Copley Hospital, nurses union negotiate new contract

Copley Hospital and the United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5109 have negotiated a new three year contract. The contract focuses on quality patient care, staffing, and fiscal responsibility. The new contract will help the hospital reduce operational costs by more than $500,000. A tentative agreement on the contract was reached on Friday, May 24, and ratification occurred on June 3, 2013. The contract runs from May 29, 2013, through May 28, 2016.
‘Very candid conversations were held about patient care, the pressures of health care reform, the fiscal health of the hospital, and the need to reduce expenses,’said Mel Patashnick, President of Copley Hospital. ‘I cannot emphasize how candid and thorough these conversations were and together we were able to create a new contract that results in a cost avoidance of nearly half a million dollars without sacrificing quality of patient care. I am very impressed with the members of UNAP.’
‘Both parties demonstrated a willingness to address the fiscal pressures Copley is facing while keeping quality at the forefront,’said Sandy Grace, RN and President of Copley UNAP. ‘There were hard decisions to be made but we ended with a contract that provides certainty, stability, and security for our members while maintaining our commitment to our patients, our community, and the future of Copley Hospital.’
The new contract is effective May 29, 2013 through May 28, 2016. The contract includes a wage freeze for the first year of the contract and a 2% cost of living adjustment in the second and third year of the contract. Patashnick said that the wage freeze will apply to all staff across the hospital. The hospital has also scaled back on construction projects, capital purchases and travel in addition to increasing operational efficiency to reduce expenses.
‘Like many hospitals in Vermont, we are not meeting our projected budget revenue due to lower patient volume, so we need to reduce our costs,’said Patashnick. ‘The hospital is in good shape, and as difficult as it is for our staff to withstand a one year wage freeze, we are demonstrating good stewardship and careful management, positioning Copley for a healthy future.’
Source: Copley Hospital June 5, 2013