BARRE, Vt. (WCAX) – Central Vermont Medical Center employees and community members rallied in Barre in support of a new union contract.
Susan Becker has spent over a third of her life as a nurse educator at CVMC in Berlin. She says she loved it – at first.
“The last four years have been really difficult with COVID and retaining healthcare workers and ensuring that we’re providing the best care we can for our members of the community,” Becker reflected.
In August, Becker and over 500 other CVMC nurses and technicians won their union election, forming Central Vermont Healthcare United. Seven months later, they’re still negotiating a new contract with the administration.
Dozens of CVMC employees, community members and UVM medical center support staff, who unionized in January, gathered at Barre’s City Hall Park to push for an agreement with CVMC. They say the medical center is understaffed and workers are nearing burnout. They’re asking CVMC to improve staff training, invest in better supplies and equipment and increase pay. “To have wages that are competitive with the surrounding areas so that people will feel more invited to come to this area to work and stay to raise families,” CVMC surgical technologist Sheila Avila explained.
CVMC says they’re on their tenth bargaining session with union members. In an email statement to WCAX, they wrote, “We are grateful for the respectful tone that has characterized these negotiations. We remain committed to achieving a fair and equitable contract that continues to support CVMC’s mission.”
Becker says there have been a few snags in the negotiation process, but it’s taken on a more positive tone in recent sessions. She says the CVMC community wants what’s best for everyone. “I believe that it’ll bring strength and unity to all the staff and to our community members that we serve,” Becker said of an agreement.
Bargaining continues on April 4th. Union members say they hope to reach an agreement soon and see similar changes in healthcare replicated across the state.