Retirement Fund
After six years of working at my hospital in a high-stress, extremely high-turnover department, I left for graduate school.
Because I always picked up several extra shifts each week, shifts that my boss would have to work herself otherwise, she was amenable to my request that I be allowed to stay on as a per diem (just to keep my foot in the door and as a plan B in case I failed out of my program), but be exempt from the requirement to work a minimum number of shifts each month to stay active.
We put it in writing and the VP of Human Resources signed off on it. They both agreed that I was a well-trained asset for them if I ever chose to come back during breaks and that it would cost them nothing to keep my name on the payroll since if I don’t work as a per diem, I don’t get paid.
The union and management just renegotiated a five-year contract to give per diems a company contribution to their retirement fund if it has already been set up, every six months.
They raised the number of hours that you have to work each month to qualify as an active per diem, but again, I have an indefinite written and signed agreement with my boss and HR that I am exempt from ever having to work a single shift and still stay active as a per diem, and as an active per diem I now get $785 into my retirement fund every six months.
I am never quitting, but will likely never work another shift again.