After working for over a year under an expired contract, caregivers at Baltimore’s Fayette Health and Rehabilitation Center overwhelmingly agreed to a new 3-year union contract with CommuniCare, the Ohio-based management company.The struggle for a contract was long and hard-won. Concerned about management’s original proposals to cap wages and slash the training fund, Fayette workers held an informational picket last December, and a 24-hour strike in May. In addition to granting guaranteed yearly raises, the newly-ratified contract backs down from both controversial proposals, keeping opportunities for pay increases and educational development within reach of workers.The training fund was a key sticking point for many of the caregivers, including bargaining committee member Shawntae Stamper. A CNA who cares for a young daughter, Stamper is studying to become an LPN.“I need the training fund to help me pay for school, so this was important to me,” said Stamper. “This contract worked out in our favor. We showed unity when we went on strike, and in the end, I feel like management heard us.”The new contract also protects patients, standardizing care with a new worker orientation process and establishing a labor/management safety committee that will meet monthly to review safety matters.- See more at: http://www.1199seiu.org/maryland_caregivers_earn_raises_and_keep_training_fund_in_hard_won_contract#sthash.WZBQ5kCn.dpuf