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More than 600 health care employees at Oroville (Calif.) Hospital have voted to accept their first ever contract, a three-year agreement that provides guaranteed raises, secures benefits and improves working conditions and opportunities.

Health care employees in the Technical, Service, Business Office and Clinic bargaining units – collectively known as USW Local 9600 - met in separate meetings on Dec. 27, 28 and 29, 2005 and voted to approve their respective initial three-year labor agreements.

“The labor agreements provide concrete improvements for Oroville Hospital employees and will enable them to have a strong voice at work,” said Terry Bonds, United Steelworkers District 12 director. “Although negotiating first agreements is often a challenge, we look forward to continuing to develop a positive relationship with hospital management that benefits both workers and patients.”

The new three-year deal contains a strong grievance and arbitration procedure with a just cause standard. The agreements also provide for paid annual vacations and holidays, and annual sick leave accrual.  All full-time and part-time employees will be eligible to participate in hospital’s retirement plan as well as the hospital’s medical, prescription, dental and vision care plans.

A feature of each new agreement is the establishment of a standard wage rate structure that provides uniform step increases of 3.75 %, with advancement to the maximum steps of the structure based on service with the hospital. In addition to the new wage rate structure, each agreement provides a general increase of 2 % on both the first and second anniversary dates of the agreement.

“We could not have achieved this Steelworkers Union contract without membership support,” said Karen Wallace, coordinator of the USW Healthcare Local 9600 bargaining committee. “I hope that members will take advantage of the opportunities provided by the agreements to get even more involved in their Union. That is how we will build our power for the future.”

The United Steelworkers represents more than 850,000 North American union members working in a wide range of manufacturing and service industries.

For more information, contact the USW at (877) 511-8792
For an Organizing Contact Request Form, click HERE