Civista Nurses Ratify New Contract

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Last week nurses at Civista Medical Center in Maryland – represented by 1199SEIU – unanimously voted to ratify a new three-year contract. The contract, which came after six months of negotiation and the possibility of a strike (“Civista Nurses to Strike Over Staffing Issues,” UC 5/3/2012), covers over 200 nurses at the La Plata, MD hospital. “This agreement really demonstrates the strength of nurses having a union voice to advocate for quality care” said Joy Adiansingh, a nurse at Civista. The contract includes victories from improved nurse-to-patient ratios and a 6.25% wage increase over three years, to the creation of a joint labor-management pilot project that will bring nurses and management together around shared goals. 1199SEIU Vice-President Vanessa Johnson is hopeful that this new collaboration “will not only allow nurses at Civista to provide the best care to their patients…[but] will also help them set an example that other area hospitals can follow." - photo of Civista nurses rally by Paul S. Warner