Dec 02, 2007  
Bargaining – 11/30/07
 
The Departmental Structure Appendix to Articles 14 and 15 concerning Layoff and Recall, AND the new health insurance administrator

DEPARTMENTAL STRUCTURE
Yesterday, the 29th, we left off discussion on the administration's proposed appendix to Articles 14 and 15. This appendix was called "Departmental Structure." The administration wanted departments to be based on their cost centers. Our bargaining team wanted the 'departments' reduced in number, thereby making them larger. This, we thought, would provide more opportunity – for those whose jobs might be eliminated by the administration – to find another opening in their 'department'. [Please see "Bargaining – 11/29/07" elsewhere on this page.]

Today, we continued discussing the administration's appendix. OK...you’d think it was a slam dunk! All we had to do is to agree on who’s in what department, right?

Surprisingly enough it took most of the day. Our bargaining team did cut the number of departments down to about 8 sections such as clerical, pharmacy, nursing with the CNAs, distribution, lab, x-ray, and others.

Management caucused on our proposal and came back with a different version of departmental structure. Theirs consisted of 12 'departments', down from the original 53 departments they gave us yesterday. Supposedly, these are set up according to functional similarities and, perhaps, by administrator:
  1.  General Nursing
  2.  Critical Care Nursing
  3.  Home Care
  4.  Materials Management and Distribution
  5.  General Support Services
  6.  Clinical
  7.  Oncology Services
  8.  Surgical Services
  9.  Clinical Support Services
10.  Lab
11.  Communications
12.  Pharmacy
Each department was further broken down into subgroups.

SWITCHING INSURANCE ADMINISTRATORS
We then discussed the administration's new insurance plan which is slated to go into effect this coming January 1st. There have been questions about the plan related to the Argyll Group and possibly other doctors' intentions to take themselves out of the network, if the hospital goes with their new choice, the Keenan Group.

Management said that they are paying more for this insurance for both primary doctors and specialists with the cost almost doubled for hospital and specialist coverage. Our chief negotiator wondered how the hospital could save money if the administration was paying more for coverage. Management insisted they’d make up the money with institutional visits to hospitals like UC Davis, or Enloe itself. We will need to study and discuss this more with the administration.

Also, the low reimbursement rate of the insurance payments to our primary doctors over specialists was discussed. Management said they were working with Blue Cross to improve payment, but that they have used all their leverage and they have taken it as far as they can. The administration hopes that things can be ironed out, and these doctors and groups will accept the new insurance. Charlie, our chief negotiator asked, with cost outpacing reimbursement, why our administration chose an insurance that would pay 20% lower than the last insurance company.

We were told that the problem with the present Superior Insurance was that you never knew how they were going to pay, and that it was even worse for out of state. With our new coverage we have more choices of doctors and hospitals statewide, and have the Blue Card nationwide for medical care out of state. We will revisit this at our next session.

The next session will be on 12/10/07. If you can arrange the time, please come by and see democracy in action.

PC