CIR-HHC NEGOTIATIONS BULLETIN

MwwwNUMBER | .JUNE 1996

385 Park Avenue S.New York, NY 100l6-8852(2 | 2) 72s-ss00

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I I fith job security leading theItlt list of concerns, the CIRY Y negotiating team met with

HHC representatives on June 19 tobegin talks leading to a new collectivebargaining agreement (CBA).

The CIR HHC Leadership TaskForce, comprised of elected delegatesfrom the HHC hospitals, met at unionheadquarters on May 29 to spell out

priorities in the negotiations. By unan-imous consent, the issue ofjob securityuntil completion of residencies wasprimary.

Since February, CIR has been sur-veying housestaff at the institutions toascertain which issues are most impor-tant to the members. Other priorityissues for the members include CIR col-lective bargaining representation at all

HHC hospitals, adequate staffing andsupplies for patients' needs, decentmeals three times a day and readyaccess to essential medical supplies.

CIR was part of a coalit ion ofmunicipal labor unions which ratifieda new economic package with NewYork City earlier this year. The pactset the economic parameters for the

Continued on back

Job Security Is Top Concern

From theDesk of

Angela Moore, MD,Harlem Hospital,

CIR President

Deur HHC Housestafl,We are now at crunch time. As we begin

face-to-face negotiations with the city on anew collectiue bargaining contract, we needto be firm and focused on our priorities.

The city's labor unions (including, reluc-tantly, CIR) eqrlier agreed on an economicpachage that would gouern separate negotia-tions on each of our contracts. This packagecouered ouer 100,000 city employees, fewerthqn one-third of them HHC employees.

Because of the Mayor's determination tosell, lease or giue away HHC hospitals, herefused to giue the same S-year job securityguarantee to HHC employees that he grant-ed other unionized city worlzers. This m&kesit incumbent upon as in these negotiations

'to win such q. guarantee for our 2,700 mem-bers in HHC institutions.

For uirtually any employee, one's job iscrucial to one's liuelihood, support of family,and personal sense of worth. For us house-staff, our jobs qre all of these---and muchmore. This is on-the-job training for ourlife's calling. This is what most of us wentmany thousands of dollars into debt for.

Moreouer, we housestaff are the frontline

care-giuers at the public hospitals. We arethe ones who treat the police, firemen andother emergency city workers. We are theones to attend to the hundreds of thousandsof New Yorkers, mainly women and chil-dren, without means.

We not only administer to their health-care needs, but we are their aduocates. Theyneed us and, therefore, New Yorh City needsus. Any disruption in our contract ofemployment and residency is bound tocause enormous distress, and possibly dis-aster, for our patient population.

Our entire collectiue bargaining crgree-ment---<ach section and article-is impor-tant. But only if we are employed (qnd our

facilities remuin uiable and accredited aspublic teaching hospitals). Euerythingdepends on job security.

We are entering the 40th year since CIRwas born in New Yorlz City's public hospi-tals. Our experience in dealing with the cityhq,s uaried ouer the years. It is too early tosay whether these negotiations will be briefor protracted. But it is not too early to saythat our success depends on you, the mem-bers of CIR, and your determination to win.

%ntThe following are the priority changesor additions to the CIR-HHC collectivebargaining agreement, as determinedby the CIR-HHC Leadership TaskForce and a survey of the CIR mem-bership in public hospitals.

I Job security. Guaranteed right ofhousestaff in categorical positions tocomplete residencies at the expense ofHHC.

r Expanded CIR recognition. Extensionof CIR contract guarantees and repre-sentation to housestaff at Elmhurst,Queens and North Central Bronx Hos-pitals, which are currently paidthrough affiliates, not HHC.

I Hours. Compliance with NY healthregulations limiting work hours to 80per week, no more than 24 hours at atime, at least one day off in 7, being oncall no more than every other 3rdnight, and sufficient ancillary staffavailable to make hours compliancefeasible.

r Patient care issues. Establishment ofsufficient consultation rooms to pro-vide for patient-physician confi dential-ity; housestaff access to all patientmedication 24 hours a day; etc.

I Succession. Guarantee that CIR collec-tive bargaining agreement would carryover to new entity should HHC trans-fer, affrliate or sell an institution.

r Meals. HHC shall provide wholesome,varied food at hospitals, or provide adaily meal allowance for each house-staff officer.

I Free parking. Parking at no cost will beprovided to each housestaffoffrcer dur-ing working hours at the institution.

r Non-renewal notice. Enhance CIR'sability to protect residents againstuntimely or unfair non-renewal.

I Direct deposit. Each hospital wouldautomatically deposit bi-weekly pay inredident's account.

r Book/equipment allowance. Estab-lish annual allowance for housestaffpurchase ofbooks and equipment rele-vant to resident training.

CIR CONTINGENTATJUNE t2 MARCHAND RALLY Eo saveNewYork health care.Thousands of health careemployees from HHC andvoluntary hospitalsmarched from BellevueHospital to Gov. GeorgePataki's NYC headquart-ers to l ink the issues ofsaving public hospitals andprotesting cuts inMedicaid funding andderegulation of

,,1".1:rll1l. industry. Among rhe speakers addressing the gathering

was Peter Ingraldi, Mq CIR's secreary-rreasurer from 1993-g6.

ffiffiffi'"tuhI I tith budget negotiationsItlt stalled in Albany, it is tooY Y early to tell how much of a

hit HHC will take in Medicaid fundingcuts for fiscal year 1997. The cuts, inany case, are likely to be hefty-atleast tens of millions of dollars, andpossibly hundreds of millions. Thesecuts will be equaled by New York City,which provides matching funds toMedicaid.

Also in question are hundreds ofmillions more in subsidies provided bythe hospital rate-setting system thatGovernor Pataki is trying to eliminate.These subsidies are crucial to graduatemedical education.

Meantime, Mayor Giuliani hasreduced the city's subsidy to HHC from$228 million in 1995 to $SZ million in1997, arguing that he is reducing"fat"and the cuts will not affect services.CIR will award a full medical educa-tion, residency and fellowship to any-one who can name another govern-

ment agency on any level whose ser-vices would not be affected by an 75percent reduction in subsidies.

Gossip abounds and secrecy sur-rounds the Mayor's attempts to sell orlease Queens, Elmhurst and ConeyIsland Hospitals, the frrst three HHCinstitutions Giuliani has targeted forprivatization. Announcements of bid-ders is imminent or not, depending onwhich rumor one has heard mostrecently.

The Mayor's priorities remainintact, however. While he may havetoned down his campaign to build abillion-dollar Yankee Stadium in mid-town Manhattan, he has justannounced another $7 million taxincentive to NBC even though themulti-media giant currently benefrtsfrom a $100 million corporation reten-tion agreement. Arguing that thismeans jobs for New Yorkers, the subsi-dies translate into a whopping $47,555per job. The Giuliani administrationhas now completed 17 corporate reten-tion deals, at a total cost to the city of$407 million in lost revenues.Somehow, nobody at City Hall com-plains about "fat" in private industry.

CONTRACTNEGOTIATIONScontinued from frontcollective bargaining which has justbegun. The basic economic termsagreed to were a wage and benefitsincrease of 13 percent over five years,but no raise for the first two years.(This will not affect housestaff stepincreases which remain in effect.)

The city agreed to a no-layoffpledgefor the first three years except forHHC employees because of MayorRudolph Giuliani's intention to priva-tize the municipal hospitals. Thismakes the CIR job-security demand inthe contract talks all the more crucial.

Representing CIR in the talks withthe city are the members of the HHCTask Force, in addition to union staff.