39-hour bargaining session culminates with an agreement

The Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (VFNHP) and Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington agreed on a three-year contract in July.

VFNHP, which represents 1,500 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses at Fletcher Allen, had been negotiating for a new contract since March. The contract agreement came after a 39-hour negotiating session.

The major issues for the nurses included preference of local nurses over traveling nurses, better language on scheduling, more education days, better differential pay for night and weekend shifts, and a more equitable pay scale.

The contract also contains new language that ensures no nurse in the bargaining unit can be considered managerial or supervisory as defined, or “may be defined,” by the National Labor Relations Board.

“We all know that nurses provide care, not merely supervise it, but we felt it wise to sign an agreement with Fletcher Allen to make sure they acknowledge it, too,” says VFNHP president Jennifer Henry.

The strong protection language that
Fletcher Allen agreed to in the contract was noted by the national media including National Public Radio’s business show “Marketplace” and the Wall Street Journal.

The nurses, however, are not content merely to have contract language on this issue.

“Nurses must remain ready at all times to do what it takes to preserve our right to advocate for our patients and ourselves,” says Henry.

The contract provides across-the-board wage increases of 5 percent each year for RNs and 3.5 percent for LPNs. The new contract has a 22-step scale, and all employees will receive 2 percent step increases.

“We had about 600 to 700 nurses who weren’t on the right step,” Henry told the Burlington Press. “At the end of the three-year contract, no nurse will be more than a few steps off,” which will help improve retention and recruitment, Henry added.

The union and the hospital have agreed to pilot a program to develop nurse staffing plans in five units of the hospital.

Henry notes that organizing members will be key to making the staffing pilot program work. “We must be more organized than ever to be able to get every nurse’s input on how our units need to work for patients, and [we need] to be strong enough not to let this opportunity for real change be wasted on the ‘Band-Aid’ type of problem solving and solutions,” she said.

In addition, the hospital has agreed to pay for tuition and textbooks for LPNs who want to become RNs. The hospital also will provide an annual pool of $100,000 to pay for at least 1,000 days of leave for educational purposes for nurses in the bargaining unit.