09/01/25
MARK YOU CALENDARS for the UPAMM PA WEEK CELEBRATION!!!!
Sunday 10/5/25 4-8 at Union Rec in Ann Arbor This is a family friendly event. There will be food & drink, activities for the kids, raffle prizes for the adults and a chance to connect with PAs throughout the Health System.
BIG BIG WINS FOR UPAMM PAs !!
Both the floating holiday arbitration and the retiree retroactive pay grievance have been resolved in UPAMMs favor!Floating Holiday Arbitration On 9/15/25, UPAMM Executive Director, Bob King and attorney Bob Fetter presented our case to the arbitrator. UPAMM’s position is that the floating holiday is identical to all other holidays recognized by the employer and Article 27 of the current contract requires the employer to provide compensation equal to the member’s shift length for all recognized holidays. The arbitrator ordered the employer to pay bargaining unit members their shift length for the floating holiday and reimburse bargaining unit members any amounts less than their normal shift hours that they were paid for the floating holiday. If you have already used your floating holiday and your regular shift is 10,12, or 13.5 hours and you only received 8 hours holiday pay please notify president@upamm.org and bobtking@upamm.org. As a reminder, the floating holiday does not roll over and must be taken by 12/31/25.
Retiree/ Resignee Grievance
The grievance filed on behalf of PAs that retired or resigned prior to the payout for retroactive pay in March 2025 has been settled. The employer has agreed to provide the impacted PAs the retroactive pay they earned from July 2024 through their separation date from the health system, avoiding the need for an arbitration hearing. Those impacted PAs will be notified of the payment amount and expected pay date via email.
WORKLOAD REVIEWS
Beginning in the first contract, it is expected that a full time employee will work 2080 hours annually or 40 hours per week. Those with less than a full time appointment will have their work hours prorated accordingly. Unfortunately many PAs are routinely working beyond their expected appointment fraction and are uncompensated for the additional work.Chief Steward Alex Tiefel and Bob King are working with multiple PAs to address ongoing excessive workload issues in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Workload reviews have been filed with Labor Relations and meetings with PA leadership are taking place to identify durable solutions. While all of us are team players, it is of utmost importance for the well being of our members and the safety of our patients that all of us have a manageable workload. If you are regularly completing work on off hours and/or regularly leaving well after your shift has ended and/or experiencing changes in your working conditions that make it impossible to complete your work in the agreed upon appointment fraction, we encourage you to reach out to chiefsteward@upamm.org and bobtking@upamm.org
CHANGES TO WORKING CONDITIONS
It has been brought to our attention that PAs have been subjected to unilateral decisions by the Employer resulting in changes in working hours, shift length or scope of responsibility. These are subjects of mandatory bargaining and changes cannot be instituted without involvement of the UPAMM and PA leadership.Additionally, the Purpose Statement at the beginning of the UPAMM contract also calls for PAs to be involved in decision-making that impacts their working conditions Many areas do not have PA managers or leads in place making it hard to identify who is responsible for addressing PA concerns. While it is most effective for UPAMM to advocate for you before the changes are implemented,UPAMM can initiate those conversations with PA leadership on your behalf at any time.
If unilateral changes have been made or you hear changes are being proposed in your department, please reach out to president@upamm.organd bobtking@upamm.org to discuss how you and the PAs doing the work can make your voices heard.
CHECK OUT upamm.org!
The new website is up and running. There is a news and events page, resources about your rights as a union member, union FAQs and an electronic version of the contract. Please provide us feedback on ways to make it most useful and highlight the great work Michigan Medicine PAs do everyday!Email president@upamm.org with suggestions and/or photos.
STRONGER TOGETHER An effective union requires an engaged membership! Join a committee, volunteer to organize a happy hour, become a steward or talk to your co-worker about the benefits of union membership. Actively participating with UPAMM is not a big time commitment but makes a huge impact! Contact vicepresident@upamm.org for m
Lisa Marie Spratke PA-C
President UPAMM