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MASSACHUSETTS NURSE NEWSLETTER ::
November/December 2006
Power-packed strike leads to a prized contract
at UMass
After a marathon 24-hour mediation session, the registered
nurses of the UMass Medical Center University Campus reached a tentative
agreement with management on October 26, ending a strike that began
at 6 a.m. and wrapped up at 11 a.m. The membership at UMass ratified
the contract overwhelmingly on Nov. 9.
The nurses were successful in fighting off a number of contract
concessions that had been sought by management throughout 11 months
of difficult negotiations. Ultimately, the two key issues that became
most important during the contract talks were the protection of
the nurses’ defined benefit pension plan and the preservation
of affordable health care benefits for both part-time and full-time
nurses.
“In a victory for nurses and their patients, the parties reached
a fair agreement that will allow this hospital to recruit and retain
the staff needed to deliver quality patient care at the region’s
only level one trauma center,” said Kathie Logan, RN and chair
of the bargaining unit. “Ultimate credit goes to our members
who came together to stand up for what they believed in. It was
the strength and unity of our union that allowed us to push forward
to such a successful settlement. This is a win for all parties,
and the biggest winners will be our patients.”
The three-year agreement runs from April 2006 to April 2009. The
pact includes the following key provisions:
- Maintains the current defined benefit pension for nurses currently
employed. Newly hired nurses may choose the defined benefit pension
or an enhanced defined contribution plan.
- Provides a health insurance premium with an 80/20 cost share
for both full-time and part-time nurses.
- Provides a 15-step salary scale with 5 percent annual step
raises, as well as a cost-of-living adjustment in each year of
the contract. The starting hourly wage step at the end of the
contract will be $27.23 up from $24.33 with a top wage step of
$55.02 up from $49.86.
- Management withdrew proposals that would have diminished nurses’
rights under new Reduction in Force language, as well language
on family and medical leave benefits.
The 830 MNA nurses of the UMMC/University Campus began negotiations
last December. The settlement followed an historic 94 percent vote
by the nurses to authorize the strike. More than 20 negotiating
sessions had been held by the time the tentative agreement was reached
on Oct. 26, with a federal mediator involved in the talks from early
on in the process.
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