🌞 The July 2025 AURN Newsletter Is Here!

published 2025-07-22 in #newsletter , 1544 words

table of contents

Y’all, July 1st was pay raise day! We’ll see our 6% raise in the paycheck for the first full pay period after July 1. This increase is due to the strength and solidarity we showed during last contract negotiations! ✊

🏳️‍🌈 It’s pride this weekend! Come visit us at the AFL-CIO booth we will be staffing along with other ONA and sibling union members during the Portland Pride Waterfront Festival the weekend of Saturday, July 19, 2025 (12:00 PM - 8:00 PM) and Sunday, July 20, 2025 (11:30 AM - 6:00 PM) at Waterfront Park. $12 suggested donation for festival entry.

Juneteenth hours have been added to accrual banks and are prorated based on your FTE. See 9.3.3.1 of our CBA for details.

🍿 Watch party save the date! September 16th (2 times)

0730-0830 and 1600-1700 in person at the MAC hall lecture room (3198)

Come hang out with us for a union watch party of the Nursing Town Hall! We’ll have popcorn and be making buttons as we show our union strength to upper nursing management. Remember to wear your ONA/AURN shirts! This is a good way to meet more union folks and show management our strength as we go into bargaining (yes, coming soon!)

PNCC

We spent an additional hour over our last meeting to create guidelines and rules for dispensing funds this year. In the next few weeks, UBNPCs will be receiving our recommendation for this fiscal year by email.

We also worked on getting the request form for education hours/funds updated to better define what is and what is not paid for by UBNPC/ PNCC. Our request for the updates has been sent to the informatics team and will hopefully see the changes in the next month.

Non Ratio Nurse Staffing Committee

Need help or guidance with your staffing plan? Want nurses to look it over before submitting to the committee for a vote? Come to our open office hours on the 4th Wednesday of the month from 1630-1730 or reach out to Cheryl Nicponski. Please remember, once your plan is submitted to the committee for a vote, it can only be revised up to one week prior to the committee meeting. Only submit your plan if your unit and UBNPC have approved the plan and it is complete!

Hospital Nurse Staffing Committee

At our staffing committee meeting this month, management continued to pressure units to maintain maximum patient ratios at all cost, undermining acuity and intensity tools developed and implemented by UBNPCs as well as our contract. In actuality, the scope of HNSC is to ensure that staffing plans we pass are compliant with the law and our contract, not to dictate staffing levels. Staffing plan development, including acuity and intensity tools used to maintain safe staffing, are the scope of UBNPCs! The direct care team on the committee will continue to support the autonomy of UBNPCs. We have had numerous RNs come to recent committee meetings to observe and support their plans with expert testimony. HNSC meetings are open to observers, please reach out to your cluster rep or Rae Kaigler if you are interested in observing (see info on O2). Despite obstruction, we are continuing to pass plans and are pressuring management by submitting an OHA complaint for every day that OHSU has failed to adopt a nurse staffing plan on any unit.

Contract Corner - Professional Development (Education) Funds and Hours

Professional Development (Education) Funds and Hours

FTE RNs

Education Funds:

UBNPCs are allocated $275 per 1.0 FTE per FY for the RNs’ choice of education. UBNPC approves those funding requests – can be for conferences, seminars, professional memberships, books etc. (21.5)
Mandatory education expenses (ie courses/classes required to work in your unit) are paid for by management
Required resuscitation certification (ACLS, PALS, BLS, NRP…) are paid by management. Any resuscitation certification not required by your area of practice can be reimbursed by UBNPC/PNCC.
The first professional certification is paid for by management, any additional certification can be reimbursed by UBNPC/PNCC.

Education Hours:

FTE RNs have 24 paid hours per FY to use for their professional development. An additional 24 hours under first come first serve through PNCC will be available upon request from the education request form, which has a pool of 1600 additional hours available each FY. (21.6)
Are not to be used for required education.
Time off (if needed) must be approved by manager before filling out a request form for education hours or funds

RESOURCE RNs

Education Funds:

All Resource RNs have access to a separate Education fund administered by PNCC to use for the RNs’ choice of professional development.
Mandatory education expenses (ie courses/classes required to work in your unit) are paid for by management
Required resuscitation certification (ACLS, PALS, BLS, NRP…) are paid by management, any resuscitation certification not required by your area of practice can be reimbursed by UBNPC/PNCC.
The first professional certification is paid for by management. Any additional certification can be reimbursed by UBNPC/PNCC.

Education Hours:

Resource RNs who have worked a minimum of 1040 hours in the previous fiscal year are eligible to draw from a pool of 1000 educational hours. (21.6)
Are not to be used for required education.
Time off (if needed) must be approved by the manager before filling out a request form for education hours or funds.

FAQ

I’m a new UBNPC chair/co-chair, NM or ANM – how do I get information on the Education Funds available for my unit?

Send a note to ubnpfund@ohsu.edu to get on the OHSU UBNPC group email (ubnpc@ohsu.edu). A monthly overview of funds available for your unit will be sent out to you.

What if our unit doesn’t have a UBNPC?

Your manager is the designated UBNPC signatory .You’re strongly encouraged to form a UBNPC, whether it’s just your unit or whether you join with other units. Contact pncc@ohsu.edu for any questions or assistance.

How is the manner of funds distributed between nurses?

The UBNPC will meet at the start of each fiscal year to determine the manner of distribution of funds (21.5.1). They will establish guidelines for expenditure of funds. PNCC has the right to request the methodology for expenditure of funds and evaluate and recommend to the UBNPC alternative plans (21.5.2).

How much money can each FTE RN receive with unit base funding?

The unit can decide to pool all funds and approve funding to individual RNs as they request funds. Some RNs may want to take advantage of professional development, others may not.

What if UBNPC only approves part of the amount requested?

Balance of request will be sent to PNCC. The request balance is not guaranteed. PNCC meets once a month on the 4th Wednesday of the month.

IRS Reimbursement Timelines and Tax Implications for Education Funds

Expense reports submitted to OHSU Benefits within 60 days from the expense date are not taxable (even if the approval falls outside of the 60-day time frame)
Expense reports submitted to OHSU Benefits after 60 days from the expense date and before 6 months from the expense date will be processed and will incur taxation
Expense reports submitted to OHSU Benefits after 6 months cannot be processed per OHSU policy.

Reimbursements Timeframe for Nurses

Expense date is represented by the date of the expense (the date of purchase) with the following exceptions:

1. Travel and conferences: Expense date is the last date of the trip/conference

2. Certifications, exams: Expense date is the date of certification

Membership

Are all the folks hired in your unit over the last year aware that they have to OPT IN to be a full member of ONA? Share the application link from the ONA site as well as why being a member of ONA is important to you. For many of us, it is because our union is an effective means of advocating for our fellow nurses and our patients. Proof of how effective we are is the 6% raise that we will all see in our next paycheck!

Here’s that link to share. It literally takes a minute to fill out and stand together with nearly 4,000 other OHSU RNs: https://www.oregonrn.org/page/apply

Upcoming New Employee Orientation Sessions:

Monday, July 21 at 2:30pm in BICC Gallery
Wednesday, July 23 at 8:00am via Zoom link
Wednesday, July 30 at 8:00am Old Library Auditorium room 217
Wednesday, August 6 at 8:00am via Zoom link
Wednesday, August 13 at 8:00am Old Library Auditorium room 217

Upcoming events and calendar

🍿 Watch party save the date! September 16th (2 times)

0730-0830 and 1600-1700 in person at the MAC hall lecture room (3198)

Click here to subscribe to our calendar to see what’s up with AURN

Did you know you can attend your AURN Board meetings? Here is the new webinar link for the Zoom session

If you have any questions, please contact your executive team leaders, unit representative, or ONA labor representatives at AURNLaborReps@oregonrn.org