Thanks to their latest collective bargaining agreement, 1199 members at Johns Hopkins Hospital have a new Labor-Management Committee that’s the first of its kind for the hospital. The committee will allow member-leaders and management to discuss and deal with challenges and concerns as they arise, rather than waiting until bargaining takes place or issues boil over.We caught up with 1199SEIU members of the committee after their first official meeting, and they seemed confident that with hard work and open minds the committee could improve working conditions for all union members, and ultimately enhance patient care and satisfaction at the hospital.“I see a lot of positives; I think things are going in the right direction [with the committee],” said Mike Kern, an 1199SEIU delegate and zone mechanic at the hospital.Other committee members pointed to specifics that they see as areas of improvement.“I think a lot of our struggles have to do with perception and communication,” explained Lanae Jones, a PACU Associate and 1199 delegate. “If we can work on how management sees staff and vice versa and how we communicate with one another, it would do a lot for morale and could ultimately improve patient care.”The group looks forward to working on behalf of all 1199SEIU members at Hopkins to keep the hospital #1 in the nation, while ensuring the hospital acts on its commitment to valuing all workers.- See more at: http://www.1199seiu.org/johns_hopkins_hospital_members_launch_new_labor_management_committee#sthash.MCr9xXId.dpuf