The support staff union at Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin still has some hefty disagreements to resolve in their first contract with the hospital鈥檚 management, with just two full-day negotiation sessions left.
A leader for the union, which represents around 500 staff members, said sticking points include wage increases and safe staffing ratios. They plan to hold a public rally on Saturday.
鈥淲e're asking the community to back us, because really, the burnout and the short staff and unfair wages affects the community,鈥� said bargaining team member Ashley Copeland. 鈥淚t affects our quality care at the hospital.鈥�
A CVMC spokesperson told 开云体育 in an email that the hospital remains 鈥渃ommitted to reaching an agreement that supports our staff as well as the long-term sustainability of CVMC for our patients and community.鈥�
Union representatives met with hospital management on Wednesday night for their 10th and final scheduled bargaining session.
While the union is proposing $23 per hour for base pay, CVMC is offering $20, which it said is on par with agreements reached with other unions across the University of Vermont Health Network.
鈥淯nder our proposal, wage increases would average more than 22% over a three-year contract,鈥� said Jay Ericson, the CVMC spokesperson. 鈥淎fter five months of bargaining, the union鈥檚 last proposal on wages is still maintaining a request for 46% raises over the next year and a half.鈥�
Copeland, who is a licensed nursing assistant at CVMC, said the union鈥檚 proposed wage increase is significant, but that a survey of staff showed nearly a third struggled to pay their housing and utility bills.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just, like, a vicious cycle,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no staffing, nobody鈥檚 coming on the floor to help us, everybody鈥檚 getting sick, and then they go home and they鈥檙e not even making a livable wage to support their families.鈥�
Copeland said staffing ratios is another important factor in this cycle, and that the union has proposed limiting the number of patients per LNA to between seven and nine people.
鈥淟NAs have been burnt out and overwhelmed with 14 to 18 patients on a regular basis,鈥� she said.
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She added that the recent closure of the inpatient psychiatric unit at CVMC has increased this burden.
鈥淲e have lots of patients on med-surg or the ER who are鈥� we鈥檙e trying to find somewhere for them to go,鈥� Copeland said.
Ericson said data indicated there wasn鈥檛 an increase in patients waiting in CVMC鈥檚 emergency department for inpatient care since the closure of the psych unit.
He added that the hospital agreed it was critical to maintain 鈥渁ppropriate staff-to-patient ratios,鈥� though he said predictable ratios are hard to enforce due to not knowing how many patients might come in and how many staffers could call out.
鈥淯tilizing staff committees has historically proven the most effective way to address the issue,鈥� Ericson said. 鈥淭he union has shared that they have ideas on how to better manage ratios and we look forward to further discussion and collaboration on this issue.鈥�
One area that Copeland and the hospital said they were able to make some headway on Wednesday was establishing paid days off for support staff who are assaulted at work.
Copeland said assaults happen regularly.
鈥淔ood thrown at us, feces thrown at us, scratched, hit, punched, bit on, verbally assaulted,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople are emotionally traumatized from verbal and physical assault, and when you get it on a daily basis, you need a break, but you also still need to have a paycheck to provide for your family.鈥�
While the union proposed three paid days off following an assault 鈥� the amount of time staff need to take in order to get workers鈥� compensation 鈥� the hospital agreed to put employees on paid leave for the rest of the day they are assaulted.
鈥淲hich is a good start, but one day is often not enough to recover,鈥� Copeland said.
鈥淲e all agree that workplace violence in health care is a serious and ongoing issue,鈥� Ericson said. 鈥淐VMC has taken important steps to decrease violence, including installing a metal detector and clear bag policy in our emergency department, but there is still work to be done.鈥�
Two all-day sessions are scheduled next week for the support staff union and CVMC management to finish negotiating the contract.
And on Saturday, there鈥檚 the rally. It will be held in City Hall Park in Barre starting at noon.
