Contract Negotiations Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

CHH Nurses Reach Contract Agreement

Following a Dec. 8 “Code Blue” call for concern, nurses and nurse practitioners at Cabell Huntington Hospital (CHH) have reached a three-year collective bargaining agreement.

The new registered nurse contract agreement replaces a three-year contract which was in effect from Jan. 15, 2021 through Jan. 15, 2024.

There are 1,000 registered nurses at Cabell Huntington Hospital, according to Joyce Gibson the treasurer and secretary of the 1199 chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) that represents the nurses.

“This agreement will reward the hard work our registered nurse members do, and

it shows that negotiations conducted in good faith can lead to a contract that is

beneficial to workers, the hospital, and the community,” Gibson said. “By standing together, our members were able to secure wage increases and health insurance benefits in all three years of the contract and preserve quality care and services for our patients and visitors.”

According to a press release, members of CHH leadership and SEIU 1199 negotiating committees joined together in good-faith negotiations for three days this week to finalize a contract that is beneficial for all involved.

“The health care environment has undergone significant changes in recent years,” Tim Martin, Chief Operating Officer, CHH said. “To best build transparency and collaboration, we listened carefully to learn what truly mattered to the negotiating committee and our nurses, then focused on meeting those needs and enhancing our position as an employer of choice in the region. By doing that, we were able to find common ground and reach a mutually

beneficial agreement. I commend all members of the negotiation teams for their professionalism and commitment to the process.”

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

Union Nurses Call “Code Blue” For Understaffing At Cabell Huntington Hospital

Union members at Cabell Huntington Hospital are calling for “code blue” attention to be paid to its understaffing issues.

Nurse and Nurse Practitioners at Cabell Huntington Hospital (CHH) are asking for the community’s support for dignity, respect and fairness for all employees at the facility.

Joyce Gibson is the union representative who represents 1,000 registered nurses at Cabell Huntington Hospital. She is the treasurer and secretary of the 1199 chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

SEIU announced Friday that they would hold a press conference calling for a “CODE BLUE” level of concern over unsafe staffing levels and the concern of retention. The chapter claims there are currently more than 200 Registered Nurse vacancies at CHH.

Gibson said the chapter has provided staffing ratio proposals to CHH that continually get rejected.

“They have out-of-state travel nurses working at the hospital versus rather than invest in the current nurses who work there,” Gibson said.

Aside from staffing shortages and mandatory overtime, the Registered Nurses at CHH might struggle to afford their own health insurance.

“The turnover rate is, you know, astronomical right now, and they are severely bleeding nurses on an astronomical rate,” Gibson said. “Part of that is mostly due to they have increased their health care premiums at the hospital for the nurses. Some of the nurses can’t even afford the health care premiums that they’re proposing right now.”

SEIU will continue negotiations with CHH on December 14 and 15.

“As of right now, we go back to negotiations next week on the 14th and 15th. We’re going to continue to bargain in good faith and hope that the employer recognizes the major issues that the nurses have,” Gibson said.

However, Gibson said she does not have hope for the success of these negotiations, citing the repeated rejections of previous proposals to the hospital.

“This contract will expire on January 15 and at some point, these nurses will be taking a strike vote in terms of whether or not to strike at this hospital over these issues,” Gibson said.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

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Informational Pickets Go Statewide As CWA, Frontier Contract Negotiations Continue

The picket lines at Frontier offices from Martinsburg to Huntington are informational pickets.

The picket lines at Frontier offices from Martinsburg to Huntington are informational pickets. CWA Local 2001 President J.D. Thompson said reasons for the pickets were threefold.

“We’re letting the company know, hey, we’re still here and we’re not going away because we want a fair contract,” Thompson said. “It’s, of course, informational for the public, letting everybody know that we’re fighting right now. And last, it’s showing support for our bargaining committee that they’ve been putting in some long, hard days negotiating.”

About 1,400 Communications Workers of America union members, largely from West Virginia, are currently working without a contract. The contract extension reached during bargaining expired last Saturday. A status quo on work, wages and benefits is in effect while negotiations continue on a new agreement.

When the original contract between the CWA and Frontier Communications expired on Aug. 6, the union said that major bargaining issues included job security provisions that kept jobs local and limited the use of subcontractors in expanding broadband in West Virginia.

A Frontier spokesperson said on Tuesday that job security concerns and what was termed “build exclusivity,” meaning that jobs from the $1.2 billion in broadband money would be only given to union workers, are not on the negotiating table, and “union employees will do the lion’s share of the new broadband connectivity work.”

Frontier issued the following statement:

“We have been bargaining in good faith with CWA since June and are working with urgency to reach an agreement that continues to provide our employees with some of the best jobs in West Virginia. We provide a critical service to the state and will continue to rely heavily on our union employees to build out our high-speed, fiber infrastructure. We will continue to meet with CWA bargaining officials to come to an agreement that is good for our employees, our customers and our company.”

Both sides say medical benefits for active and retired employees remain in contention.

Thompson said he is not part of the bargaining team and not sure just where issues stand, but he remains concerned over the broadband work Frontier may issue to subcontractors.

“We want our CWA members to be the ones that are actually installing and maintaining the network indefinitely with the infrastructure bill that was passed,” Thompson said.

The CWA Local 2001 website noted on Sunday, Aug. 20 that “The Committees made significant progress on Work at Home, progress on Jobs, continued progress on Active Benefits and are still actively engaged in bargaining on Wages and Retiree Benefits.”

The Communications Workers of America issued the following statement on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023:

“CWA members at Frontier care deeply about the communities they serve, and will continue to work without a contract as long as we see meaningful progress at the bargaining table towards the contract we have earned and deserve. The contract between CWA and Frontier Communications has expired as of 11:59 pm, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. Because there has been progress made in bargaining, we have agreed to continue to report to work and maintain the status quo while negotiations continue. More than ever, our customers rely on us to deliver quality services and solve problems to connect them to telehealth appointments, work-at-home capabilities and even online learning opportunities. A union contract protects both the rights of dedicated workers on the job, and the quality service that our customers rely on. As talks continue, we will evaluate the progress on a regular basis and take necessary action if negotiations are not productive.”

CWA Holds Off Strike Against Frontier, Negotiations Continue

Communications Workers of America (CWA) members with Frontier Communications in West Virginia and Ashburn, Virginia said in a Sunday press release they will extend their current contract through August 19th.

The contract for about 1,400 CWA-represented employees was set to expire at midnight Saturday and members had voted to strike without gaining a fair settlement.

The union said major bargaining issues include job security provisions that keep jobs local and limit the use of subcontractors in expanding broadband in West Virginia.

Chad Leggett, President of CWA Local 2009 released a statement:

“We want a contract that delivers quality jobs so that we can deliver quality service to our customers. That means using experienced, local technicians to bring broadband to our communities instead of subcontractors who often do not have adequate training. It means offering affordable healthcare so that we can take care of our families.

“I am hoping that we do not have to go on strike at all. We are still at the bargaining table, and Frontier executives have a choice to do the right thing for their employees and all West Virginians. They can agree to a fair contract so that we can all stay focused on providing quality service to our customers and building fiber connections to as many homes and businesses as possible. We’re here to work hard, but we will stand together if necessary, just like we did in 2018.

“We believe that public dollars should be used to fund high-quality networks and to create family-supporting jobs in our communities – that means using a well-trained, union workforce. We’re invested in this company and our communities, and we’re eager to get to work.“

The state is set to receive more than $1.2 billion for broadband internet installation statewide.

The union said both parties agree to maintain the status quo with the Collective Bargaining Agreement continuing in full force and effect while negotiations continue.

In 2018, CWA’s Frontier members went on strike for more than three weeks over a contract that did not include a guarantee that 85 percent of the workforce would not be laid off.

WVPB has contacted Frontier Communications and is awaiting their response on this issue.

Frontier, Union Extend Contract Again

Frontier Communications and the Communications Workers of America have extended their contract again while negotiations continue on a new labor…

Frontier Communications and the Communications Workers of America have extended their contract again while negotiations continue on a new labor agreement.

Frontier says the existing contract will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 2. The contract was set to expire Saturday night.

The company and the union have extended the contract several times since negotiations began in mid-June 2013.

Frontier East Region vice president Ken Arndt says in a news release that the two sides have made substantial progress.

The contract covers more than 1,500 workers in West Virginia.