NEWBURYPORT — Pending signatures, a three-year contract was reached between Anna Jaques Hospital and its nurses Monday, ending over six months of sometimes contentious negotiations.
Nurses at the Beth Israel Lahey Health Center-affiliated hospital have been working without a contract ever since the new year began and spent a good portion of 2023 speaking out against what they consider poor working conditions.
“We look forward to returning to a newfound sense of pride in our hospital and how we are valued and proceed,” nurse Margaret Mirecki said. “It wasn’t an easy road to get there but we are committed to improving patient care and, with this new contract, to retaining the talented nurses we have, while enticing others to join our team. We applaud our co-workers who have weathered the storm and stayed at AJH to see this contract through.”
The new contract, according to the nurses union, will provide significant improvements in wages and benefits, as well as long-sought-after improvements in staffing and nurses’ working conditions, which will allow the hospital to recruit and retain the staff necessary to ensure the best possible care to patients.
Anna Jaques Hospital spokesperson Sonya Vartabedian said in an email the hospital was pleased to report it had reached an agreement with its nurses.
“The tentative agreement includes a comprehensive package of market-competitive wage increases, health benefits, and staffing commitments,” she said. “The contract reflects the value our nurses provide as part of our clinical care teams and supports our collective ability to provide high-quality patient care to our community.”
The tentative agreement has been submitted for ratification to the 350 union members, who are expected to vote on the matter within the next three weeks.
Eileen Ryan, co-chair of the Massachusetts Nurses Association’s local bargaining unit, said in the press release the deal was an enormous achievement recognizing the nurses at Anna Jaques for their dedication and professionalism.
“We presented management with 25 proposals, which essentially created a new and improved contract,” she said. “This could never have happened if we didn’t have the support, encouragement, and participation of our 350 nurses.”
Competitive wage increases, ranging from 10.5% up to 65% in the first 12 months, are part of the new contract, according to the nurses union.
Ryan explained the new contract takes nurses who are working for a per diem rate and moves them to a scale wage, which could see some receiving a 27% raise in the first year.
A new weekend incentive program is also part of the new contract and will compensate nurses who agree to work weekend shifts with an additional stipend for covering them.
Nurses who commit to working two, 12-hour shifts over a weekend will also receive a $480 stipend in addition to their regular rate of pay as part of the contract’s new weekend incentive program.
Nurses who commit to three shifts receive an additional $720 as part of the new weekend incentive program, which also includes increases to a number of shift differentials, including those for nurses with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in nursing, nurses working as charge nurses on the floor, and those who are on call.
Staffing levels in the hospital’s intensive care unit will also see improvements, according to the nurses union which added it will be allowed to enforce current, and prevents any reduction in, staffing levels for each area of the hospital, while affirming the hospital cannot assign mandatory overtime as well.
The tentative contract also creates new positions for nurses who are available to allow other nurses to take their legally-required meal breaks and bonuses for nurses willing to pick up extra shifts.
Improvements in earned time and retirement benefits, reimbursement for professional-related tuition costs and health insurance benefits are also part of the new deal.
The deal comes after a negotiations committee representing 350 registered nurses spent over six months working with hospital management to come up with a new contract.
Last month, nurses hand-delivered a petition with more than 1,000 signatures to hospital administrators last month and union representatives said they believe that, along with October’s vote by 99% of nurses to strike if necessary, moved negotiations in a more positive direction. Any potential nurses strike would require a 10-day notification to the hospital before proceeding.
Ryan added that she and fellow nurses were fortified by the support from all hospital caregivers, as well as the community.
“The common theme between hospital staff members and the community is that we all care about our hospital, and we all share a willingness to work to make it stronger,” she said.
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.