Employees at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, Calif., and Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna, Calif., have reached a contract agreement with management, according to a Times-Standard report.
Here are five things to know about the agreement.
1. The employees, represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, voted 98 percent to ratify the agreement, the union said.
2. The agreement covers 425 service and technical workers, including nursing assistants, nutrition services workers, registration specialists, housekeepers, lab assistants, lift and monitor technicians, respiratory therapists, emergency technicians, pharmacy technicians and imaging technologists.
3. Under the agreement, NUHW members at the two hospitals will receive an immediate 5 percent pay increase. According to a news release, caregivers will also be put on a progressive wage scale according to their job title and experience, meaning most workers will immediately receive an additional pay increase on top of the 5 percent increase. The newly established wage scales will increase by 2 percent in the second year of the three-year agreement and 3 percent in the final year.
4. Additionally, the agreement establishes a joint labor–management committee to address staffing and patient care problems with the right to take disputes to mediation, the union said.
5. The agreement also guarantees that healthcare benefits for union employees will not be reduced for the life of the contract after July 1.
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