Staffing is so bad at Sparrow that Haley frequently needs to stop her own work in order to cover someone else, by answering a patient call or cleaning a dirty room, for example. “We have strong language in our contract, but it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t get enforced.” Haley, a rehab professional with over five years at Sparrow and three decades’ total experience in the profession, spoke to the World Socialist Web Site about the conditions pushing Sparrow workers into struggle.Įchoing comments of Kaiser workers in California, Haley explained how contract language on staffing is insufficient. Provocatively, the newest proposal from Sparrow comes with a threat to health care workers: The offer will be revoked if Sparrow workers strike or fail to ratify by December 6. The “offer” also continues the rejection of Sparrow’s earlier commitment to safe staffing levels and proposes to give priority to agency nurses over PESCH nurses in some scenarios. While the newest contract offer contains no cuts to health insurance, it maintains a strict attendance policy, under which a worker can be fired for missing only 24 hours of work in a year, and it excludes any guarantees for N95 respirators for providers or cost-of-living adjustments. On the Monday following the vote, management announced a new offer which does not address the workers’ demands. If no agreement is reached, there must be at least 10 days’ warning before a strike begins. MNA bargaining representatives are racing to find an agreement with Sparrow to avert the strike which has now been authorized. Its bed occupancy rate is 98 percent.Ī federal mediator arrived last week for the negotiations. As of this writing, Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, the largest in the health care system, has 108 COVID-19 patients, with 25 in the ICU. Michigan leads the United States in seven-day average daily new cases and hospitalizations, at 88 and 35 per 100,000, respectively. The vote came amid a major surge in coronavirus cases in the state. At the time of this writing, the website for Local 4911 had not reported the strike authorization by its members’ 2,200 co-workers. Other workers at Sparrow are in United Auto Workers Local 4911. The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) reported a turnout of nearly 90 percent of the 2,200 workers in the Professional Employee Council of Sparrow Hospital (PECSH), which covers 53 job classifications, including nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, pharmacists and laboratory assistants. The demands of Sparrow workers include safe staffing levels, cost-of-living adjustments to wages, curtailing of ballooning health care costs and sick time without fear of punishment. The workers have been working without a contract since October 31. Constructively addresses patient and team issues to insure quality patient care and a collaborative work environment.Health care workers at Sparrow Health System in Lansing, Michigan, and its surrounding area voted to authorize strike action by an overwhelming 96 percent majority, in a vote that ended Sunday.Actively participates as a team member.Communicates significant information and changes in patient condition to the RN.Demonstrates knowledge and use of appropriate equipment and supplies to provide quality patient care.
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