Salem Hospital RNs approve new contract

Patient and staff safety paramount in agreement

The North Shore Medical Center Hospital (Salem Hospital) registered nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, have approved a new contract that will protect the safety of patients and staff. Under the three-year agreement, which was recently approved by the 600-member bargaining unit, the hospital has agreed to institute a float pool of nurses that will be available to cover when the acuity increases on units or for units with a higher than normal level of nurse illness.

“The float pool will allow the hospital to move the experienced float pool nurses to units where they are most needed,” said Fran O’Connell, RN and co-chair of the bargaining unit. “Hopefully this will allow the patient-to-staff ratio to stay at a safe level, even when a crisis hits.”

Another key item in the settlement is new contract language that helps to guarantee the safety of the registered nurses on the campus. While the nurses and management have had many conversations about safety and the protection of nurses, for the first time there is now language in the contract that will allow grievances to be filed over safety issues.

According to Joanne Raby, RN and co-chair of the bargaining unit, having contract language was the next logical step. “We have had a history of beneficial discussions and we feel management is committed to protecting the safety of nurses,” said Raby, “but we feel it is of utmost importance that nurse safety issues become an enforceable part of the contract.”

The three-year contract will also bring a wage increase of about 14 percent, making the RNs the highest paid nurses on the North Shore. The RNs are especially proud of this wage scale because it will allow the hospital to retain and recruit the most qualified and experienced nurses in the area, thereby protecting the high quality of care at Salem Hospital.

The nurses were also able to protect their retirement and health care benefits by adding and protecting language that calls for negotiations over any changes in either benefit.

In the end, the nurses saw some very positive outcomes from the seventeen negotiating sessions that were held over the last six months. “It was a long and tough process but, in the end, we felt we were able to protect the interests of our members and the patients,” said O’Connell. “This contract will allow us to continue to deliver quality health care on the North Shore.”

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