Kindred Orange County members win big raises
Six months of arduous negotiations paid off for more than 300 workers at Kindred Hospital Brea and Kindred Hospital Westminster who overwhelmingly ratified a three-year contract earlier this month. The contract will raise salaries 23 percent on average, with many workers receiving even higher wage increases.
The agreement came as workers were in the process of authorizing a strike on the heels of an informational picket they held outside the Orange County facilities.
“We stood strong and united throughout all these months of negotiations until we got a contract that benefits us all,” said Rosemary Vidal, admissions associate at Kindred Hospital Brea. “We’ll finally be compensated fairly for our work and have the wages that retain and help attract workers, so we can better care for our patients.”
The contract includes the following wage increases::
- 2022: A minimum 4 percent raise with up to 15 percent raises for full and part-time workers who have been at Kindred for at least six months and were not making market level wages.
- 2023: 3 percent minimum for full-time and part-time members.
- 2024: 3 percent minimum for full-time and part-time members.
The contract also includes longevity raises for workers with more than five years of seniority as well as an additional one percent increase for full-time and part-time workers in January.
Additionally, the agreement eliminates the probationary period for per diem employees, and allows part-time and per diem employees to convert to full-time or part-time positions after repeatedly working 30 hours and 24 hours per week, respectively. It also adds a number of protections for members, including a two-hour notice before canceling/flexing members, and a four-hour pay for reporting to work, whether they work at all or not. Members will not be floated to another unit unless they have training and qualifications for that unit, and Kindred will float registry before any union members.
“Reaching an agreement was not easy,” said Kindred Brea monitor tech Elias Hernandez. ”But we now have improved workplace safety language and per diem coworkers will be able to convert to part-time and full-time status to reflect the vital work they do every day in helping the hospital and this community.”