Vermont Business Magazine The Community Health Centers (CHC) and the members of Community Health United (CHU), AFT Vermont jointly announce that they have ratified a new union contract. This new agreement builds upon the existing contract with licensed and unlicensed staff.
It will:
- Raise the minimum start rate to $21/hour in August of 2025
- Make improvements to training procedures, safety protections, and career growth opportunities
- Made compensation adjustments for Nurses, Mental Health Clinicians, and Medical Providers to ensure market competitiveness.
CHC’s CEO, Jeff McKee, stated, “The ongoing uncertainty in healthcare funding required us to come together to make really important decisions about how to best direct our limited resources. I am so proud of CHC where we can have thoughtful, honest, and direct conversations about challenging issues so important to the staff, the community, and the organization. I believe this contract bolsters an already strong agreement that will support us all well over the next several years.”
CHU Co-President Adam Sadowski, a CHC Naturopathic Physician, said, “No matter the challenges afflicting our current healthcare landscape, the staff at CHC continues to provide high-quality, culturally competent, patient-centered care for an incredibly diverse patient population. We continue to excel in our delivery of medical, dental, mental health, addiction recovery, and case management services. I have no doubt the improvements in wages and working conditions that we have agreed to in this contract will continue to make CHC a well-respected partner within the community we serve, increase our ability to recruit talent, and retain our dedicated staff.’’
The newly-ratified contract took effect on August 7, 2025.
Since 1971, the Community Health Centers have provided quality health care for Vermonters regardless of financial or insurance status. One of 12 Federally Qualified Health Centers in the state, CHC has nine locations and is one of the largest nonprofit family health and dental practices in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. For more information on their services and programs, visit www.chcb.org.
AFT Vermont is the state’s fastest growing union and represents more than 6,000 higher education and healthcare professionals at Community Health Centers, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Porter Medical Center, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, UVM Medical Center, the University of Vermont, Community College of Vermont and the Vermont State University. For more information: https://aftvermont.org/
This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3,489,641 with approximately 90% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, visit HRSA.gov.
8.13.2025. BURLINGTON, VT – Community Health Centers
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