After counting ballots Tuesday night, 5,900 Twin Cities hospital workers from SEIU Local 113 have a new contract. The agreement, approved by 79 percent of voting members, includes across-the-board cuts in the health care premiums workers pay, a 12 percent wage increase over three years, and a significant increase in the employer pension contribution.
After members voted in their hospitals on Monday and Tuesday, ballots were counted Tuesday evening at the Local 113 office. Vote totals were:
Allina Table (Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, Metropolitan Linen Service, Phillips Eye Institute, United Hospital): 633 for - 145 against
Mercy Hospital (part of the Allina Table, but ratifies separately): 199 for - 89 against
Twin City Table (Children's Health Care-Minneapolis, Children's Health Care-St. Paul, Community Hospital Linen Services, Fairview-University Medical Center-Riverside Campus, Fairview Southdale Hospital, Healtheast St. John's Hospital, Healtheast Bethesda Lutheran Hospital and Rehab. Center, and North Memorial Health Center): 919 for - 238 against
Methodist Hospital (part of the Twin City Table, but ratifies separately): 182 for - 26 against
The union said the new contract is the product of a member-driven campaign begun last year that included: on-site contract action teams of member activists, a weekly newsletter, on-the-job union solidarity actions, a major affordable health care rally in February, informational pickets, short strikes, a sit-in at the Allina board, legislative pressure, and a threatened one-day strike that would have seen 3,000 workers off the job Tuesday.
"Our members put their hearts and souls into this campaign," said Local 113 President Julie Schnell. "When management declared their 'final offer,' our members held firm and forced them to do better. This new contract will translate into lower cost health care premiums for almost all of our members."
Key provisions of the new three-year contract:
Health Care: For the family premium, the worker contribution is reduced to 30 percent (70 percent employer paid) as of June 1, 2003, from as high as 63 percent currently. For the "single+1 premium," the worker contribution is reduced to 30 percent from as high as 44 percent currently. For single coverage, the worker contribution is reduced from 20 percent to 15 percent as of March 1, 2004. There is no cap on the employer contribution to premiums.
Pay: The new contract calls for a 4 percent increase each of the next three years and first year raise retroactive to March 1, 2003. There is also an increase in shift differential pay and a new 15-year step added to the contract. Various facilities have other pay increases such as lead pay, training pay, or translator pay, the union said.
Pension: The employer contribution to the Twin City Hospital Workers pension fund will increase 15 cents per hour, scheduled over three years. This amount raises the current contribution from 32 cents to 47 cents, an almost 50 percent increase that exceeds all pension gains since 1988.
Additional improvements were made in the educational reimbursement, uniform allowance and life insurance, the union said.
According to Local 113 member Cleveland Donazal, employed at Bethesda Hospital, "This contract is a good start in our fight for affordable health care, but we cannot rest now. Even with the contract improvements we have made, too many health care workers still pay more than CEOs and managers do for the same coverage and there are still too many health care workers without any coverage. But, all-in-all, I am happy we are moving in the right direction."
Added Local 113 President Schnell, "The improvements we won show what an active membership can accomplish and our members plan to continue the fight for more affordable health care. We will now reach-out and organize the non-union health care workers who are interested in more affordable health care. Keeping our members focused on health care and organizing new members will make us that much stronger for the next round in the fight for affordable health care."
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After counting ballots Tuesday night, 5,900 Twin Cities hospital workers from SEIU Local 113 have a new contract. The agreement, approved by 79 percent of voting members, includes across-the-board cuts in the health care premiums workers pay, a 12 percent wage increase over three years, and a significant increase in the employer pension contribution.
After members voted in their hospitals on Monday and Tuesday, ballots were counted Tuesday evening at the Local 113 office. Vote totals were:
Allina Table (Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, Metropolitan Linen Service, Phillips Eye Institute, United Hospital): 633 for – 145 against
Mercy Hospital (part of the Allina Table, but ratifies separately): 199 for – 89 against
Twin City Table (Children’s Health Care-Minneapolis, Children’s Health Care-St. Paul, Community Hospital Linen Services, Fairview-University Medical Center-Riverside Campus, Fairview Southdale Hospital, Healtheast St. John’s Hospital, Healtheast Bethesda Lutheran Hospital and Rehab. Center, and North Memorial Health Center): 919 for – 238 against
Methodist Hospital (part of the Twin City Table, but ratifies separately): 182 for – 26 against
The union said the new contract is the product of a member-driven campaign begun last year that included: on-site contract action teams of member activists, a weekly newsletter, on-the-job union solidarity actions, a major affordable health care rally in February, informational pickets, short strikes, a sit-in at the Allina board, legislative pressure, and a threatened one-day strike that would have seen 3,000 workers off the job Tuesday.
“Our members put their hearts and souls into this campaign,” said Local 113 President Julie Schnell. “When management declared their ‘final offer,’ our members held firm and forced them to do better. This new contract will translate into lower cost health care premiums for almost all of our members.”
Key provisions of the new three-year contract:
Health Care: For the family premium, the worker contribution is reduced to 30 percent (70 percent employer paid) as of June 1, 2003, from as high as 63 percent currently. For the “single+1 premium,” the worker contribution is reduced to 30 percent from as high as 44 percent currently. For single coverage, the worker contribution is reduced from 20 percent to 15 percent as of March 1, 2004. There is no cap on the employer contribution to premiums.
Pay: The new contract calls for a 4 percent increase each of the next three years and first year raise retroactive to March 1, 2003. There is also an increase in shift differential pay and a new 15-year step added to the contract. Various facilities have other pay increases such as lead pay, training pay, or translator pay, the union said.
Pension: The employer contribution to the Twin City Hospital Workers pension fund will increase 15 cents per hour, scheduled over three years. This amount raises the current contribution from 32 cents to 47 cents, an almost 50 percent increase that exceeds all pension gains since 1988.
Additional improvements were made in the educational reimbursement, uniform allowance and life insurance, the union said.
According to Local 113 member Cleveland Donazal, employed at Bethesda Hospital, “This contract is a good start in our fight for affordable health care, but we cannot rest now. Even with the contract improvements we have made, too many health care workers still pay more than CEOs and managers do for the same coverage and there are still too many health care workers without any coverage. But, all-in-all, I am happy we are moving in the right direction.”
Added Local 113 President Schnell, “The improvements we won show what an active membership can accomplish and our members plan to continue the fight for more affordable health care. We will now reach-out and organize the non-union health care workers who are interested in more affordable health care. Keeping our members focused on health care and organizing new members will make us that much stronger for the next round in the fight for affordable health care.”