It was a discouraging day. We arrived for bargaining ready to discuss open proposals and expecting the Teamsters to finally provide their remaining economic proposals so we could review them in full.
When we arrived, we were informed that the Teamsters changed their lead negotiator. Instead of negotiating, after less than an hour, the Teamsters’ new negotiator said, “we are done” and canceled the rest of the day and tomorrow’s session. They also demanded responses to their proposals by February 10, even those we have not yet received. If we do not have responses to their proposals, they threatened to call for a strike.
We made it clear to the Teamsters months ago we cannot negotiate economics in a piecemeal way. We have waited several months for their full economic package, but the Teamsters still have not provided it. For example, the Teamsters have not provided a wage proposal for NPs, CRNAs, or a health insurance proposal.
Unfortunately, this is a repeat pattern for the Teamsters – to blame others in an apparent attempt to distract from the union’s inability to deliver. Once again, the Teamsters were unprepared, which continues to delay the negotiation process.
Here’s a few other things you should know:
Delay – After taking seven months to come to the table, the Teamsters have cancelled 5 out of 23 sessions. They devoted at least 2 other sessions to issues unique to the bargaining committee.
Staffing – The Teamsters first presented their staffing proposal on November 18. Although they presented it as a “safe staffing” proposal, we cannot separate it from other economic proposals because it has significant financial impacts.
Bad Faith – The Teamsters have repeatedly backtracked on proposals and presented proposals that conflict with tentative agreements already reached. They are now threatening to call for a strike without having heard our responses or even making all of their proposals. This is textbook bad faith bargaining.
Teamsters Leadership – The Teamsters brought in a new lead negotiator today. He joined the Teamsters as a warehouse worker at SuperValue in Minnesota and is the head of the Teamster warehouse division, spending his career focused on freight, airlines, food service and warehouses. Not health care.
Next Steps
The Teamsters refused to tell us when we can expect to receive their outstanding proposals, simply saying we will receive them with “plenty of time” to respond.
Once received, we are committed to evaluating the Teamsters’ proposals and giving them our full, good faith consideration.
We are admittedly frustrated at what we view as poor representation and tactics by the Teamsters. However, our goal remains to reach a contract that provides fair and competitive terms for our professional nurses while supporting our continued ability to provide exceptional care to our patients.