(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - The Alaska Nurses Association Labor Program has successfully negotiated and ratified a new three-year contract with the Anchorage-based Providence Alaska Medical Center, which was signed by both parties in late March.

“Nurses play a critical role in the medical field and we’re happy we were able to negotiate and ratify this new three-year contract,” said Donna Phillips, Alaska Nurses Association labor council chair. “Quality patient care is our mantra, and a secure employment relationship with the hospital is key to ensuring that our nurses can continue to deliver the high standard of care for which Providence Alaska Medical Center is known.”

The association’s labor program will be negotiating agreements with Ketchikan General Hospital (PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center) and Central Peninsula General Hospital in Soldotna later this year, where it also has bargaining units.

The new contract provides represented nurses a 5.25-16.43 percent wage increase over three years while addressing several workplace issues, including:

• more appropriate rest periods between shifts for on-call nurses, from eight hours to 10 hours, and an increase in the hourly rate of pay for on-call nurses;
• the establishment of a committee to review on-call nursing schedules to ensure individual nurses aren’t being taxed too heavily;
• designated parking for nurses who take mandatory night call;
• a requirement that nurses be notified of any changes to employee evaluation criteria at least six months before they will be evaluated on the new standards;
• a guarantee that nurses who are facing discipline be allowed to request a union representative to be present in the meeting, among other smaller changes to the previous contract;
• changes in pay for nurses certified in specialties that impact the care of their patients.

The Alaska Nurses Association is a nonprofit professional association dedicated to increasing the public's knowledge and understanding of nursing and factors affecting the health of Alaskans as well as supporting research and education in the profession. It was incorporated in 1953 and counts more than 7,000 registered nurses from across Alaska among its membership. The labor program is a sub-unit of the professional association, representing more than 1,300 registered nurses for collective bargaining.

Source of News: 

Alaska Nurses Association
www.aknurse.org

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