Fight for $15 Victory: 1199SEIU members ratify agreement with Whidden Memorial Hospital in Everett, MA

December 19, 2014

On December 15, caregivers at Whidden Memorial Hospital overwhelmingly ratified a new contract agreement in Everett, MA. Whidden is part of the Cambridge Health Alliance.

Inspired by the national Fight for $15 movement, the new contract achieves important progress for Whidden Memorial Hospital’s low-wage healthcare workers. The agreement, which covers over 230 healthcare workers at the hospital, includes a new minimum state rate of $15/hr. In addition, the new contract provides wage increases to Whidden workers at all experience and paygrade levels who are members of 1199SEIU.

“This contract is a major step forward for many of my colleagues who have struggled financially, even as they work full-time providing an important service to our community,” said Judy Saint Louis, a healthcare worker at Whidden Memorial who will see her pay increased to $15 in 2015. “The Fight for $15 has inspired many of us. It’s very gratifying to see the hospital that we love make the effort to provide a living wage.”

“We are proud to announce this contract that provides a living wage to workers who deliver such tremendous care and services to the local community,” said Veronica Turner, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU. “1199SEIU caregivers work incredibly hard, and we’re pleased that hospital leaders recognize that these workers should not have to struggle to support their families or face tough decisions about what bills to pay or how to make rent.”

Whidden Hospital serves about 150,000 patients in Everett, Chelsea, Winthrop, Revere, Malden and throughout the region each year, including a large underserved population.