After three months of contract negotiations, the College of Iowa Healthcare Employees Union is getting ready to start out conversations with IU hospitals and clinics to enhance the office and affected person care.

Following the conclusion of contract negotiations, the Worldwide Union of Service Workers 199 is getting ready for bi-monthly conversations with College of Iowa hospitals and clinics, moderated by the state Board of Regents.

After three months of collective bargaining, the SEIU signed a contract approving a 1.3% annual wage improve for every union on March 12.

The SEIU contact particular person additionally ensures that the union will maintain conferences with the regents and administration of the UIHC to debate problems with significance to union members.

On the Regents ‘Ratification Assembly, Kristin Bauer, the Regents’ Affiliate Lawyer, stated elevated communication on the topic could be helpful to everybody concerned within the course of.

“We’ll attempt to facilitate these and have them on a extra frequent foundation,” Bauer stated. “We imagine this can assist additional communication and cooperation with members of this union.”

SEIU president Cathy Glasson stated the union deliberate to satisfy each two months with the regents, however would ask to regulate to roughly frequent conferences if crucial.

From his expertise, Glasson stated that most of these committees begin with points that the UIHC and the union wish to tackle to construct belief and obtain some success. She stated SEIU wished to debate frequent points first earlier than delving into extra complicated points.

“We wish to set up a relationship with the UIHC in order that collectively we will deal with the problems that we all know are affecting our workers’s potential to offer high quality care,” she stated. “We all know the hospital is experiencing a scarcity of nurses and different well being care professionals and we wish to be certain that we’re concerned on this dialogue in order that we will resolve the recruitment and retention problem.

Glasson stated these conversations aren’t new, however the addition of regents to committees is one thing she’s by no means seen earlier than. She stated there was room for a powerful and strong relationship between the three entities and this was a helpful first step for all events to construct belief and communication.

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Josh Lehman, Senior Director of Communications at Regents, wrote in an e mail to The every day Iowan that the UIHC re-establish common work administration conferences that embrace UIHC workers, regents and the SEIU union to make sure the success of the partnership.

“The UIHC and the Board of Regents are dedicated to working collaboratively with SEIU leaders to establish vital points and discover options that enhance affected person outcomes, maximize job satisfaction and enhance the general efficiency of the hospital, ”he wrote. “… These conferences are presently scheduled.”

UIHC Director of Public Relations Laura Shoemaker stated UIHC Director of Worker Relations and Labor Lisa Brewster is facilitating the dialog on the UI aspect.

Glasson stated there was loads of room in these conversations to increase and enhance care at UIHC with the assistance of staff. She stated the committee deliberate to satisfy each two months, beginning in March, however a date was not launched.

Nevertheless, there’s flexibility within the scheduling of those conferences, Glasson stated, and he or she hopes there might be extra conferences if crucial. She stated the union was prepared to maneuver ahead and assist IUHC guarantee sufferers obtain the very best care and staff are in the absolute best place to work.

“It is going to assist the hospital by bettering the standard of affected person outcomes,” she stated. “We even wish to discuss to [UIHC] on concepts, we have to lower prices and lower your expenses whereas offering essentially the most environment friendly and high quality care. There’s room for actual alternatives right here to construct a greater relationship and a greater place to work. “