Vermont Business Magazine Nurses, LNAs, Social Workers, Chaplains, Bereavement Coordinators, Volunteers Coordinators, Cooks, and Admin Support workers at UVM Home Health and Hospice have voted 72-1 to ratify their first union contract. The final negotiation session ended just after midnight after a many hour session on January 29th – nearly seven months after employees voted to form their union Hospice United last June.
This agreement will raise wages an average of 17% over the two-and-a-half-year length of the contract, improves hourly differentials for all staff, lays the foundation for safe staffing ratios, and establishes protections for the rest of UVM Home Health should they choose to organize.
“This contract will help move us towards equity with the rest of UVM Health,” says Lindsay Gerdeman, Nurse Practitioner. “We know Hospice work is essential to the broader healthcare system, and this contract will provide a solid foundation for Hospice to grow.”
Debbie Barron, LNA Mentor reflects: “It’s very emotional because we worked so hard to get a contract and become a union. I come from a union family. I’ve been an LNA for 28 years. Before our union, you could be fired for any reason, but it’s not like that anymore. Now we know somebody has our back. I’m very proud to have been a part of that."
Hospice United represents over 100 Nurses, LNAs, Social Workers, Chaplains, Bereavement Coordinators, Volunteers Coordinators, Cooks, and Admin Supports at UVM Home Health and Hospice.
AFT Vermont represents over 11,000 healthcare and higher education professionals at the Central Vermont Medical Center, UVM Medical Center, University of Vermont, the Vermont State University,
2.10.2026. https://aftvermont.org/
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