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Nurses’ Action at Board Results in County Audit and New DHS RN II-III Reclass Exam Process

Progress in our ongoing fight for fairness and equity in L.A. County’s reclassification of 4,000 Registered Nurses

Widespread Violations of Civil Service Rules Confirmed
Our RN union action at the Board of Supervisors during Nurse Week resulted in a comprehensive audit conducted by Department of Human Resources (DHR), the Chief Administrative Office, and the Chief Nursing Officer.

Individual appeals made by many hundreds of Registered Nurses were examined and uncovered widespread violations. The audit of RN II and RN III civil service examinations revealed that our concerns were valid.For example, DHR found that all special requirements of individual Medical Centers—interviews, paperwork, facility-specific rating systems-- were in direct violation of County Civil Service Rules.

RN protests about favoritism, bias, discrimination, including 166 promotions illegally made from lower bands, have also been validated.Further violations of civil service rules include the withholding of budgeted RN II and RN III promotions and the failure to equally promote outpatient RNs and inpatient RNs. We are now insisting that DHR audits the Sheriffs Department and Department of Public Health and follow up with corrective action.
Grace-Coarse-(6).jpg “WE are the Union and the RN professional voice in L.A. County. Nurses want to focus on quality patient care delivery and the many staffing challenges we have meeting state-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios. We opposed this reclassification, but the county is implementing it. We say ‘at least do it fairly, so Nurses are supported and not undermined’. We achieved a step forward by getting the County to conduct this audit. Now all eyes are watching whether DHS in fact corrects the bias and favoritism.”

County Management Commits to NEW Promotional Exam Process in DHS New Appraisals of Promotability, New Exam Eligible List, New Promotions Mandated
All individual RN Appraisals of Promotability (APs) will be voided and redone under close supervision by an Oversight Team comprised of individuals from DHR, CAO, DHS, and the Chief Nursing Officer. In July, L.A. County states it will send individual letters to each RN applicant for RN II and RN III Exams outlining this new examination process. Then a new timeline begins with new AP ratings, a new eligible list and new promotions with completion targeted at August 31.

  1. The old RN II-RN III exam eligible list is “frozen” and will be replaced by a new eligible list based on new Appraisals of Promotability scores. Facility Personnel Officers and the County’s Oversight Team will visit every facility to oversee this process. A rater on your AP must have directly supervised you for at least nine months; if not, raters must get input from your prior supervisor.
  2. RN II-RN III individual applications will be re-processed using new Appraisals of Promotability, original Ratings of Record, and supplemental applications which include experience, specialty areas, certifications, education. Preceptor experience will be verified by LA County Certificate, Performance Evaluation P.E., or a Statement from the RN.
  3. In order to deter bias or favoritism, reviewers are now required to provide specific narrative justification for A or D ratings. You have a right to a copy of your new AP. Once you receive notice of your new exam score, you have 10 days to appeal your new AP and exam score.
  4. No additional requirements can be added to your promotional examination by your facility. Monitor this!
  5. Based on new AP scores, a new eligible list will be created with sub-lists for RNs with specialties and indications of geographical preferences. Under monitoring from the oversight team, nurse managers will be mandated to correctly use the bands (groups of eligible list) in correct order to offer promotions to RNs who applied.
  6. All current RN II and RN III promotions continue until new APs are done, an entirely new eligible list is issued, and new promotions are made. We hope that most promoted RNs will retain their promotions and we will fight for any past salary difference to become a special bonus.
  7. Of all RNs in “clinical series” (i.e. those RNs who were reclassified into “Registered Nurse I on April 1, 2007), 50% will remain RN I, 40% will promote to RN II, and 10% will promote to RN III. No RN II items can be saved for new outside RNs since there is a three year L.A. County RN experience requirement to apply for either RN II or RN III. These RN Exams will not become “Open and Competitive” outside the County at this time.
  8. We expect many more RN II and RN III promotions to result from the new exam and new APs. DHS fell far short of filling 40% RN II positions, and even 10% RN III positions.