Vermont Business Magazine Three hundred support staff and technical employees at Porter Medical Center, part of the University of Vermont Health Network, voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday in favor of organizing a union (204-30) and plan to begin negotiations to improve wages, benefits, working conditions and the quality of patient care.
The new group joins the 100 RNs at Porter who organized in 2013 and the 9,500 healthcare and higher education professionals of AFT Vermont.
Liz Willey, a Radiology Tech at Porter, stated, “We love our hospital, the people and our jobs. I am organizing to win the resources and consideration we all need to succeed. I believe in doing the right thing, and providing equitable conditions is the right thing to do. Porter needs to be able to hire and retain quality staff, and we can create the conditions to make that happen.”
According to Shelley Bishop, an office representative, “We look forward to sitting down with management to negotiate for fair wages. My current compensation makes it difficult to feed my family of four and cover child care–let alone save for retirement. Porter wouldn’t run without us, and we need a livable wage.”
Nicole DiVita, AFT Vermont Co-President for Healthcare, stated, “We are so glad to welcome the most recent healthcare support staff and techs into our Union. We know that when we come together, we can win better working conditions for our members and better care for our patients.”
AFT Vermont is the state's fastest growing union and represents healthcare and higher education professionals at the University of Vermont Medical Center, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Porter Medical Center, Central Vermont Medical Center, Community Health Centers of Burlington, the Vermont State University, the University of Vermont, the Community Colleges of Vermont, and Bennington College.
Source: 3.7.2024 Middlebury - AFT Vermont
