Local 721 Nurse Advocate: January 2009

Two Important Victories for Nurses by Nurses

L.A. County RNs win two important grievances protecting RNs’ right to time off for CEU courses and the right to proper notification when changes are made to timecards.
“I think this is a fine example of fair rulings by Management and a demonstration of how Nurses can affect change through taking the needed steps to enforce the MOU and County Code.”
- Jennae Arrias, RN
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Granted: Time Off for Nursing CEU Courses

ISSUE: Management refused to allow Registered Nurses to take equivalent time off during the same workweek when educational courses for continuing education units (CEUs) were taken on regular days off. According to our contract, management should have honored our requests (see Article 48, section 7 of your MOU).

WHAT WE GAINED FROM THE RULING:
Plan 45 days ahead and you’ll have time for your CEU.
Management is to adhere to the MOU in granting CEU course attendance when requested 45 days in advance even when the course occurs on an employee’s regular day off, on a weekend or during normal work days (this includes clinical days).
If the request to attend a CEU course is made after the monthly work schedule is posted or less than 30 days in advance, management is to make every effort to adjust the employee’s work schedule so the employee can attend the course on county time and this is contingent upon the ability to make appropriate arrangements to cover for that employee.
When requesting to attend a course less than the 45 day period, the employee is to submit a proposed work schedule change with the request to attend the course.
If Management denies this request, they must provide a written explanation for the denial.
DHS is to send a memo regarding these rulings and Article 48 of the MOU to all Nursing Management.

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Granted: Notification of Changes Made to Our Timecards
ISSUE: Management Timekeepers and Payroll Staff failed to properly notify employees of changes in time keeping and/or time card documents. Such changes may have resulted in a loss of salary and or benefits to the employees.

WHAT WE GAINED FROM THE RULING:
DHS will develop a written policy/procedure for employee notification when changes are made to an employee’s timecard. Notification will occur within a pre-defined period after discovery and before receipt of the affected paycheck.
Timecard changes can be corrected at any time.
DHS will post the new policy/procedures on county employee bulletin boards in each facility.

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Withdrawn: Alternative Work Schedules
ISSUE:Employees on alternative work schedules that exceed 8-hours in a day were required to use their personal banked time to complete their normal work day (10 hours days, must use 2 hours of your stored time). Payroll denied employees from working those 2 hours later in the week at straight time pay.

We withdrew this grievance due to the explanation by Robbie Mack and Catherine O’Brien that CWTAPPS is unable to accommodate this type of change in schedule at this time. However, there was discussion that with the upcoming new payroll system and changing some of the language in the present MOU, this flexible change in work schedules is possible in the near future.