{"id":2518,"date":"2022-12-15T09:28:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T14:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/?p=2518"},"modified":"2022-12-21T11:35:27","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T16:35:27","slug":"pef-and-roswell-recommend-salary-reallocation-for-roswell-park-nurses-approval-expected-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-40-no-10\/pef-and-roswell-recommend-salary-reallocation-for-roswell-park-nurses-approval-expected-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"PEF secures salary reallocation for Roswell nurses"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pay
A sticker design for Roswell nurses was developed in case management didn’t agree to make changes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

December 21, 2022 —<\/em> The PEF Roswell Park Contract Team and management from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (RPCCC) have agreed to reallocate the salaries of the more than 680 PEF nurses employed by the facility in Buffalo.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since Roswell is not part of the State\u2019s Civil Service system, nurses who work there were not eligible for the broad title restructuring announced by New York earlier this year after decades of lobbying by PEF.\u202f Recognizing that unfairness \u2013 and knowing that nurses have historically been undervalued and that compensation is a key factor for retaining and attracting skilled professional nurses \u2013 PEF-represented nurses immediately went to work, creating a petition and gathering more than 750 signatures demanding Roswell increase nursing pay grades and base salaries to better match the education and skills required for their jobs.\u202f The petition was given to the Chief Nursing Officer at Roswell and a campaign to go public with the unfair treatment of Roswell nurses was created in case management refused to listen.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those actions led to a series of conference calls between PEF staff and leaders and Roswell management, culminating in a face-to-face meeting on Dec. 13 in Albany.\u202f At that meeting, details were ironed out for a salary reallocation for titles in the Roswell nursing community.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPEF had every intention to do whatever it took to ensure nurses at Roswell received the compensation and upgrade that they deserve,\u201d said Nurse 2 Jordan Blatz, who is a member of the Roswell Contract Team. \u201cIt was great to see both sides negotiate efficiently to reach a positive outcome that recognizes the continued hard work of the nurses at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.\u201d\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPEF refused to accept anything less than what our nurses deserve,\u201d added fellow Nurse 2 Theresa Burke, who is also part of the team negotiating a new contract for PEF members at Roswell.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would just like to thank the three nurses (Michele, Jordan and Theresa) who make up the Roswell Park Contract Team for the countless hours spent away from their personal and family lives to work on securing better salaries for Roswell nurses,\u201d said Yatram \u2018Bruce\u2019 Jagroop, an occupational and environmental safety specialist at Roswell.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A joint letter was sent to Roswell\u2019s Classification & Compensation Office from PEF President Wayne Spence and RPCCC President and CEO Dr. Candace S. Johnson requesting the reallocation.\u202f The letter recommended a three-salary grade increase for each applicable employee, which according to the terms of the PEF contract will amount to a six percent increase in base salary or the increased hiring rate of Step 2 of the salary grade members move up to, whichever is greater. For employees already receiving longevity payments, the amount of the longevity (performance award) will be added into their new promotional base pay in accordance with the PEF contract.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PEF received word on Dec. 20 that the recommendations were approved by Roswell\u2019s C&C Office and will go into effect on April 6, 2023.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am so glad that the hardworking nurses at Roswell are being rewarded,\u201d said PEF Region 1 Coordinator Michele Silsby, a senior nurse case manager at Roswell. \u201cWe work with some of the most challenging and complex patients and this recognition of the world-class skills and training Roswell nurses bring to their jobs is long overdue.\u201d\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The salary upgrade pertains to the following titles:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n