Healthcare workers at Medical Center of Trinity in New Port Richey, FL, are standing together and seeing results by knowing and enforcing their union contract. In recent weeks, 1199SEIU Florida members at Trinity addressed safety issues at the hospital, saved a job from termination, and helped five environmental services workers achieve full-time status.
On July 25, the Behavioral Health Sub-Committee kicked off its first meeting with 1199SEIU members Heather Mercado and Lynda Gidding representing behavioral health employees to address safety issues in their department.
The committee was launched after 1199SEIU members called for a meeting with management to discuss safety issues. Members discussed team nursing and decided to seek out everyone’s input on the direction of the department as it relates to team nursing. The goal of the next Sub-Committee meeting will be to hear all views on team nursing and then decide what direction is best for the department and patients.
Because 1199SEIU members spoke up, they now have a seat at the table with management and are looking for ideas from their co-workers that could help make the behavioral health unit safer and more consistent.
The work 1199SEIU members have been doing at Trinity is about lifting healthcare workers up so they can excel in a good, secure job that allows them to provide the best care for their patients.
Recently, five environmental services workers who are members of 1199SEIU were given the opportunity to move into a more secure job as a result of their dedication. These workers were reclassified from part-time to full-time status because their union contract guarantees that workers who have worked part time for 12 out of 15 consecutive pay periods are rewarded for their dedication by becoming full-time employees.
Being reclassified means workers can bring home more money to provide for their families and are eligible for benefits.
Unfortunately, even hardworking, dedicated healthcare workers can be wrongly terminated and left to question how they’ll be able to care for their family, as was the case recently with a union member in the lab at Trinity who was scheduled to work but needed the day off.
She was told to find someone to cover her shift on her own, but she could not find anyone. However, management later told her they were able to cover her shift, but when she returned to work, she discovered she had been placed on termination status.
After the member proved she had been informed that her shift was covered, thankfully, her termination status was dropped.
Whether it is addressing issues of wrongful termination, safety at the hospital or better job opportunities, 1199SEIU members at Trinity are implementing their union contract to find solutions to the challenges they face on a daily basis, while always making patient care a priority.
On July 25, the Behavioral Health Sub-Committee kicked off its first meeting with 1199SEIU members Heather Mercado and Lynda Gidding representing behavioral health employees to address safety issues in their department.
The committee was launched after 1199SEIU members called for a meeting with management to discuss safety issues. Members discussed team nursing and decided to seek out everyone’s input on the direction of the department as it relates to team nursing. The goal of the next Sub-Committee meeting will be to hear all views on team nursing and then decide what direction is best for the department and patients.
Because 1199SEIU members spoke up, they now have a seat at the table with management and are looking for ideas from their co-workers that could help make the behavioral health unit safer and more consistent.
The work 1199SEIU members have been doing at Trinity is about lifting healthcare workers up so they can excel in a good, secure job that allows them to provide the best care for their patients.
Recently, five environmental services workers who are members of 1199SEIU were given the opportunity to move into a more secure job as a result of their dedication. These workers were reclassified from part-time to full-time status because their union contract guarantees that workers who have worked part time for 12 out of 15 consecutive pay periods are rewarded for their dedication by becoming full-time employees.
Being reclassified means workers can bring home more money to provide for their families and are eligible for benefits.
Unfortunately, even hardworking, dedicated healthcare workers can be wrongly terminated and left to question how they’ll be able to care for their family, as was the case recently with a union member in the lab at Trinity who was scheduled to work but needed the day off.
She was told to find someone to cover her shift on her own, but she could not find anyone. However, management later told her they were able to cover her shift, but when she returned to work, she discovered she had been placed on termination status.
After the member proved she had been informed that her shift was covered, thankfully, her termination status was dropped.
Whether it is addressing issues of wrongful termination, safety at the hospital or better job opportunities, 1199SEIU members at Trinity are implementing their union contract to find solutions to the challenges they face on a daily basis, while always making patient care a priority.