Workers at Kirkland, Wash.-based EvergreenHealth reached a contract settlement that includes raising minimum wage to $15 per hour, according to the Kirkland Reporter.
The contract settlement covers more than 1,000 workers, including nursing assistants, social workers, chaplains, dietary and housekeeping staff, represented by Service Employees International Union Healthcare 1199 Northwest.
As part of the contract, workers are slated to receive across-the-board annual pay bumps totaling at least 9 percent, paid training opportunities for some workers and health benefit improvements, among other provisions, according to the report. The EvergreenHealth workers also will receive a minimum wage of at least $15 per hour.
"Our new agreement means EvergreenHealth will be a better place both to work and to receive care," Lynda Hinz, a home health worker, said, according to the report. "It took hard work to get here, but we're looking forward to improvements that keep experienced caregivers at the bedside and allow caregivers to better support our families."
Editor's note: Becker's Hospital Review reached out to EvergreenHealth for comment and will post additional details as they become available.