for UVMMC President Eileen Whalen, bringing her salary up to over $1 million, second to CEO John Brumsted’s annual salary of over $2 million.
The union's statement went on to say: "The current administration has demonstrably failed to uphold its commitments to the community as UVMMC fell out the rankings of the national top 20 academic hospitals for the first time in seven years and is responsible for provoking the first Unfair Labor Practices Strike in the hospital’s history, all while increasing executive compensation to its highest levels at the expense of front-line caregivers in a glaring exposure of the Trustee’s misplaced priorities. Their refusal to continue to bargain in good faith with a critical part of their workforce adds to a long list of community and staff frustrations."
“The Board of Trustees has still refused to meet with nurses since we wrote to them in early July. They seem to have forgotten that they must represent us, too—the staff and the community—not just senior management” says VFNHP Executive Vice President Deb Snell. She said the board ignored an additional August letter from Senator Bernie Sanders, who wrote “The primary responsibility and obligation of any non-profit board is not to management, but to the organization, and that includes providing oversight and guidance on issues related to the organization’s workforce.”
Sources: UVMMC.VFNHP 9.16.2018