The Ohio Nurses Association members secure salary, staffing wins
AKRON, Ohio – Late Thursday, February 11, 2021, Ohio Nurses Association members overwhelmingly voted to ratify a new three-year deal with Akron General Medical Center/Cleveland Clinic. The unit consists of nearly 850 union nurses.
The nurses were able to retain important salary benefits while adding another step for more senior nurses and wage scale adjustments in two years to ensure the hospital remains competitive and continues to draw and retain highly skilled nurses.
Additionally, the nurses secured a valuable night-shift differential increase from $2 per hour to $5 per hour. This differential is a two-fold enhancement; It will help attract highly competent new graduates to the Medical Center and incentivize seasoned nurses to work night shift. The nurses also applaud the Medical Center’s decision to extend this negotiated language to non-union night-shift healthcare workers in addition to the nurses.
Other contract highlights include:
- Pay differentials based on nursing certifications and the Medical Center’s financial contribution to certifications beginning in 2023.
- The retention of important incentive language for nurses who pick up extra shifts, thus avoiding the dangerous practice of nurse mandatory overtime that could negatively affect patient care.
- Language that provides a collaborative platform for the nurses and the Medical Center to identify nurse staffing trends and discuss tactics and strategies for optimum patient care.
- Language that provides for a collaborative platform for the nurses and the Medical Center to identify trends with nurse turnover.
- More flexible and fair vacation scheduling processes.
- A ratification bonus of $750.
The nurses and the Medical Center began negotiations December 14, 2020, with the current contract set to expire February 28, 2021. The new contract begins March 1, 2021.
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About: The Professional Staff Nurses Association is a local unit of the Ohio Nurses Association at Akron General Medical Center-Cleveland Clinic. The unit consists of nearly 850 union registered nurses.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2021
Contact: Molly Homan, Director of Communications and Marketing Technology, Ohio Nurses Association
614-746-9914 | [email protected]