Vermont Business Magazine Over 300 Porter Medical Center (PMC) support staff, licensed practical nurses, and technical professionals ratified their first union contract late Saturday night, voting to accept a tentative agreement reached the week before between management and the union’s bargaining team.
Highlights of the new contract include:
- Average raises of 22% in the first year of the contract;
- Strong measures to ensure safe staffing;
- Investment in local staff over travelers and other temporary employees.
Earlier this year, the healthcare workers voted to form a union, joining their registered nurse (RN) colleagues at PMC who first organized in 2013. Contract negotiations with management have been ongoing since June. The new union members will join the RNs as members of Porter Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals, an affiliate of AFT Vermont.
“This contract is life changing for many current Porter employees,” said Pediatrics Office Representative Paige Kernan. “It will also help attract new, local staff and ensure Porter can continue to care for the surrounding communities. This contract means I can start focusing on my future, instead of just trying to survive between paychecks.”
“This last year of hard work was a true leap of faith for us,” added Radiologic Technologist Maya Schnell. “We came together, listened to each other, felt for each other, and finally, fought for each other. The end result of that, this first contract, will help so many people in this community, now, and in the future.”
AFT Vermont, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, represents 10,000 healthcare and higher education workers in Vermont.
Source: 9.16.2024. Middlebury – AFT Vermont
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