NORTHAMPTON — More than a month after they threatened to go on a one-day strike, the union that represents some 400 nurses at Cooley Dickinson Hospital said Monday that it had reached a tentative agreement with the hospital’s owner, Mass General Brigham.
The deal, reached late Friday and finalized Monday, calls for significant raises over the next three years, maintaining current health insurance benefits and other gains that union leaders say invests in nurses and will lead to improved patient care.
Both nurses and hospital executives are proud of the three-year agreement that has been months in the making.
Nurses contend that the deal helps reverse trends of Mass General Brigham chipping away at the nurses’ contract in previous negotiations through inadequate wage increases and reductions in benefits.
“This tentative agreement reflects the strength, unity and unwavering commitment of Cooley nurses to safe patient care,” said Rosie Tottser, a Cooley Dickinson nurse and committee co-chair of the Massachusetts Nurses Association. “After many months of standing together, we secured a contract with no takeaways and real improvements that will help us recruit and retain the nurses our patients deserve.”
Cooley Dickinson’s President and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Whitney said the agreement recognizes the value of nurses to the hospital.
“This tentative agreement recognizes the great work that Cooley Dickinson Hospital nurses provide each and every day for our community, and includes wage increases, maintains current health insurance options and adds other enhancements,” Whitney said in a statement. “We deeply value our nurses and all members of the CDH team and their collective contributions to our patients, families and each other.”
For months, nurses have been in negotiations asking for higher wages to improve what they claim are poor retention rates, and rallying against proposed changes to their health care coverage and the hospital redefining full-time jobs to be 36 hours a week compared to 32 hours.
If voted in, Cooley Dickinson nurses will receive an 8.5% raise across the board in year one, with the pay bump retroactive to April 1 of this year. Across-the-board raises in year two will be 2.5%, followed in year three by 3%. Additionally, nurses at the top step of experience will receive a 2% lump sum on their date-of-hire anniversary. These raises are in addition to nurses’ step scale increases.
Additionally, differential payments for those working evening, night or in other conditions have been increased.
As far as health care, the tentative agreement preserves the current health insurance program and full-time coverage eligibility for nurses who work 30 hours or more a week, as well as other benefits such as overtime and an extended wellness leave.
Aligning with the nurses’ demand to prevent burnout, Veterans Day has been preserved as a holiday. The Child Birth Center will also remain a closed unit, which does not allow for visitors, to protect the quality of patient care.
Nurses working eight to 20 hours a week will continue to accrue earned time off, and earned time off will also be calculated based off hours worked, not on scheduled hours. Also included are increases to bereavement leave for grandparents and children, increased certification bonuses and tuition reimbursement.
“We are extremely proud of what we achieved for our nurses, patients and our entire community,” said Aaron Winston, Cooley Dickinson nurse and Massachusetts Nurses Association committee co-chair. “This agreement protects essential RN benefits, substantially improves our wages and will help to ensure Cooley patients have safe staffing levels. We also want to thank the community for standing with us in solidarity.”