Union members at Women & Infants ratify new contract
by: Leah Crowley
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Frontline workers at Women & Infants Hospital have approved a new contract that will bring 13% wage increases to more than 2,000 staff members.
by: Leah Crowley
SEIU1199 New England represents nurses, dietary and technical workers. The union said the new two-and-a-half-year contract was ratified by a supermajority.
Under the new agreement, workers will receive a 7% raise within four weeks of the ratification and a 13% wage increase over the length of the contract. The union also said it was able to expand scheduling rights and secure pension benefits, among other gains.
“In the 22 years I have worked at Women & Infants, I have never seen wage increases like what we won in this contract agreement,” said John Avjian, a member of the bargaining committee.
“We were able to win key job protections against the hospital’s plans to subcontract our work to non-union workers and also preserve our pension,” he continued.