Does the hospital’s proposal to eliminate permanent shifts mean that everyone will have to work nights and weekends?
No. There is a lot of confusion around the status of permanent shifts, but the hospital is proposing three different things that relate to so-called “permanent shifts,” none of which would require anyone to give up a shift they currently have. Briefly, the first proposal is to stop using the word “permanent” wherever it appears in the contract because it is misleading. Instead, the hospital is proposing to use the word “regular.” So if you are currently a “permanent day shift full-time” nurse, you would now be a “regular day shift full-time nurse.” This is only a name change. The second change WHC is proposing eliminates the unusual language set forth in Section 11.3(e)(ii) of the current contract. That provision requires most units to strictly maintain a minimum number of “permanent day shift” positions irrespective of census or staffing needs on other units. The quotas in the contract do not reflect current scheduling preferences of many nurses. Because our nurses self-schedule, the
