Healthcare Workers Ratify Contract by ...( The new collective bargaining agree...),Health

The new collective bargaining agreement safeguards quality patient care

BURBANK, Calif. Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, SEIU Local 121RN workers from Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center voted overwhelmingly to ratify their new contract providing real gains for healthcare workers and the patients they care for. The 4-year agreement with SEIU UHW West/SEIU Local 121RN and Providence Health & Services provides for changes concerning how the hospital will deliver care -- changes such as:

-- Job security provisions which includes a ban on subcontracting jobs to

the lowest bidder so that a stable workforce and consistent quality of

patient care is maintained.

-- Training upgrades to meet the growing demand for highly skilled

healthcare professionals - the hospital will contribute to a training

and education fund to provide workers with the opportunity to upgrade

their skills and keep up with a competitive and ever changing

healthcare industry.

-- Higher tuition reimbursements provide career advancement opportunities.

-- Wages increases, over the life of the four-year contract, average 29%

with a maximum increase of 93%. The increases bring wages at

Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in line with those offered at

other local hospitals.

Our contract improvements will keep experienced employees, who are dedicated to their professions and to patients at our hospital," said Cindy Triola, a registered nurse at the hospital, "and also recruit qualified RNs and other healthcare workers so patients get the best possible care. It's all about the patients and the care they receive."

"It was a long road but in the end we have a contract that puts patients first," said Rhonda Flannery, registered nurse at the hospital. After several months of negotiations, bargaining came to a halt in June when healthcare workers voted
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