By Vivian Le
State Board of Regents officials and members of the Service Employees International Union Local 199 members met Tuesday morning to give initial proposals for a collective bargaining agreement in regards to the union’s 2017-2019 contract.
The contract provides terms and conditions of employment for professional employees in the tertiary health-care bargaining unit at the University of Iowa.
SEIU Local 199 members proposed a 6 percent increase in wages for minimum salaries and returning bargain-unit employees’ salaries.
In the regents’ proposal, they proposed a 0.5 percent increase for minimum salaries and for returning employees a 1 percent wage increase.
The union also added a new section to the contact regarding retention and seniority pay, which would add onto the base salaries of employees varying from specific years of seniority; and productivity pay, which would benefit employees who are called upon to care for a more than usual number of patients.
The regents are also looking to implement a non-union flexible pay policy, so non-bargaining-unit members can receive the benefits provided.
Other alterations to the contract proposed between the union and regents were also made in regards to overtime, supplemental pay, and vacation leave.
“While there is quite a bit in here, the team has spent a lot of time and talked to a lot of people regarding why these changes are necessary,” said Jim Jacobson, the chief legal counsel for the union. “They are all designed to not only to improve the working conditions for our folks but also improve the healing conditions of the patients and ensure that this hospital remains a top notch hospital nationwide.”
The two groups will negotiate further in the following weeks.
