METRO WASHINGTON LABOR COUNCIL AFL-CIO
  • Home
  • Board & Staff
  • Who We Are
  • Calendar
  • Evening With Labor
    • Archive >
      • 2021 Evening With Labor
      • 2019 Evening With Labor
      • 2017 Evening With Labor
      • 2018 Evening With Labor
      • 2015 Evening With Labor
      • 2016 Evening With Labor
  • Stay Connected
  • Programs
    • Community Services >
      • Espanol
      • Mission
      • Donate Now
      • Programs
      • Funders
      • Archives
    • Political Action >
      • Archive
      • Mission
      • Elected Officials
      • Endorsements
      • DMV Voters Guide
      • Candidate Questionnaires: Archive 2006-2014 >
        • 2018
        • 2016
        • 2015
        • 2014
        • Other
        • 2012
        • 2010
        • 2008
        • 2007
        • 2006
    • DC unemployment appeals
  • Hiring Hall
    • ADMINISTRATIVE
    • COMMUNICATIONS
    • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
    • INTERNSHIPS
    • LEGAL
    • MISC
    • ORGANIZING
    • POLITICAL
    • RESEARCH
  • Affiliates

Providence Hospital RNs Cite Patient Care, Economic Gains in First-Ever Union Contract

12/3/2014

 
Picture
Registered nurses at Providence Hospital won their first ever collective bargaining agreement in a tentative settlement late Monday night. Key provisions of the agreement, which must still be approved by the nurses in membership meetings Thursday and Friday, include important gains on safe staffing and a stronger voice for RNs in patient care decisions, guaranteed pay increases, and workplace protections. “From the beginning, this has always been about our ability to provide safe patient care. I am proud to say that Providence nurses have finally gained a voice in staffing and patient care,” says Donna Fleming-Cobey, a RN on an Intermediate Care Unit. She has worked at Providence for 18 years…
photo by Chris Garlock

Picture
The 400 Providence RNs are members of National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of the largest U.S. organization of nurses, National Nurses United. Providence Hospital is part of the Ascension Health hospital chain. “This is a significant achievement that will elevate standards for all District of Columbia RNs, and a testimony to the unity and perseverance of Providence RNs who fought so hard for patient safety and their own economic and workplace security,” said NNU Co-President Karen Higgins, RN.

“One of our primary goals has been to win a fair wage structure that rewards nurses for service so that we can recruit and retain nurses. I am happy to report that our new contract will ensure that nurses are fairly compensated for the care that we provide,” says Fidelis Kweyila, an RN on a medical-surgical unit. He has worked at Providence for 7 years.

Safe patient care staffing was a key issue for the RNs throughout the negotiation process, which included a one-day strike in November.

Under the agreement, the nurses will elect a team of bedside RNs to meet with management on a regular basis to address patient care issues, including safe staffing, patient handling and introduction of new technology.

The hospital is required to create a staffing system to improve staffing hospital wide, and the nurses will have a staffing committee to address staffing guidelines. Further, the agreement provides for paid meal and rest breaks to assure nurses can safety take breaks without putting patients at risk.

Pay equity was another significant concern for the RNs. All RNs will benefit from wage increases of at least 6 percent over three years – up to 25 percent, or in some cases more, based on years of experience.

Contract provisions also include a number of workplace protections for the RNs, including fair treatment with a union voice in cases of disciplines or job disputes, advance notice of work schedules, and seniority rights in the event of layoffs.

Providence RNs also raised concerns about Ebola safety standards. Providence has agreed to follow federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines on infectious diseases and assurance of paid time off for nurses exposed to infectious disease.
photo by Chris Garlock


Comments are closed.
    Picture

      Sign up here for the latest DC-area labor news!

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    COMMUNITY SERVICES

    EN ESPANOL

    DC UNEMPLOYMENT APPEALS

    LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

    Tweets by @DCLabor

    ​Leaders & Staff

    AFFILIATES

    Constitution

    Documents

    AFFILIATE Social Media

    HIRING HALL

    Evening with Labor

    Union City News

    UNION SHOP

    UNION PLUS

Share any story to Facebook, Twitter or via email!
Just click on the story ​and then click on the  social media icon!
COPYRIGHT METRO WASHINGTON LABOR COUNCIL AFL-CIO 2023
202-974-8150; [email protected]
  • Home
  • Board & Staff
  • Who We Are
  • Calendar
  • Evening With Labor
    • Archive >
      • 2021 Evening With Labor
      • 2019 Evening With Labor
      • 2017 Evening With Labor
      • 2018 Evening With Labor
      • 2015 Evening With Labor
      • 2016 Evening With Labor
  • Stay Connected
  • Programs
    • Community Services >
      • Espanol
      • Mission
      • Donate Now
      • Programs
      • Funders
      • Archives
    • Political Action >
      • Archive
      • Mission
      • Elected Officials
      • Endorsements
      • DMV Voters Guide
      • Candidate Questionnaires: Archive 2006-2014 >
        • 2018
        • 2016
        • 2015
        • 2014
        • Other
        • 2012
        • 2010
        • 2008
        • 2007
        • 2006
    • DC unemployment appeals
  • Hiring Hall
    • ADMINISTRATIVE
    • COMMUNICATIONS
    • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
    • INTERNSHIPS
    • LEGAL
    • MISC
    • ORGANIZING
    • POLITICAL
    • RESEARCH
  • Affiliates