1300 nurses and frontline healthcare professionals at Chambersburg Hospital ratified a new contract by 94% on July 2nd. The contract focuses on competitive wages and improvements to scheduling.
“We are thrilled that we were able to work together with the hospital and find something that works for all of us,” said Michele Hill, a Medical Transcriptionist who has been working at the hospital for 32 years. “We needed to find solutions that maintain quality care and quality jobs for Chambersburg – and we’ve done that today.”
The agreement balances the hospital’s concerns about rising healthcare costs for employees with a wage scale that will continue to recruit and retain quality healthcare workers. Workers will begin paying for their healthcare benefits, but receive wage increases and a bonus to cover those costs.
The average worker will see raises of 10% over the four years of the agreement. Even after paying for health insurance, each worker will receive at least a $6,000 pay increase over the four years.
The contract also makes improvements to scheduling, allowing for a better work/home life balance, which helps retain workers and prevent sick time and burnout. There is also a renewed commitment to collaborate on solving day to day workplace issues between labor and management, which makes the hospital a better place for workers and patients.
“We’re in the healthcare field because we want to care for people. And we’re here at Chambersburg because we are dedicated to our community,” said Monica Burkholder, Physical Medicine Aide. “We’re all happy to be able to move forward and do what we do best – provide excellent healthcare.”