UMC says union settlement reached

Art Nadler

Friday, Aug. 13, 1999 | 11:33 a.m.

University Medical Center and the union representing the hospital's employees have reached a tentative contract agreement, a hospital spokeswoman said in a written statement Thursday.

Details of the agreement were not given, but representatives of the Nevada Service Employees Union said during negotiations that they were concerned about nurses being "floated" between jobs in which they weren't trained. Also, nurses raised concerns about being called back to work too soon between shifts.

Shirley Hughes, a registered nurse who has been at UMC for 24 years, said some nurses would complete their 40-hour week and then be called back to work within 30 minutes to work another five straight days, depriving them of the traditional two-day break.

The hospital responded to these issues by stating in a written statement that it is "common practice" throughout the health care industry to have a call-back policy. It also said floating was only done if a nurse was qualified to do another job.

The union has represented workers at UMC since 1987. Employees had been working without a contract since July 1998.

"The contract that we negotiated today is good for UMC's employees, ensures the highest quality of patient care and will maintain UMC as a community's premier health care provider," Tom Beatty, executive director of the union, said in a written statement.

The four-year contract is expected to be presented to the union's membership for a vote this month.

The hospital will also have to bring the settlement to the County Commission, which acts as the hospital's board of trustees, for approval.

"It's been a tough negotiating process with both sides having strong feelings about key issues," Bill Hale, the hospital's chief executive officer, said in a written statement. "We have, however, always been able to work together with both sides maintaining focus on what's best for the hospital."

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