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
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.
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!
"WE CANNOT IMPROVE PERFORMANCE when management cuts staff...."
ReplyDeleteI wanted to comment on this. I can speak to being "under the gun" being one of the ONLY (sad to say) classifications which has a required work quota (medical transcriptionists/medical secretaries). This was bargained (by Sal Rosselli's crew) as a condition of allowing us to work at home (as if this wasn't a win for Kaiser also as at-home workers typically show increased production due to more conductive working conditions usually). Anyway, they PROMISED this wouldn't mean any changes to workers who worked in the office but THEY LIED!
In any case, my comment is that Kaiser seems to think they can cut corners providing training, equipment and support and expect a superior product in terms of production. What am I missing here? Our problem here is not necessarily staffing; it's poor training, lack of equipment and anemic support. Add to that hostile management.
It sounds as if you have an excellent viewpoint having attended 5 different contract bargainings. I do hope you speak up and are listened to. Keep up the good work!