1199SEIU bargaining team members for St. Mary’s Medical Center and North Shore Medical Center, two Tenet-affiliated Hospitals in South Florida, began union contract negotiations in June.



Both teams are united and dedicated to negotiating a contract that invests in caregivers and helps ensure a work environment where nurses and healthcare workers can provide the best possible patient care.



Both bargaining teams have already presented proposals for fair, guaranteed wage increases and good benefits to hospital management. “We want to ensure that all workers receive a fair, guaranteed wage increase that rewards dedicated employees and helps our hospital retain and attract nurses and healthcare workers who can provide the best possible care to families in our community,” said Karim Gebahi, a respiratory therapist in the NICU department at St. Mary’s Medical Center.



Bargaining team members are encouraging their co-workers to join the Contract Action Team (CAT) to help spread the word about their union contract, update all of their co-workers about bargaining and mobilize 1199SEIU members to make their voices heard at our hospital. “Our top priorities for contract negotiations are fair wages, good benefits, a strong voice at work and a quality work environment where we can deliver the best patient care possible, but we need your help to make sure everyone has the opportunity to make their voice heard in this process,” added Helen Sandiford a registered nurse in the telemetry department at North Shore Medical Center.



The next bargaining sessions with St. Mary’s and North Shore are scheduled for September.

Union contract negotiations begin January 2015 for five other Tenet-affiliated hospitals, including Good Samaritan Medical Center, West Boca Medical Center, North Shore Medical Center – FMC Campus, Palmetto General Hospital and Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.



Member leaders are calling on their co-workers to join their hospital’s 1199SEIU bargaining team in those five facilities to negotiate a union contract that incorporates the ideas of their co-workers to address the challenges 1199SEIU members face in their hospitals.



Talk to an 1199SEIU delegate or organizer today about serving on the 1199SEIU contract action team or bargaining committee for your hospital!