Common use of Scheduling of Meals and Breaks Clause in Contracts

Scheduling of Meals and Breaks. The parties acknowledge the legal requirements and the importance of rest and meal periods for nurses. The parties further acknowledge that the scheduling of regular rest periods may not be possible due to the nature and circumstances of work in an acute care facility (including emergent patient care needs, the safety and health of patients, availability of other nurses to provide relief, and intermittent and unpredictable patient census and needs). The parties therefore agree as follows: 1. Scheduling of breaks is best resolved by unit-based decisions, where the affected nurses are involved in creative and flexible approaches to the scheduling of rest periods and meal periods. 2. Each unit has the flexibility to develop a process for scheduling nurses for the total amount of rest and meal periods set forth in this section, subject to the following: a. The process must be approved by the unit manager; b. The preferred approach is to relieve nurses for two 15- minute rest periods and one 30-minute meal period within an 8-hour shift; however, a break and meal period may be combined if the circumstances in Paragraph 3 are met, and that the nurse’s meal period occur during the middle four (4) hours of the nurse’s shift, when practical; and c. If a nurse is not able to take a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period, the nurse will be paid for such 30 minutes. The nurse must inform his or her supervisor if the nurse anticipates he or she will be or actually is unable to take such 30-minute uninterrupted meal period. d. If a nurse chooses not to or is unable to take all or part of a rest period as scheduled or pre-arranged, it is the nurse’s responsibility to talk with his or her charge nurse in a timely manner about potential alternative rest periods. 3. In furtherance of these provisions, each unit will develop a written plan that provides for the elements of paragraph 2 above. 4. In the event nurses on a particular unit or units have concerns about the implementation of paragraph 2, the concern may be raised with the PNCC or the appropriate unit-based committee of their clinical division, in addition to the remedies provided by the grievance procedure.

Scheduling of Meals and Breaks. The parties acknowledge the legal requirements and the importance of rest and meal periods for nurses. The parties further acknowledge that the scheduling of regular rest periods may not be possible due to the nature and circumstances of work in an acute care facility (including emergent patient care needs, the safety and health of patients, availability of other nurses to provide relief, and intermittent and unpredictable patient census and needs). The parties therefore agree as follows: 1. Scheduling of breaks is best resolved by unit-based decisions, where the affected nurses are involved in creative and flexible approaches to the scheduling of rest periods and meal periods. 2. Each unit has the flexibility to develop a process for scheduling nurses for the total amount of rest and meal periods set forth in this section, subject to the following: a. The process must be approved by the unit manager; b. The preferred approach is to relieve nurses for two 15- 15-minute rest periods and one 30-minute meal period within an 8-hour shift; however, a break and meal period may be combined if the circumstances in Paragraph 3 are met, and that the nurse’s meal period occur during the middle four (4) hours of the nurse’s shift, when practical; and c. If a nurse is not able to take a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period, the nurse will be paid for such 30 minutes. The nurse must inform his or her supervisor if the nurse anticipates he or she will be or actually is unable to take such 30-minute uninterrupted meal period. d. If a nurse chooses is not to or is unable able to take all or part of a rest period as scheduled or pre-arranged, it is the nurse’s responsibility to talk with his or her charge nurse in a timely manner about potential alternative rest periods. 3. The Medical Center commits to the importance of providing rest and meal periods for nurses. 4. In furtherance of these provisionsthis commitment, each unit unit’s staffing plan will develop a written plan that provides provide for the elements of paragraph 2 above. Each unit’s staffing plan will be made available for review on the Medical Center’s Intranet. 45. Each unit will review its written staffing plan on no less than an annual basis to determine whether revision to the plan is necessary in order to provide for rest and meal periods. Each unit will determine what available information will help inform such review. In reviewing the written plan to determine whether revisions are necessary, information will be utilized, which should include any notifications under Sections B.2 and C.2.d of this article, changes in unit staffing, and changes in patient census. Each annual review will include a list of practices on the unit that have been successful in allowing nurses to regularly receive meal periods and breaks, and areas where improvements may be needed. If the nurses on the unit determine that changes to the plan are necessary to better ensure that meal periods and breaks are provided, the revised plan will include a list of concrete steps designed to better provide opportunities for meal periods and breaks. In proposing such changes, the nurses on the unit are encouraged to be creative and flexible, and consider best practices through the Medical Center. Nurses are encouraged to suggest creative solutions, and in making such suggestions should not be limited solely due to operational or financial considerations, although such considerations may ultimately play a role in whether the suggestions are implemented in the unit's staffing plan. 6. Each unit’s written staffing plan (and any revised plan) will be provided in writing to the Housewide Staffing Plan Committee. The Housewide Staffing Plan Committee will, upon its approval of any such revised plans, notify the Task Force of such approval and that the approved revised plan is available for review on the nursing website. Revised plans will be provided to the Association upon request. The Housewide Staffing Plan Committee will maintain a list of the various successful practices on breaks and meal periods in the different units throughout the Medical Center, which will be made available to each unit-based staffing committee. In the event nurses on a particular unit or units have concerns about the implementation of paragraph 22 or about the availability of meal periods or breaks on the unit in general, the concern may be raised with the PNCC Task Force or the appropriate unit-unit- based committee of their clinical division, in addition to the remedies provided by the grievance procedure. There will be no retaliation for reporting or recording missed meals or breaks.

Scheduling of Meals and Breaks. The parties acknowledge the legal requirements and the importance of rest and meal periods for nurses. The parties further acknowledge that the scheduling of regular rest periods may not be possible due to the nature and circumstances of work in an acute care facility (including emergent patient care needs, the safety and health of patients, availability of other nurses to provide relief, and intermittent and unpredictable patient census and needs). The parties therefore agree as follows: 1. Scheduling of breaks is best resolved by unit-based decisions, where the affected nurses are involved in creative and flexible approaches to the scheduling of rest periods and meal periods. 2. Each unit has the flexibility to develop a process for scheduling nurses for the total amount of rest and meal periods set forth in this section, subject to the following: a. The process must be approved by the unit manager; b. The preferred approach is to relieve nurses for two 15- 15-minute rest periods and one 30-minute meal period within an 8-hour shift; however, a break and meal period may be combined if the circumstances in Paragraph 3 are met, and that the nurse’s meal period occur during the middle four (4) hours of the nurse’s shift, when practical; and c. If a nurse is not able to take a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period, the nurse will be paid for such 30 minutes. The nurse must inform his or her supervisor if the nurse anticipates he or she will be or actually is unable to take such 30-minute uninterrupted meal period. d. If a nurse chooses not to or is unable to take all or part of a rest period as scheduled or pre-arranged, it is the nurse’s responsibility to talk with his or her charge nurse in a timely manner about potential alternative rest periods. 3. In furtherance of these provisions, each unit will develop a written plan that provides for the elements of paragraph 2 above. 4. In the event nurses on a particular unit or units have concerns about the implementation of paragraph 2, the concern may be raised with the PNCC or the appropriate unit-based committee of their clinical division, in addition to the remedies provided by the grievance procedure.

Scheduling of Meals and Breaks. The parties acknowledge the legal requirements and the importance of rest and meal periods for nurses. The parties further acknowledge that the scheduling of regular rest periods may not be possible due to the nature and circumstances of work in an acute care facility (including emergent patient care needs, the safety and health of patients, availability of other nurses to provide relief, and intermittent and unpredictable patient census and needs). The parties therefore agree as follows: 1. Scheduling of breaks is best resolved by unit-based decisions, where the affected nurses are involved in creative and flexible approaches to the scheduling of rest periods and meal periods. 2. Each unit has the flexibility to develop a process for scheduling nurses for the total amount of rest and meal periods set forth in this section, subject to the following: a. The process must be approved by the unit manager; b. The preferred approach is to relieve nurses for two 15- minute rest periods and one 30-minute meal period within an 8-hour shift; however, a break and meal period may be combined if the circumstances in Paragraph 3 are met, and that the nurse’s meal period occur during the middle four (4) hours of the nurse’s shift, when practical; and c. If a nurse is not able to take a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period, the nurse will be paid for such 30 minutes. The nurse must inform his or her supervisor if the nurse anticipates he or she will be or actually is unable to take such 30-minute uninterrupted meal period. d. If a nurse chooses is not to or is unable able to take all or part of a rest period as scheduled or pre-arranged, it is the nurse’s responsibility to talk with his or her charge nurse in a timely manner about potential alternative rest periods. 3. The Medical Center commits to the importance of providing rest and meal periods for nurses. 4. In furtherance of these provisionsthis commitment, each unit unit’s staffing plan will develop a written plan that provides provide for the elements of paragraph 2 above. Each unit’s staffing plan will be made available for review on the Medical Center’s Intranet. 45. Each unit will review its written staffing plan on no less than an annual basis to determine whether revision to the plan is necessary in order to provide for rest and meal periods. Each unit will determine what available information will help inform such review. In reviewing the written plan to determine whether revisions are necessary, information will be utilized, which should include any notifications under Sections B.2 and C.2.d of this article, changes in unit staffing, and changes in patient census. Each annual review will include a list of practices on the unit that have been successful in allowing nurses to regularly receive meal periods and breaks, and areas where improvements may be needed. If the nurses on the unit determine that changes to the plan are necessary to better ensure that meal periods and breaks are provided, the revised plan will include a list of concrete steps designed to better provide opportunities for meal periods and breaks. In proposing such changes, the nurses on the unit are encouraged to be creative and flexible, and consider best practices through the Medical Center. Nurses are encouraged to suggest creative solutions, and in making such suggestions should not be limited solely due to operational or financial considerations, although such considerations may ultimately play a role in whether the suggestions are implemented in the unit's staffing plan. 6. Each unit’s written staffing plan (and any revised plan) will be provided in writing to the Housewide Staffing Plan Committee. The Housewide Staffing Plan Committee will, upon its approval of any such revised plans, notify the Professional Nursing Care Committee (PNCC) of such approval and that the approved revised plan is available for review on the nursing website. Revised plans will be provided to the Association upon request. The Housewide Staffing Plan Committee will maintain a list of the various successful practices on breaks and meal periods in the different units throughout the Medical Center, which will be made available to each unit-based staffing committee. 7. In the event nurses on a particular unit or units have concerns about the implementation of paragraph 22 or about the availability of meal periods or breaks on the unit in general, the concern may be raised with the PNCC or the appropriate unit-based committee of their clinical division, in addition to the remedies provided by the grievance procedure. 8. There will be no retaliation for reporting or recording missed meals or breaks.