For Immediate Release
August 19, 2024
Shane Youtz
shane@youtzvaldez.com
505-980-1590
SANDOVAL, N.M.—The United Health Professionals of New Mexico, the union that represents nurses and other health professionals at the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center, offered a memorandum of agreement to the hospital today that would give the UHPNM workers the same 3 percent wage increase as the hospital system provided its other employees earlier this month.
UHPNM said at a press conference it would accept the 3 percent wage increase now even though UNM SRMC continues to refuse to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. The union and the hospital still must meet at the bargaining table to further discuss wage and other issues, including ways to improve patient and worker conditions, the union said.
The union was formed more than two years ago; but instead of bargaining a first contract, it has focused its energy on a myriad of unnecessary and anti-worker legal challenges, attempting to overturn multiple orders to bargain issued by the New Mexico State Labor Board. Instead of working with employees to improve conditions, it has done things such as sweep the hospital’s dismal Medicare rating on quality under the rug.
“The union is agreeing to take the 3 percent raise to get things moving. The nurses and other health professionals work just as hard as all those in UNM’s other facilities, and they deserve a raise as well and deserve a partner at the bargaining table to negotiate patient care improvements,” said Shane Youtz, UHPNM’s attorney.
“Just like it has with its other unions, UNM SRMC still needs to meet us at the bargaining table to reach binding agreements on wages and other patient and healing
issues,” Youtz said. “This is a publicly funded hospital that has been abusing, overspending and wasting taxpayer money on legal challenges to a legally formed union. It is demonstrating highly ineffective leadership and must come to the table to work with employees on providing solutions to improve patient care.”
Samantha Hines, an RN at UNM SRMC, said she wants to get negotiations started right away to find ways to improve patient and healing conditions.
“Patient conditions are worker conditions. When there are an appropriate number of nurses, say, in the emergency department or on the medical-surgical floors, then patients get the quality of care they need. Providing a decent wage is one of many ways to make that happen,” Hines said.
Louise Garcia said because there are so few radiology technologists like her on duty, there are delays in patients’ procedures by many hours. “This staffing shortage can be solved but only if the hospital is willing to come to the table to talk about it. Obviously, they’re not willing to fix this serious issue on their own, which is why we need a union,” Garcia said.
Regina McGinnis, a UNM SRMC physical therapist said she is eager for negotiations to start to find ways to improve patient care.
“UNM SRMC members deserve to be paid well, and our patients deserve better healing conditions. A 3 percent raise isn’t going to fix the toxic, unsafe conditions. It’s going to take actual changes to improve patient safety and the quality of care, and that’s what we aim to discuss at the negotiations table,” McGinnis said.
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