Hospital workers approved a new contract with Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island in Providence, including 13% wage increases over two and a half years.
This includes 7% raises within four weeks of agreement, according to a Dec. 6 news release from SEIU 1199 New England shared with Becker's. The contract also included pension benefits, expanded scheduling rights and preserved health insurance costs and parental leave against proposed changes, the release said.
"We are so proud of the wage increases we were able to achieve in this contract, which will help all Women & Infants workers have a better quality of life, including our lowest paid members," oncology department nurse Susan Gordon, RN, said in the release. "Not only that, we were able to preserve the current cost of our healthcare plan and prevent management from making unilateral changes to our schedules."
The union local, which represents more than 2,000 staff, began contract negotiations in early October. The previous contract expired Nov. 30, according to the union.
"We are very pleased that we have reached an agreement on a contract that benefits both our staff and Women & Infants Hospital," hospital President Shannon Sullivan said in a statement shared with Becker's. "We are ready to move forward with all our colleagues to focus on what is most important: providing outstanding care."