The hospitals impacted by the three-year agreement also include St. Steward Health Care is the largest hospital network in the state. “With our union, we are moving forward and we are on a good path with this new contract.” “It is great to have a voice and protections,” said Donna Bryce, a unit secretary at Morton Hospital, in a statement provided by the union. Steward Health Care bought out the formerly nonprofit Morton Hospital more than two years ago, pledging to invest $110 million into the facility and to pay of the hospital’s $28 million debt.Ī Morton Hospital worker affected by the contract agreement said she was happy that the union workers voted for the contract, which she deemed a good one. “More broadly, we are honored to work with SEIU in the advancement of social justice in health care,” the statement from Thurston said. In general, Steward said, the health care company hopes to support “social justice” in the industry. “We will continue to protect and create ‘living wage’ jobs at Steward, which are critically important to the communities where we operate.” “We strongly support our SEIU employees and we are proud to offer competitive wages and affordable health care benefits,” said Steward Health Care spokeswoman Brooke Thurston, in a statement she provided for the company. The new contract includes a guaranteed 2 percent wage increase each year for three years, totaling a 6 percent increase during the life of the contract of Steward workers who are members of 1199SEIU. “Those were big priorities for workers at Steward and they were successful at making progress on all of those goals and more,” Hall said. In the end, Hall said, the union is proud of the agreement. Hall said the contract was reached over the course of 15 bargaining sessions, during which each side “hammered out details” of the master agreement. Morton Hospital workers were the most recent of those from the eight hospitals to join the union, when the Morton workers organized in October 2012. “This contract represents improvements to jobs across many departments in the hospital, security moving forward for worker and also a commitment to improving patient care throughout joint labor management initiatives.” “Workers at all eight hospitals, including Morton, voted to ratify this contract because it will mean guaranteed wage increases, new provisions to ensure job security and the continuation of affordable health care for Morton employees and families,” said Jeff Hall, a spokesperson for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. The contract covers a “broad range” of service, clerical, and technical employees at Steward hospitals where workers had previously voted to join 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. The 1199SEIU said it represents 540 workers at Morton Hospital in Taunton, and a total of 5,000 health care workers for eight Steward hospitals across the state. Steward Health care, which bought Morton Hospital in 2011, and the 1199SEIU workers union both said they were happy to come to an agreement that includes guaranteed wage increases, maintenance of affordable health care benefits and the continuation of a “living wage” standard for lower earning hospital workers such as housekeeping staff. Health care workers at Taunton’s Morton Hospital, and other Steward Health Care-owned hospitals throughout the state, reached a new three-year labor agreement, both sides announced on Tuesday.
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