RAMS workers win big raises in mid-contract bargaining
“After years and years of being told that we matter, we’re finally beginning to feel it,” said Kimberly Banford, a licensed marriage and family therapist at Richmond Area Multi Services (RAMS).
NUHW members at the San Francisco nonprofit, which provides mental health services for children in the public school system and many people in the city’s Asian community, won mid-contract raises ranging from 3 percent to 43 percent, with the average hike around 21 percent, finally bringing them up to market-rate wages. Workers will also receive a minimum $2 per hour rate increase when promoted to a higher classification.
“With the ratification of this contract, employees are finally starting to see evidence of management’s purported values,” said Banford.
Management also agreed to language that puts limits on re-assignments and gives workers more say when their work assignments change.
The agreement also extends the contract to June 25, with a reopener to negotiate contractual increases in January 2024, and creates a special labor–management committee with representatives from all departments to establish organization-wide objectives.
“Every time we bargain or review our contract, my colleagues and I gain more clarity on our department’s priorities. Now, we’re more inspired to work as a team and fight for fair implementation of our contractual wins,” Banford said.