Is It True?

We know there is a lot of misinformation flying around.

Do per diems get OT for mandatory overtime?

Yes, below is the contract language to send to managers and payroll staff.

III.E. Overtime Compensation (Section III.E. Overtime compensation does not apply to P103 Per Diem nurses except for section 3. and 4. [emphasis added])

368. 4. Mandatory overtime shall be compensated at one-and-one-half (1-1/2) the base hourly rate which shall include shift differential if applicable.

Do we get paid if we go on strike?

No. When SEIU 1021 members go on strike, it's because they have decided what they stand to gain from the strike outweighs the days of pay they would lose while being on strike. We suggest you start saving now to prepare for a possible strike. Most SEIU 1021 strikes are unfair labor practice (ULP) strikes are limited in duration and typically last 1-5 days, usually covering a weekend.

Several people are talking about a possibility of our dual reqs being taken away, is this true?

Management has offered a proposal to eliminate the dual requisition and to legitimize the use of "Straight-Time Overtime". This proposal was not accepted, and there is no proposal from your bargaining team to eliminate Rule 29 or "dual reqs".

“Can I strike? I signed a no strike clause.”

In 2009, the City amended the Charter to deliberately rig the collective bargaining system in the City’s favor by creating an arbitrary deadline to complete contract negotiations and a harsh penalty for the unions and their members that do not meet the deadline. These changes to the Charter also made it effectively impossible for workers to use the strongest tool available to us – the right to strike – to advocate for ourselves and the community we serve. As a result, the scales have been tipped in management’s favor for years each time we go to the table to bargain a new contract.

Now, a ruling from the Public Employment Relations Board which was just affirmed by the California Court of Appeals has changed everything.

In the past, to the City failed to bargain in good faith until late April and then pushed unions into binding arbitration under the rules in the City Charter to meet the June 15 deadline for reaching an agreement with SFMTA and the May 15 deadline for all other public workers. The unions and their members were forced to abandon important bargaining proposals that benefited the community. Any agreement we reached beyond those deadlines that included economic improvements would be unenforceable until the following year.

Recent decisions from PERB and the courts made it clear that management’s way of enforcing the 2009 amendments to the Charter is unlawful.

What does this mean for public workers in San Francisco?

“This victory means we are facing a monumental opportunity. COVID-19 has exposed just how broken many of our workplaces are and how dangerous it is for San Francisco to continue devaluing and underfunding vital public services. Now, for the first time in generations, these rulings allow us to fight for transformative changes by credibly and legally preparing for a strike if management continues to ignore our concerns about the health, safety, and wellbeing of our City’s workforce and residents,” said Theresa Rutherford, SEIU 1021 VP of San Francisco.

City management appealed this decision to the California Supreme Court but we are confident that the courts will continue to side with workers like us.

Our job now is to get ready to fight.

“Is it true “The Union” is blocking the hire of travelers and that is why we’re so short staffed?”

Gotta love that one.

Here’s the skinny.... DPH, which has adamantly DENIED that SFGH is under budgeted for, oh, about a decade now recently asked the Board of Supervisors for an additional $59 million dollars specifically for the employment of temporary registry staff RNs. Did they ask for additional funding for full time RNs? Part time RNs? Hiring bonuses? Nah – just registry.

Now, we all know our registry colleagues work hard alongside us and are worth every penny they earn. However, we ALSO know how much of a strain it is on you to have your workforce turnover every 12 weeks. We also know how challenging it is to support people who have been given 2 days of orientation to their work environment. We know how heartbreaking it is to watch them thrown out like last week’s bloody scrubs after an assault or a poor outcome.

Just like we care about our patients, we care about our colleagues, and that means they deserve the basics. Health insurance, retirement, worker’s compensation, safe patient ratios, adequate training for their environment, and some investment into their futures for a job well done. The city dodges all of those responsibilities by steadily increasing the number of registry RNs amongst our ranks. All while reducing the number of RNs that are protected under our union contract.

So we asked a couple simple questions to the Board of Supervisors. We asked, why? Why does DPH need all these additional funds for registry if they are appropriately staffed and budgeted? Why are they able to bring in more and more registry staff and yet it takes them over 200 days to hire a single full time RN? Why would the administration NOT be asking for assistance building a strong, stable, protected, PERMANENT staffing base for the county hospital?

Apparently the Board of Supervisors wants answers to those questions as well. So they opted not to run right out and throw more money to DPH for registry staff. They opted to ask DPH to explain why they needed those funds in lieu of permanent staff. Has DPH given them a satisfactory answer? We can’t say.

So THAT is how a story gets twisted into your “UNION” “Blocking” the hiring of registry staff. It usually starts with us asking questions that they don’t want to answer and builds from there.