Good Samaritan Medical Center ratifies two-year contract

Top pay climbs to $39.01

The nurses and health care professionals at Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center overwhelmingly ratified a new two-year contract on Sept. 16. Two-thirds of the bargaining unit voted at three different sites to affirm the hard work of the bargaining committee. The committee itself represented the variety of professionals covered by the contract, including RNs, pharmacists, physical therapists, social workers and medical technologists. A large and hard working group, the committee worked through the different interests of the group to arrive at a fair and equitable settlement.

The committee set three goals at the beginning:

1. The team was only interested in a two-year contract, coming off of a three year deal that left nurses' wages lagging far behind their counterparts in the greater-Brockton area.
2. The team knew that a wage settlement had to include fairness for the group as a whole, while acknowledging that certain titles needed additional attention, due to the changing market salaries.
3. The team wanted to make sure that any member at the top of the pay schedule for at least one year move to any additional added steps on the same date.

The final settlement included across-theboard- increases of 8 percent over the two years for all members; added a new 3 percent step in the second year for pharmacists and care coordinators and created two new steps for RNs. All members who were at the top of the pay schedule will move to their new steps on a common date and not on their anniversary dates, which were previously scattered throughout the year. Top pay climbed from $33.73 to $39.01 during the life of the contract. The agreement also included a new weekend package and a new Insurance Advisory Committee which will include the Chief Operating Officer on the management side and will provide an opportunity for union input into insurance decisions before they are completed.

The committee used a newsletter to keep members informed throughout the bargaining process. Beginning in March, 10 newsletters were produced and distributed. The feedback to the committee since has all been positive, with members feeling informed and involved in the union.

"We achieved our goals" said first-time bargaining team member and RN Karen Gavigan. "The committee developed an excellent relationship with each other. Representatives of every department attended all the meetings and worked very hard to bring back the best contract for our members. I think that we accomplished a lot and I think that we've made, and will continue to make, a difference in our future."