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Civista, nurses ink contract
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009
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What started out with a bang at the beginning of the year ended quietly when stalled union contract negotiations between nurses and the administration of Civista Medical Center in La Plata drew to a quiet close several months ago.
Contract negotiations between Civista and nurses with the 1199 Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers East that began in January stalled early in the process and about 60 nurses and their supporters lined up on Charles Street in front of the hospital in mid-March for an informational picket to protest issues that were proving to be sticking points in the contract negotiations, particularly what the union felt were low nursing staff levels at the hospital. The small number of nurses at the hospital was impacting patient safety, according to Patti D'Ambrosia, a nurse at Civista who was also one of the union's lead negotiators for the contract.
The contract negotiations drew quietly to a close at the end of June because many of the issues that blocked the ratification of the union contract were not satisfactorily resolved.
The contract did cement some job security for the nurses by allowing the union to negotiate with the hospital if layoffs are imminent, said Stacey Mink, SEIU 1199's spokeswoman.
Unfortunately, the union was not able to negotiate a 4 percent pay increase for the nurses because of the downturn in the economy, Mink said, adding the contract is for three years with an option to reopen negotiations in a year. The nursing staffing level is still an issue, as well, she said.
Stacey Cook, Civista's vice president of human resources, said the contract is the best that could be crafted during rough economic times.
