Kadlec Regional Medical Center will raise wages for 1,100 workers as part of a newly approved labor contract, according to an SEIU Healthcare 1199 news release shared with Becker's.
The three-year agreement covers service and technical healthcare workers at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Wash., and the Freestanding Emergency Room in Kennewick, Wash. Both are affiliates of Renton, Wash.-based Providence.
Workers voted to approve the deal with their employer Oct. 23-24.
Under the agreement, new wage scales for union members will be implemented in December, according to SEIU Healthcare 1199. Tech workers will see a minimum of 8.25% wage increases over the life of the contract. Service workers will see a minimum of $3.25 per hour increase over three years.
By the time the new contract expires Oct. 31, 2027, every SEIU Healthcare 1199-represented service and technical healthcare worker will be earning at least $20 base hourly pay, according to the union.
Other contract details highlighted by the union include:
- A $250 recognition bonus for those earning below $16.28 at the time of ratification
- A $500 appreciation bonus across the board payable in December
A $750 retention bonus effective November 2025 - Increases to premium pay
- Language "to ensure respect for workers' voices around decisions that affect medical benefits" Improvements to accountability language that protects meal and rest periods
- A hospitalwide staffing committee
"This contract is a step forward for all of us. We fought for wages that keep pace with the cost of living in the Tri-Cities, and staffing levels that will make sure we can care for our patients safely," Ramona Chalmers, a certified nursing assistant and member of the union bargaining team, said in the union release.
The hospital shared the following statement with Becker's: "Kadlec's commitment from the very first bargaining session over 10 months ago, and throughout the bargaining process was to negotiate a fair and market competitive agreement for our caregivers, and that is what we did."