Nurses union 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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NLRB Orders Two W.Va. Hospitals to Recognize Nurses Union

The National Labor Relations Board has ordered two Southern West Virginia hospitals to recognize and bargain with a nurses union.

In a recent ruling, the board says Bluefield Regional Medical Center and Greenbrier Valley Medical Center have engaged in unfair labor practices by refusing to recognize and bargain with the National Nurses Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO.

The union was certified on Sept. 25, 2012, as the collective bargaining representative for full-time, regular part-time and per diem registered nurses at the hospitals.

Both hospitals are owned by Tennessee-based Community Health Systems/CHS.