BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – We have an update on contract negotiations between unionized nurses and the University of Vermont Medical Center.
Hospital officials say union members have voted to authorize a strike if the two sides cannot come to an agreement on a new contract. Their current contract expires on July 9.
WCAX News called and emailed representatives of the nurses union but they had not yet responded when this story was published.
However, the hospital says the union is proposing a 40% increase over three years, which includes an immediate 5% raise when the contract is signed and another 10% at the start of each fiscal year in October. Hospital officials say the proposal is actually 46% because they say most nurses receive a 2% standard wage increase per year.
The hospital is proposing a 17% increase over the life of the contract. Officials there say the hospital’s largest group of nurses has a pay range of $35.75-$56.37 per hour base wages, before incentive and differential pay, and the average base wage for this group is $44.50 per hour.
There are four more bargaining sessions, with two scheduled for this week.
The union must give the hospital 10 days notice if they intend to strike.