A 900-member group of recently unionized service and laboratory workers at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center voted Thursday to ratify their first contract.
The group voted in December to affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers, which now represents about 2,500 hospital workers. After nine months of bargaining, the group voted 90 percent to 10 percent to ratify its first contract, according to an AFT news release.
The service unit — which includes cooks, technicians, lab assistants, medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, unit secretaries and home health aides, among other positions — voted for a minimum 7 percent wage increase over the next two years, with an average increase of more than 9.5 percent. The contract also puts an end to the PeaceHealth practice of sending its employees to collection agencies if they cannot pay medical bills, according to the news release.
“I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish with our first union contract,” certified nursing assistant Tyler Carr said in the news release. “By bargaining for things like a living wage and improved job security, I feel like we have really improved the lives of everyone who works here at PHSW. This will have a positive impact on not only me and my colleagues, but also everyone who comes into our hospital to receive care.”
