BREAKING NEWS!!!!  Friday, September 01, 2006

Today members of the Memorial Hospital UNAP met throughout the day to debate and vote on two issues:

1)  Whether to accept the Hospital's final offer or reject it and strike

2) Whether an 80% majority should be required to authorize a strike

Our members voted 159 to 158 to reject the final offer and strike.  They also voted in favor of requiring an 80% majority to authorize a strike.  Since 51% voted (ie, less than 80%) to reject the final offer and strike, the Hospital’s latest offer has been accepted.

The Memorial Hospital UNAP Local 5082 and the Memorial Hospital of RI met through the night last night.  At about 5:00 a.m., the Hospital modified the final offer that it had insisted it would not modify for the last three weeks.  The modification came with respect to wages.  Contrary to the Hospital’s position that many employees would lose their raises this year, NO EMPLOYEE WILL LOSE THEIR RAISE THIS YEAR.

Because, however, the Hospital has failed to address the mandatory overtime issue in a meaningful way at the bargaining table, we are going to make Memorial Hospital the ‘poster child’ for why we need the General Assembly to pass legislation banning mandatory overtime.

With these negotiations as a backdrop, Senator John Tassoni and Representative Raymond Gallison, at a recent press conference, said they would be pre-filing mandatory overtime legislation this legislative session provided that they are re-elected.  The UNAP and the Memorial Hospital local are committed to continuing the fight to end mandatory overtime.