Workers at North American Health Care win new contracts
Workers at three nursing homes owned by North American Health Care voted overwhelmingly this month to ratify contracts that include substantial raises.
The three-year contracts establish new wage scales that will significantly increase salaries at Cottonwood Health Care, University Post-Acute Rehab and Woodland Nursing and Rehabilitation. Workers who are already at the top of the wage scale will receive 11.5 percent raises through 2022. Additionally, workers who decline to receive medical and dental benefits will get an extra $1.25 per hour.
The contract also includes a labor–management committee on safe staffing that will meet four times a year as well as a requirement that all of the nursing homes respond to vacation requests within two weeks.
“We forced North American to make numerous concessions in bargaining and held firm until we won a contract that will significantly improve wages and give us a stronger voice to improve staffing,” said Virgina De Hoyos, a dietary worker at Woodland. “We’re facing a lot of challenges, especially when it comes to the coronavirus, but we now have a good contract and the security of good raises over the next three years.”