Understanding our contract Articles 21-23

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Article 21 Licensure and Certification:
You must maintain your license and any currently required certifications, the hospital is responsible for providing paid educational opportunities for you to maintain required certifications.

Article 22 Seniority:
There are 2 kinds of seniority, hospital and department.
The bargaining committee purposely tried to minimize the importance of seniority so as to not create 2 classes of RNs, the "old timers" and the "newbies".
Hospital seniority is how long you have continuously worked at the hospital in any role.
Hospital seniority controls in computing any benefits that are tied to length of service. (such as number of weeks vacation)
Department seniority is the amount of time continuously employed in a particular department as an RN.
Department seniority controls in layoffs, recalls to work, and reduction of hours.
If you transfer to a new department, you retain up to 3 years of Department seniority, assuming you have been in your current department that long.

Article 23 Reduction in Force:
If the hospital determines there is a need to layoff RNs, they will meet with the union.  Often, unions and management can minimize the effects of a layoff by coming together to look at other solutions.
Layoffs are by department seniority, in this order: Probationary employees, Travelers, volunteers, least senior in that department.
A laided off nurse has the right to fill any posted position that they are qualified for.  If there are no such positions, they may displace a probationary employee, traveler, or least senior nurse in another department for which they are qualified, or they may elect to accept the layoff.

Article 23 Recall rights:
Laid off nurses maintain recall rights for 9 months and are recalled by seniority to any open position that they are qualified for.  They maintain up to 3 years of departmental seniority.