HPAE

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N o vem b er 13 , 20 09

T H E P ULS E
C IRCUL AT IN G UN ION N EWS & VIEWS HPA E L OCAL 5141

Local 5141 Negotiating C O N T R AC T N E G O T I A T I O N S B E G I N

Committee

Lisa Arbolino
Joellen Barrett Our first negotiating session
Kendra Doran was held on Monday, Novem-
Diane Edgett ber 9. Assisted by Mike Slott
Sharon Fraunberger and Peggy Bachman, HPAE
Laurel Gerardi staff, the Local 5141 Negotia-
tions Committee met for al-
Karen Hengge
most four hours with the hos-
Michele Jenkin pital’s bargaining team: Mary
Sue Kiss Ellen Rauner, Eva Goldenberg,
Mary Ellen Levine Ardelle Bigos, Kay Bryant and
Barbara Masters Denise Keyser (attorney for
Diana Matthies the hospital).
Karla Messerschmidt Our Negotiations Committee
has identified 101 contract
Julie Osborne proposals. Out of those 101,
Dana Pietrodangelo we presented 66 proposals to
Diane Plumb the Hospital’s Committee at HPAE Local 5141 Negotiating Committee at our first session, 11/09/09
Diana Powers the first session, including
Jackie Stachura Grievance & Arbitration Proce-
dure, Job Postings and Tuition
Kim Thompson contract. can achieve the same
Reimbursement.
Donna VanSchaik standards if we stand to-
We are still working to develop You can view our initial
Jeanette Zmach gether and support our
many more non-economic and contract proposals by go-
Negotiating Committee.
economic proposals. Your in- ing to www.hpae.org. and
Negotiations are sched-
put will be crucial as we con- clicking on “locals” to get
uled for November 19,
tinue to develop proposals. to the Newton page.
December 17 & 21 and we
Both Union and Management Many of our proposals are are working to schedule
emphasized their intention to standard items in HPAE dates into the new year.
work constructively to get a contracts for nurses. We

Upcoming
Negotiations H PA E PROFESSIONAL ISSUES CONFERENCE
BY MARY ELLEN LEVINE
November 19th
On October 1st I attended
December 17th the HPAE Professional
Conference in New
Windsor, NJ. I was
December 21st welcomed by many HPAE
Officers and fellow
Members. The sessions I
attended included Health
Information Technologies,
Pandemic Flue and
Staffing Standards. The
Pandemic Flue workshop
was an informative session
presented by an OSHA
physician who gave an
overview of the H1N1
virus, as well as useful
information relating to
direct patient care,
including the use of
airborne precautions and
the importance of the N95
respirators, gowns and
gloves to protect ourselves
and other patients under
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H PA E P R O F E S S I O N A L I S S U E S C O N F E R E N C E CONTINUED

our care. (congratulations to NMH for yearly fit testing)

Staffing Standards was a look at how facilities are presently staffing different units in a variety of Hospitals.
The ratios are varied. As we know it’s not just about the numbers! Representatives from 3 hospitals gave a
short overview of what is currently being done to look at acuity and the use of unsafe staffing forms as a tool
internally as well as a source of data collection for the future.
Health Information Technologies was a session that not only left me feeling empowered, but a bit leery of
the push for technology in healthcare. Large amounts of stimulus monies are earmarked for HIT.
Globalization of health information is at the forefront. This left me wondering how this may impact our small
community hospital and how it will impact nursing on the front lines. Can phones that are capable of
tracking our movements also be used for discipline? How will new computers impact the time we have for
patient care? Then, the conversation turned to something called ‘continuous bargaining.’ This is a way of
negotiating issues before the contract expires. Changes in technology that may impact our work are subject
to this type of bargaining. Finally, keynote speakers offered a perspective on nurses being a voice for
healthcare delivery, and the needs of our patients. It is important for nurses to give a front line prospective.
We all have our stories about patients whose healthcare failed that broke your heart. Our stories are an
important part of defining what we do as nurses.
As a new member of HPAE I am looking forward to attending more conferences in the future and I hope
some you will join me.

UNION HOLIDAY PARTY

WE CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO THE FIRST ANNUAL HPAE LOCAL 5141
HOLIDAY PARTY.

DECEMBER 10
7:30PM
CASA BELLISMA
N E W T O N - S P A R TA R O A D
WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO REACH THIS POINT AND IT TIME FOR US
TO RELAX AND CELEBRATE EVERYTHING WE’VE GAINED. DINNER WILL BE
SERVED. IT WILL BE A CASH BAR. THERE WILL BE A $10.00 CHARGE PER
PERSON. PLEASE RSVP TO A MEMBER OF NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE NO
LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30, 2009. YOU CAN ALSO RSVP BY E-MAIL TO
PBACHMAN@HPAE.ORG.
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T I P S O N U S I N G YO U R BE N E F I TS
BY MICHELE JENKIN

• Make sure your provider is biopsies to the hospital, reimbursement account

in network. If you verify by
phone document the call
and name of the person
you spoke to. If the
information is on line ,
print the page
• Make sure the insurance
company has the correct
spelling or group name of
the provider you want to
go to. Keep researching
even if you have been told
the provider isn’t in the
network. They may not be
researching the provider
correctly.
• Check to see if the
provider sends labs or
or that x-rays done at for this.
your doctors office are The Hospital recently began
covered. open enrollment for
• Use your benefits wisely, benefits in 2010. Our
check out the health care benefits will not change for
reimbursement account, 2010. Federal Labor Law
especially since prohibits the Hospital from
deductibles are coming making any changes in our
up in 2010 and our co- benefits wages and working
pays are higher for conditions without
medical and pharmacy negotiation.
costs.
• Review all your
deductibles for the
upcoming year for
medical & dental.
Consider using the
health care

D O C U M E N T I N G S TA F F I N G
As nurses, we are always striving to provide the best care possible to our patients even
though we may not always have adequate staff and resources to do this safely. We
have all probably found ourselves calling the floor after our shift to double check on
something because we were overloaded with patients or acuity was high.
Our best defense, for our patients and our licenses in these situations is an Unsafe
Staffing Form. Documenting unsafe situations will be key in negotiating language to
address challenges we face on our units every day. Please see a Member of the
Negotiating Committee for more information.
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