DCNA Wins Wage Increases for RNs at DC Department of Mental Health

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

After three years without raises and more than two years of bargaining, RNs at the DC Department of Mental Health (DMH) are poised to receive overdue pay increases. The DC City Council is expected to vote today on approving the contract between the District of Columbia Nurses Association (DCNA) and the DMH. In addition to modest pay increases, the agreement also maintains existing benefits and “requires negotiation over recruitment and retention issues,” says Edward J. Smith, Staff Attorney for DCNA, who testified in support of the agreement last week. “DCNA has long advocated for effective recruitment and retention programs at DMH,” added DCNA-DMH Union President Shirley Jackson, RN. “Finally, hard-working nurses will receive some wage increases and the opportunity to continue to negotiate over matters that will enhance the hiring and retention of strong and effective nurses.” The agreement, reached as a result of arbitration, awards a 2% raise effective October 1, 2012 and a 3% raise effective October 1, 2013. In his testimony before the DC City Council last week, Smith also pleaded with the Council to hold a public hearing on the Patient Protection Act of 2013, which requires DC hospitals to implement nurse to patient ratios. photo: RNs rally in April for the passage of the Patient Protection Act