Contracts ratified at St. Joseph Eureka and Redwood Memorial Hospitals
NUHW members in Humboldt County ratified a four-year contract that will include significant wage increases without the harsh takeaways that Providence St. Joseph Health was demanding during more than a year of negotiations.
The approximately 500 NUHW members at St. Joseph Eureka and Redwood Memorial hospitals conducted a one-day strike in November and held numerous rallies calling on the hospital to provide safe staffing and bargain in good faith.
“This contract is a tremendous show of strength against a hugely profitable company that has a near monopoly on healthcare in our community,” said Kellie Shaner, a monitor technician at St. Joseph Eureka. “By standing together on the picket line and at the bargaining table we were able to push back against their proposals and win good raises and better retirement benefits.”
After ratifying the contract with 97 percent of the vote, workers will receive across-the-board raises totaling 11.75 percent over four years. NUHW members in 32 classifications and those at lower pay grades will receive additional wage increases. The salary floor at both hospitals will increase incrementally from $15 to $17.40 by 2023. Shift differentials will increase by 50 cents per hour, and the 401k plan will be improved with an increased employer match.
Workers also secured a safe staffing committee that includes one representative from each department. The committee will meet four times per year with members being compensated for their participation.
Before workers went on strike, Providence was seeking to end its PPO health plan that allows NUHW members to choose their own doctors. But workers fought off Providence’s proposal to scrap the PPO health plan, and sharply reduced proposed premium increases.