March 9, 2009

There are two letters below. The first was written to update the members and the second was the initial agreement letter.

Dear MNA Colleague,

We are writing to update you on a change in the way holidays not worked will be handled.  As you know, most nurses now bank holidays not worked and use the days at a later date.  That practice came about as a result of a grievance settlement several years ago which gave the hospital the ability to decide if holidays could be banked. 

The hospital recently notified us that they would no longer allow unlimited banking of holidays. In addition, the contract states that if a holiday falls on a nurse’s day off, the nurse will be paid…….for the holiday (Article 7.5).  In light of the hospital’s position and the contract language, we have negotiated a compromise which involves putting a cap of seventy-two (72) on the number of holiday hours nurses may bank. 

This language will be implemented on May 1 and will not affect any time that is currently in your bank.  You can continue to use those hours as you have in the past.  However, if banking a holiday not worked would put your bank over 72 hours, then you will be paid for those hours at straight time pay.  As always, holiday hours are counted as “hours worked” for purposes of overtime.

The Side Letter that summarizes our agreement with the hospital is printed on the back of this letter.  Please review it and call any one of us with any questions or concerns.

Finally, we anticipate sending out our new contract in the next few weeks along with a Contract Proposal Survey that we will use to prepare for our next round of negotiations.  Also, be sure to check our website periodically – www.mnabwhrn.org.

In Unity,
Your MNA Committee Members

Barbara Norton, Chairperson, NICU
Michael Robinson, Vice-Chair, ER
Marian Wright, Treasurer, CWN9
Judy Lydon, Secretary, CWN8
Susan Tartaglia, Membership
Judith Racowsky, CWN9
Mary Ann Dillon, 3BC
Trish Powers, OR
Connie Gassett, AMB GYN
Jean Cabral, 9E
Dianne Griffin, 5A
Maureen Kenneally-Ward, L&D
George Rotondo, 6E
Sandra Abber, 16AB
Kristin Robishaw, NICU
Laurie Demeule, Cath Lab.
Michael Savoy, ER

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February 24, 2009

Shelley Reever
Associate Director of Labor Relations
Massachusetts Nurses Association
140 Turnpike Street
Canton, Massachusetts 02021

Dear Shelley:

I am writing to set forth the terms of our recent agreement on banking of holiday hours for holidays worked and for holidays not worked.  This agreement supplements the February 17, 1995 agreement between the parties.  Effective May 1, 2009, a nurse will
 not be able to “bank” additional holiday hours if the number of “banked” holiday hours that she/he has exceed seventy-two hours.  For each holiday after May 1, 2009, if a nurse’s accrued holiday hours are greater than seventy-two hours after holiday hours for such holiday have been added to her/his holiday “bank”, the nurse will be paid the monetary value of the holiday hours the nurse accrued for such holiday, and the requisite number of holiday hours will be deducted from the nurse’s holiday bank.  Such payment will be made in the payroll check for the week of the holiday.  The hours reflected by such payment when combined with the hours actually worked by a nurse in the week of the holiday may exceed the nurse’s regularly scheduled hours.
 
If the above correctly sets forth our agreement, please so indicate by signing below and returning a fully signed copy to me.  I have enclosed an additional signed copy for your files.

Sincerely,
3-2-09 

_____________________________________
Leo F. Buckley, Jr.  Date

ACCEPTED AND AGREED:
MASSACHUSETTS NURSES ASSOCIATION
3-2-09

By:  _________________________________
Shelley Reever Date

#105873
BWH-MNA 2009 Side letter on Banking Holidays 2-24-09

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