News from the Lawrence & Memorial front line

L&M bosses still won't negotiate in good faith

By Matt O'Connor

Today the human resources director for L&M Hospital sent an apparent "offer" to the chief negotiator on our committee representing the facility's nearly 800 nurses and healthcare techs.

It was delivered by email, not presented in a negotiations session. L&M Corporation's have still not agreed to any future date to resume negotiations to end their lockout since canceling yesterday's session.

While our negotiating committee of nurses and techs has not yet fully reviewed this latest "offer," at first glance it appears to be the same proposal we have already previously rejected.

What is different are "signing bonuses' offered to the nurses and techs if they approve this latest proposal. Clearly, the corporation's representatives are desperate if they feel they have to bribe their nurses and techs into accepting this proposal.

Which, if no different than previous proposals already rejected by our negotiating committee in talks and by our full membership in their strike vote authorization, is inadequate to address our patient care concerns. 

It's bad enough the corporation is putting that care at risk now by locking out their professional caregivers. Our nurses and techs will not have their hand forced into voting for something that puts their patients' future care in jeopardy.

Details of the corporation's "offer" were apparently sent to the press less than 30 minutes later after being sent to us and before we had a chance to confirm it had been received.

Yesterday the hospital's spokesman said that what was needed is for both sides to commit to "coming into a room, and sitting down, and having face-to-face conversations." We couldn't agree more. 

Yet L&M's human resources director is instead negotiating by email and through the press. 

We will therefore not be responding to this "offer" by email or in the press. We are ready to discuss it with the corporation’s representatives when they agree to resume talks to end their lockout and reach a mutual agreement on patient care delivery. 

Further, this proposal did not come from the corporation's chief spokesperson who would be the only authorized person empowered to present proposals in negotiations. If the corporation has changed their chief spokesperson they need to inform us immediately.