SSUH / 1199 Negotiation Update – 12/1/2020

Yesterday, South Shore University Hospital (SSUH) and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199) met virtually for our 14th negotiation session.

We put proposals across the table and engaged in a spirited dialog that magnified several key differences of position. In the end, our progress was once again hindered by the union’s refusal to acknowledge the clear and compelling differences in professional status and clinical level of nurse practitioners (NPs) as compared to other 1199-represented team members in the hospital.

While there are many examples that would demonstrate the parties’ differing positions, the one that was discussed in detail yesterday relates to leaves of absence (LOA) and staffing agency coverage. Specifically, the union is proposing a maximum LOA period that exceeds the amount of time we would be permitted to use agency NP support by up to four times. Our challenge is balancing our team members’ needs with those of our patients. 1199’s proposals have the potential to negatively impact SSUH’s ability to deliver the highest quality patient care.

If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to sign up for text message updates about the status of negotiations by texting SSNP to 77295. Text messages are factual, infrequent and brief, and contain a link to the full update residing on this website. You may also opt out at any time.

We look forward to making further progress at our next negotiation session on Dec. 14, and will keep you updated.