Our Rights As Union Members
What you need to know
As a member of VFNHP, you qualify for certain protections and rights under the law.
Federal law provides important protection for our union as a whole, as well as for each of us as individuals. At the local level, through negotiations, we have earned rights for ourselves that are outlined in detail in our contract.
Our rights under federal law
Unions across the country are accountable to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). VFNHP is a private sector union and therefore under the stewardship of the National Labor Relations Board. The board is appointed by the President of the United States, approved by the U.S. Senate, and is charged with enforcing the National Labor Relations Act.
According to the National Labor Relations Act, you have the right:
To organize a union and collectively bargain with your employer over all working conditions, including but not limited to wages, benefits and hours.
To attend union meetings.
To talk about the union freely any place where you can discuss other non-work-related issues. Remember, if you can talk about sports, the weather, your family, etc., you can discuss union issues, and management may not interfere.
To wear union buttons and stickers. (Section 8 (a) (1) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA, Labor Board decisions, and the US Supreme Court have all affirmed union members’ right to wear stickers/buttons at work.
To read or distribute union literature. Management may not remove or discard union literature if it is in a non-patient care area.
To sign a union card. Intimidation by management is a violation of your rights and is against the law.
Weingarten Rights
All members are entitled to something called the “Weingarten Rights.” This explicitly gives union members the right to union representation when speaking with their managers.
If a discussion with your manager could in any way lead to your being disciplined or terminated, or affect your personal working conditions, you have the right to request that a steward or union officer be present at the meeting. We strongly recommend that you do not attend such meetings with management alone.
Whistleblower Protection Act
The Whistleblower Protection Act protects you from retaliation from your employer when reporting such things as unsafe or unhealthy working conditions, environmental issues, public safety hazards or other issues to OSHA or any other government agency. For more information check out: Federal Whistleblower Protection Act.
In addition to federal protection, the Vermont legislature, with strong support and guidance from our union, passed the Healthcare Whistleblower Protection Act in 2005, containing some of the strongest whistleblower language in the country. If you believe that you have a whistleblower issue in your unit, contact a union representative immediately . This statute specifically protects healthcare workers. To view the actual statute, click here: Vermont law (Title 21, V.S.A., Sections 507-509).
Our rights under contract
After a contract has been negotiated and ratified, it becomes a legally binding agreement. All of our rights are specifically outlined in the contract. Knowing your rights under the contract is essential. Take the time to familiarize yourself with all sections and articles of your contract. Some of these rights and benefits are vital to our ability to provide exemplary service to our patients, and be protected while doing so. Every article in the contract is important, whether it is relevant only to a single individual, or affects each of us every day. Knowing your rights can go a long way towards identifying and preventing violations before they occur.
Who to contact
If you have any questions regarding your contract, please contact the Union Office at 802.657.4040, or email info@vfnhp.org, for more information.
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Summary of Technical Professionals Tentative Agreement & Voting Info
Dear Technical Professionals, We reached a Tentative Agreement on our next contract! Before I get into the details of the agreement and next steps, I want to say how grateful I am to organize with all of you. The dedication that so many of you showed, especially our...
2/21 Technical Professionals Bargaining Update
We had our second to last scheduled bargaining session last night, and our first with a federal mediator present. Turnout at last night's meeting was incredible with Technical Professionals packing the room from the outset. This is exactly the kind of energy and...
2/15 Technical Professionals Bargaining Update
We had our 6th bargaining session last night during which we put across 6 proposals, Mgmt responded to 12 of our proposals, and we tentatively agreed on 3 Articles. We remain significantly far apart on economic articles with Mgmt failing to offer competitive...
2/8 Technical Professionals Bargaining Update
2/8 Technical Professionals Bargaining Update We had our fifth bargaining session with Management last night during which we shared 15 counter proposals and the Administration gave us 9. Outside of Management's proposals regarding call pay and differentials, we...
1/30 Technical Professionals Bargaining Update
We had our fourth bargaining session with Management last night, putting across several counters and also receiving responses from the Administration to several proposals we had shared at prior sessions. Here are the highlights of what was discussed last night:...
Technical Professionals Bargaining Kicks Off
Dear members, Technical Professionals contract bargaining began on Wednesday, and our Bargaining Team made 30 proposals across the table, while Management offered 27 proposals. Here are some of the highlights: Differentials- We proposed increased differentials...
2022-2023 Nurse Wage Scale
https://vfnhp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/FY22-FY24-Nurse-Wage-Scales-1.pdf
Summary of 7/5 Nurse Contract Tentative Agreement
VFNHP-Tentative-Agreement-Flyer-1Download
Ratified Nurse Contract Agreement
VFNHP-Nurses-FullTA-7-5-2022
Management’s Offer as of 6/15
Management did not offer any changes to this package at the 6/22 Bargaining Session. VFNHP- 615 Bargaining UpdateDownload
6/1 Bargaining Update
Nurses and Techs gathered in the McClure lobby to show solidarity with our Bargaining Team ahead of the 6/1 bargaining session. Contract negotiations have stalled, as we did not reach agreement at this week's session. VFNHP has given a package for the hospital to...
5/11 Nurse Bargaining and Incentive Update
Last night, the VFNHP Bargaining Team spent over 3 hours hearing the same thing from management: The hospital will not agree to any financial proposals beyond the $1.3M for their charge and preceptor differentials proposals. Seven proposals, including increasing all...
VFNHP Bargaining Update 5/4/22
Contract bargaining update 3Download
Nurse educator proposals 4/27/22
Educator Side Letter (1)Download
Bargaining Update #2
Contract bargaining update 2Download
VFNHP Proposals 4/6/2022
Dear members, Nurse contract bargaining began last night, and our Bargaining Team made 34 proposals across the table, while Management offered 11 proposals, only one of which was economic (Charge/Preceptor differential). Here are some of the highlights: Increased...
Negotiations for all
At the opening of VFNHP-Nurse negotiations with the UVMMC administration, all of the VFNHP proposals were designed to:* Protect and improve patient care * Provide safety and respect * Improve benefits and compensation to recruit and retain nurses and support...
2022 VFNHP Nurse Bargaining Platform
VFNHP-Nurse-Bargaining-Platform-FlyerDownload
Members Speak out for Safe Staffing and Quality Patient Care as staffing crisis continues.
TECHNICAL PROFESSIONALS CONTRACT WINS
Articles 22-Wages, 23-Differentials, & 24 On-CallMarch 2023-Minimum of 6.5% base wage increase for all Technical Professionals. Go here for the full wage scale.-Minimum hourly wage: $19.66 -On-Call increases to $6.00/hr-On-Call bonus-Moving all Technical...
VFNHP Technical Professionals 2/21 Supposal
If Mgmt agreed to these proposals (including ours from above as well) Wages: Here is our 2/21 Wage Proposal. Differentials: Here is our 2/15 Differentials Proposal. On-Call/Call In: Here is our 2/21 On-Call/Call-In Proposal Article 2-...
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We are a strong union of health care professionals organized to ensure access to high-quality health care for everyone in the communities we serve.