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University Hospitals Geneva Medical Center Registered Nurses to Strike on December 10 if Contract Agreement Cannot Be Reached

Posted on: Sunday, 7 December 2008, 08:37 CST

CLEVELAND, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Contract negotiations between the Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) and University Hospitals Geneva Medical Center (University Hospitals Geneva) broke down after the 6th session of negotiations on Friday, December 5. To date, the parties have been unable to reach an agreement.

At issue are economic provisions including a potential change to health insurance premiums. University Hospitals Geneva has indicated that they will remove premium rate charts for health insurance which cap annual increases. This will expose the nurses to increases without a ceiling on premium costs. ONA had offered to withdraw all remaining non-economic provisions, including a union membership requirement and a successorship agreement in order to secure economic provisions, however, University Hospitals Geneva did not agree to the offer. During this rough economic period, it is essential that the RNs protect themselves from having a large employer such as University Hospitals Geneva potentially shift the cost of health insurance premiums from itself onto the individual RNs by securing a percentage of premiums paid.

On November 25, 2008, ONA gave University Hospitals Geneva a 10-day strike notice. As of December 7, 2008, University Hospitals Geneva has maintained its proposals. The parties are not scheduled to meet again, however, ONA has continued to express an interest in negotiating an alternative proposal. If the parties cannot reach an agreement before the contract expires on December 9 at midnight, ONA will strike and maintain a picket line on December 10, 2008 at 7:00 a.m. in front of University Hospitals Geneva Medical Center, 870 West Main Street, Geneva, Ohio 44041.

The RNs employed by University Hospitals Geneva are professionals with highly developed skills and extensive education. Every day they provide compassionate care to the residents of Geneva and surrounding areas while promoting their health and wellness. It is the hope of ONA that University Hospitals Geneva will reconsider its position so that a successful agreement can be reached with its RNs that will allow them to continue to provide quality care without compromising their own livelihoods.

About the Ohio Nurses Association

The Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) was established in 1904 to secure a Nurse Practice Act to protect Ohio's citizens and has become the premier professional organization for Ohio's RNs. ONA's Economic and General Welfare (E&GW) Program was established in 1956. When the National Labor Relations Act was amended in 1974 to allow nurses to unionize, the E&GW Program was charged with providing representation for nurses in collective bargaining. For more information, please visit www.ohnurses.org.

SOURCE Ohio Nurses Association

Source: PR Newswire

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