Nurses at Providence Milwaukie Hospital in Milwaukie, Ore., recently negotiated and ratified their second contract. The 120 nurses represented by the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals voted overwhelmingly in favor of the contract.

 The two-year contract provides the nurses with a 4.5 percent raise in the first year and a 4 percent raise in the second. The contract includes improved differential pay for nights, charge, preceptor and others, as well as improved language to allow nurses uninterrupted breaks and lunches. The contract calls for a new labor-management task force to deal with staffing, patient load and other issues pertaining to working conditions.

The nurses also won additional time for union orientation for new hires. Debbie Silva, chief negotiator for the union, says the increased time gives the local more opportunity to reach out potential members.

The 2,2000 health professionals at the University of Connecticut represented by the University Health Professionals, Local 3937, overwhelmingly ratified a new four-year contract.

The 40-member negotiating team won wage increases for each year of the contract: 3.25 percent for years 1 and 3, and 2 percent for years 2 and 4. UHP members also will be eligible for a tuition waiver.

“We had a really good contract. Now we have a great contract,” says UHP president Jean Morningstar.

The nurses at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn., represented by the L&M Registered Nurses Union, Local 5049, reached a new agreement with the hospital recently. The nurses were seeking a wage and benefit reopener for the third year of their three-year contract. The agreement averted a near strike after negotiations hit a wall within the first few weeks.

Greg Kotecki, chief negotiator for the union, told the New London Day that the agreement sets the stage for the next round of negotiations for the union’s new contract. The nurses will receive a 2 percent pay raise in January and another 2 percent in July.

The agreement also includes the establishment of a committee to review the hospital’s health insurance plan, cost and coverage.

Nurses at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt., represented by the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, have reached an agreement with the hospital to allow nurses to have a say in hospital staffing.

“Direct-care nurses need to be involved in staffing plans. This will allow us to design what we believe will improve the level of safety, the quality of care and the level of nurses’ satisfaction,” Jennifer Henry, VFNHP president, told the Burlington Free Press.