It's a new week!

We are in the 2nd day of the second round of bargaining. Teams are bonding and agreeing or working on agreeing on common interests and how to get there.
On my PSP team we have found many ways to articulate our concerns and the rational behind the concerns. Everyone is respectful even if they don't agree. Labor and management hear each other out. Then in our caucus we remind ourselves as a labor coalition, why we are here.

We are here to enhance wages, reconfirm long term job security for our members, protect our benefits!

NO CONCESSIONS!

Our elected observers are doing a great job also and I believe when time comes for local bargaining it won't be a long drawn out process because Kaiser sees all of us working together for a common positive outcome for our members.
I hear all about the craziness going on out there, while we are up here, but know we understand it is hard fighting windmills, but you have to guys. Stay stickered up, stand solidly together, stay prayed up and stay positive. Stick to the facts.
DON'T GET CAUGHT UP WITH THE NONSENSE!
Know that we are "in it to win it" "Don't take our stuff"
We need you to be there for us as we stay focused on the positives also.

Yours in Solidarity

Ms Shirlee Anne Shirley

A positive and strong day 4

Well today was far from boring! Real engagement on both sides today! The conversations and discussions were rich and engaging as each side reported out the results of their brainstorming caucus. We found lots of common ground. However, we also had many variations on how to get an agreed upon solution.

So as we go home today to prepare for next session, we are mindful of the needs and desires of our constituents and the promise of standing strong for you.

You all stand strong! Continue to fly our colors! Continue to stay focused on the positive outcomes!

We will continue to strategically fight for a win, win and bring home the GOLD!

Shirlee Anne Shirley

Bored to Tears But Ready to Bring Home THE GOLD!

After early breakfast, the meeting started at 8:30 with a review of the rules of engagement for Common Issues Committee members on the four subgroups:

• Workforce Planning & Development
• Attendance/Time off
  
• Labor Management Partnership
• Performance and Improvement and Sharing

Observers were allowed to choose which group they would like to monitor.

As usual we are starting slow, but there will be pressure as we get closer to our end date to move more rapidly. However because of the lack of information that should have already been provided, it really slows us down. RAI, a mediation consulting company, has mediated our Partnership negotiations since 1997. Surely training could have been done as an entire group on Monday, instead of today. Each of the groups were trained in IBN (Interest Based Negotiations), which we know as IBPS (Interest Based Problem Solving). This training is new for a few, but a refresher for most. Would have been better to have done this training earlier with the entire group.

After lunch......we split into the four subgroups.

In the Performance and Improvement and Sharing subgroup, our discussions were about performance: it is how we take care of our patients. We in the Labor Caucus believe if management listened to the people who actually do the work, that would be a great start. But do we all have the same understanding of performance? In the National Agreement on page 29, it speaks on our commitment to performance improvement by simplifying work flow, eliminating unnecessary redundant tasks, and finding creative ways to resolve issues. Conclusion: we need to implement what was already in the National Agreement since 2000. Everyone signed off on it.....let's DO IT!

WE CANNOT IMPROVE PERFORMANCE when management cuts staff with the same expectation of better patient care! There was tremendous, heated discussion around this fact in the caucus, and it was clear all unions in all regions echoed this sentiment.

We also discussed how the Performance Sharing Program needs to be revamped.

We will resume our caucuses tomorrow at 8:30 AM! God knows my brain does not focus until 10 AM after 2 cups of Irish Cream Coffee!

Stand together in solidarity, focus on the positives and the facts till we bring home the GOLD!

Ms Shirlee

You should have been here day two

Well, we started at 10 AM this morning with a coalition meeting for the entire elected bargaining team, local and national. In depth discussions took place on four bargaining points: Wages, Workforce Planning and Development, Performance and Improvement Sharing, and True Partnership. Our walkaway agreement was this: focus on the positive and don't get side- tracked.

Then in the afternoon the entire group got together. John August introduced over 200 labor, management, and physician leaders from across the country. This was the first time in national bargaining for Hawaii and Moreno Valley!

Bernard Tyson from Kaiser then spoke about the fact that our mission has not changed and that Kaiser continues to provide the most affordable care and the best service to our members. Later there was an in-depth conversation on Unit Based Teams and their value. There are 82,000 employees on 2600 teams successfully driving performance.

Kaiser then talked about the 8.4 million lost jobs in America and the impact on Kaiser and the unions. The coalition shared our strategy for success: investing in front line workers and understanding the value compass which reminds us why we come to work--to provide patients with quality care, affordable care, great service, and to make Kaiser the best place to work. Patients receive the benefits of this: Improved attendance means that EVERYONE comes to work and has all the tools they need to get the job done using a team concept with the patient ALWAYS as the focus. Departments with functional teams have fantastically positive results. That is a proven fact.

Dave Regan spoke about how we as a coalition along with Kaiser need to make change happen--change that forces the external world to recognize that great patient care and preventative care should be rewarded and recognized by the political decision makers. There are 32 million people out there about to get healthcare and KP should be the first in line because they are the best model in America for healthcare.

Dave's speech invoked passion in the room because people love his no-nonsense, straight talking, "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" type of delivery! By the conclusions, many of the 300 people in the room rose to applaud this unprecedented frankness.

Kathy Sackman lamented the fact there is not enough publicity about the great works of the UBT's. There are amazing successes happening all over Kaiser--positive results that have gotten Kaiser recognition across the country. Because Kaiser is one of the four top hospital in the country, Kathy Sackman feels there should be more awareness regarding these remarkable teams. You know that Kaiser patients and employees are thriving due to preventative care.

Our SEIU-UHW debrief session afterwards was positive. We made it clear that we will stand together, stay focused, and bring a great contract home to you.

Ms. Shirlee

Our first day!

It's the day before Kaiser bargaining starts, and we got an introduction to the elected Common Interests Committee (CIC) and our elected Local Bargaining Team members who are attending as observers all entire bargaining sessions (FIRST TIME EVER!).

Here are some highlights from today:

• There was an overview of the 2005 and 2008 bargaining. This was new information for some and a refresher for others.
  
• There are 95 thousand union members in the coalition, and approximately 45 thousand are SEIU-UHW. When you include Local 49 and Local 105, that brings us to a little over 50 thousand SEIU members represented. Knowing that the 95 thousand Kaiser union members are part of the 31 unions in the coalition is awesome and historical for hospital sectors across the country.
• The local bargaining team will attend sessions as observers and be a part of any UHW caucus. This was agreed upon so the team would have firsthand knowledge of what is going on. We will all be knowledgeable, versed and ready to go when we start local bargaining. All voting will be done by CIC members, with input from the observers.
• There was a healthy conversation about what the new healthcare reform bill means to Kaiser and her unions. We want to know what Kaiser's plans are to get new members that will come about because of the healthcare reform--members that will create more union jobs and job security for us. And what about the 6 million people right here in California that Arnold Schwarzenegger is is talking to the Obama administration about? What is Kaiser's strategy to acquire some of those customers?
• We had a break out about generating and creating positive conversations in the facilities. Here were the point made: Purple up, fly your colors proudly and be seen let our folks know we ARE HERE; UHW leadership should get out to more membership meetings; Stewards should stand up be heard; Don't waste time arguing about the negatives--negative people who support nuhw intentionally distract us from getting our message out! Stay focused on consistent messaging that focuses on the positives of a good contract and the gains of sticking together? That should be our only focal point! Share with each other what works in your facility.

Our collective bargaining goals remain the same:

• No concessions: No monetary increases in our medical benefits.
• Expectation to win decent wage raises and keep income security
• Guarantee job security by having Kaiser deal differently with the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.

We have not forgotten our theme song from 2000: "WHO LET THE DOGS OUT!"

Shirlee Anne Shirley