Nurses rally outside the medical school near the entrance to the hospital on the first morning of the strike July 12. VBM photo.
by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The nurses union and the University of Vermont Medical Center have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. After many months of often vitriolic accusations from the union and despite a line in the stand drawn by the Burlington hospital just last week that it had offered "a last, best and final" offer to the union, the two sides tweaked that offer which could now end the labor dispute, pending a vote by the 1,800 nurses. Both sides issued press releases announcing the deal about 10:30 pm Wednesday.
That dispute included the first nursing strike in the hospital's history, which lasted for two days in mid-July. The Vermont Federation of Nurses &Health Professionals contract expired on July 9 and nurses have been working without a contract since.
UVM Medical Center President Eileen Whalen said in a statement: "The UVM Medical Center has reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract with the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals.
"After several exchanges of ideas, the UVM Medical Center and the union agreed to a contract that includes a 16% average base salary increase over the next three years. As part of the deal, the union agreed to eliminate proposed increases to certain shift differentials. Pay increases for ambulatory nurses will be retroactive to the first full pay period in September – the date we had previously proposed. We believe this agreement provides meaningful wage increases and allows us to maintain our commitment to all employees and be responsible stewards of limited health care dollars.
"The union will be taking this offer to their membership for a ratification vote in the coming days.We are looking forward to implementing the many positive changes that result from the new contract, which will enhance patient care, provide additional support for nurses and allow for new opportunities to advance the nursing profession."
For the union, Lead Negotiator Molly Wallner said in a statement: "We are proud of the unity, strength, and perseverance our nurses have shown. This has been a long and difficult road for all of us, and we are proud of what we have accomplished. Our fight for patient safety is not over, and we will continue that fight through the legislature."
While wages were one sticking point, staffing levels have been an ongoing issue for nurses. The hospital also has been pressed by regulators to contain costs.
The nurses press release also said that the VFNHP Bargaining Committee will share the details of the tentative agreement with their membership Thursday. A date on when the rank-and-file membership would vote on the deal was not disclosed.
The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington is a 447-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. It also partners with the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences as Vermont’s academic medical center.The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network. While that network includes Porter Hospital in Middlebury and the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, the nurses labor action only involved the UVM Medical Center.
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Source: UVMMC. Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals. 9.19.2018