Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
HNHP was successful in collaborating with KP Mgmt. to bring the following Extra Shift Incentives to the Respiratory Therapists and Inpatient RN's (ED, ATC, CDU, Periop Services included). KPHI has heard your concerns regarding the current increases in hospital census and the consistently high workload that all of you have experienced. While this is only a "band aid" to the real staffing crisis looming over us, the ESI allows for some relief to those of you willing to add an extra shift to care for our patients and decrease the workload on our colleagues.
The current PEDS/PICU/NICU ESI is also still in effect until the end of the year.
Please be safe and kind to one another in this busy season.
Mahalo,
Teri
Terilyn Carvalho Luke, BSN, RN
Interim President & President-Elect
Hawaii Nurses and Healthcare Professionals (HNHP)
cell: (808) 256-1501
email: tcl.hnhp@gmail.com
We know that our HNHP members have struggled with HR Connect problems in the Kaiser Permanente system, including:
Those issues and others have a continuing impact on your pay, good standing, and paid time off. We need to know how widespread these issues are. If you have had problems with the HR Connect system in the past six months, and have taken steps 1-3 (see below) to solve the issue but have not had any success, please fill out this survey.
As HNHP, we are calling on Kaiser Permanente Hawaii to stop treating its hard-working nurses and health professionals as second-class citizens.
We demand that Kaiser Permanente:
We need your support:
Hold Off On Making Repayments: KP is unable to collect any money from you through your paycheck without your authorization. At this time, we are asking our members to not repay these overpayment demands until you have contacted National HR and they provide you with an explanation of why they have suddenly identified this overpayment.
Sign the Petition: In the coming days, HNHP stewards will be asking for your support! Please sign the petition in person.
Contest Any Overpayment: We’ve also heard KP is conducting audits and may send other "overpayment" notifications to impacted members. If you receive any audit notifications, please take the following steps:
In Solidarity,
HNHP Interim Executive Board and Officers
When we learned our PSP bonuses would be significantly reduced from last year, we pushed KP leaders for the highest possible payout. Kaiser Permanente reports that the Hawaii market did not meet the financial gate required. As a result, we would receive only a small payout, which we believe would not reflect our contributions during the ongoing COVID pandemic.
In response, Kaiser initially offered $1,000 for employees coded 32 or more and $750 for employees coded less than 32 hours. We worked alongside other unions to push KP for a higher bonus. After labor feedback, KP agreed to increase the amount of the “thank you” bonus for all Kaiser employees across all unions as well as non-union.
On February 17th, KP announced a payout of $1,500 for employees coded 32 hours or more and $1000 for eligible employees coded less than 32 hours. KP’s payout is one step closer to honoring the spirit of PSP. This is a significant increase for most members from the estimated PSP payout and KP’s initial proposal.
Our members will get the initial payment based on contractual PSP on the first March paycheck and then a second bonus to bring eligible employees up to the full $1,500 or $1,000, based on coded status hours as of December 31. For example, if a 32 or more coded employee receives a $600 initial PSP payment, on the next check, they would receive an additional $900 to bring the total payment to $1,500.
If you have any questions please reach out to your union representative.
In Solidarity,
HNHP Executive Board and Officers
Thank you for taking action! Over 500 of you signed our petition demanding that KP stop seeking overpayment for the 2021 Performance Sharing Program/Thank you Bonus and remove the unfair standards from the Performance Sharing Program Financial Gate.
Please read and share the letter we have submitted to Hawaii Market President Greg Christian and his team along with over 500 petition signatures from HNHP.
Stay tuned for the next steps in our campaign in the coming days.
We are united to win!
Inside this Newsletter:
NLRB Victory: When We Organize, We Win
Earlier this year, HNHP filed an Unfair Labor Practice against the employer because it failed to provide information that the union requested that would have helped us represent a member. In April, the National Labor Relations Board ruled in HNHP’s favor, and Kaiser Permanente reaffirmed that it would not interfere with a union’s right to protect its employees nor delay the provision of data or information at the union’s request. This victory ensures that HNHP stewards and representatives have the tools necessary to successfully represent and protect HNHP members against undue scrutiny or consequences.
ICYMI: HNHP Wins a 25% Increase in Retiree Medical Benefits
As a reminder, HNHP filed a class-action grievance against Kaiser Permanente for delaying implementation of retiree medical improvements for a year and flouting our negotiated transition letter, which secured this benefit in 2022. In a victory for HNHP members, the employer agreed to implement the improvement and we won a 25% increase in retiree medical benefits effective for all retirees retrospective to January 1, 2022. Previously, we were under the benefit from our prior union of $2,000 per year of service.
Any HNHP member eligible for retiree medical who retires on or after January 1, 2022 will get a 25% increase in their modified retiree medical Health Reimbursement Account! This HRA is a fundamental piece of a retiree’s health coverage – retirees can utilize this account to reimburse themselves for eligible health expenditures like residual monthly premiums, doctor’s office visits, and prescription costs. The average KP retiree has over 20 years of service, meaning HNHP’s bargaining victory will deliver more than $10,000 in additional benefits to the average HNHP retiree!
Kaiser Permanente recently mailed the Summary of Material Modifications, which states the improvements and increases the HRA amount to $2,500 per year of service for HNHP retirees. You may have received this document by mail, which amends the HNHP Summary Plan Description. You may also reference or download the document from HRConnect.
If you are a member of the respiratory therapist or home health bargaining unit and plan to retire in 2022, you must inform us of your retirement date, so that we can ensure Kaiser Permanente credits your Retiree Medical HRA properly. KP is implementing the improvement manually until the computer system is updated to make the changes automatically. Please contact christina.kaoh@ahcunions.org when you begin the retirement process with the Kaiser Permanente Retirement Center, at least 90 days before your expected date of retirement. We will follow up to make sure you get the higher retiree medical benefit bargained by HNHP!
HNHP Fights for Paycheck and Bonus Accuracy
Many of you reported discrepancies on your paycheck from PPE July 29, 2022, which showed an “overpayment” credit, and a subsequent “SpecialBonus Retroactive” deduction that were identical in amount. We also have been in discussions with KP to forgive overpayments the employer made for the 2021 Performance Sharing Program made earlier this year. It is not clear if these are related, but we are investigating the July 29 paycheck, and continue to push for the employer to forgive 2022 PSP overpayments. The employer’s faulty payroll systems continue to be a source of frustration for HNHP members; however, your vigilance ensures we are paid fairly.
Let us know if you have issues with HR connect by filling out this survey: https://qrco.de/HNHP_HRIssues
Hawaii Affordability & Competitiveness Taskforce Seeks Your Input
Teri Carvalho Luke and Jennifer Trinh-Ng (Labor Co-chair) will represent HNHP in the Affordability & Competitiveness Taskforce, a group of labor and management leaders who will:
Next year, HNHP will also have an affordability goal comprising 66% of the 2023 PSP, per our 2021 letter of agreement with KP. We will need to work together with each other and management to realize and track savings. We have discussed ways to reduce expenses through environmental initiatives, efficiencies found in shift hand-off to reduce overtime, and insourcing services across the organization; we have also discussed capturing additional revenue through standardizing coding practices across the market. What are your ideas for additional savings? What departments would drive those ideas and what is labor’s role? Where can we capture efficiencies? We want to hear from you! Submit your ideas to jennifer.trinh-ng@kp.org
Staffing Crunch Increases Employee Dissatisfaction, Department Expenses and Potential for Injury
We have heard from several of our members about the increase in floating assignments, which places nurses in unfamiliar departments and team dynamics, and forces them to utilize rusty skills and exposure to disciplinary action. Additionally, you have shared that you and your colleagues are sitting for patients more frequently, which is a misalignment between your job scope and patient needs. These patients, frankly, are also dangerous and expose nurses and our Local 5 brothers and sisters to dangerous conditions. We must push management to find solutions that protect HNHP and Local 5 members against the risks and dissatisfaction that come with floating and reduced job scope.
If you have any questions please reach out to your union representative.
In Solidarity,
HNHP Interim Executive Board and Officers
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