University of Miami Hospital and 1199SEIU Florida Work Together To Establish a $10.10 Minimum Wage
Labor management partnership raises the bar for Florida’s healthcare industry.
MIAMI, FL – In a ground-breaking agreement, University of Miami Hospital (UMH) management and members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East - Florida (1199SEIU Florida) agreed to strengthen their labor management partnership by guaranteed across-the-board wage increases, implementing a $10.10 minimum wage that will increase annually over the course of the next three years, limiting subcontracting, increasing the number of permanent positions, and reinvesting in the training and education fund.
“Our staff is second to none,” said David Zambrana, D.N.P., M.B.A., RN, Chief Executive Officer of UMH. “We are extremely pleased to reach this agreement. Not only does it benefit our employees, it sets the bar for the healthcare industry and lets others know that University of Miami Hospital is a leader.”
“We are very proud to be part of University of Miami Hospital,” said Alma Georgia, RN. “This agreement definitely strengthens our path towards becoming a world-class hospital by investing in all of the employees, from establishing a minimum wage to reinvesting in our joint Training & Education Fund which provides tuition assistance, college prep, GED, ESL and undergraduate/graduate education, and most importantly by strengthening our Labor-Management committees throughout the hospital to address quality care and staffing concerns.”
“In order to invest in quality care, we must invest first in the caregivers,” said Monica Russo, executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. “Whether you are an environmental service worker who ensures that the patient’s rooms are clean and sanitized or a Registered Nurse in the Operating Room, caregivers are a healthcare employer’s greatest asset and must be treated and compensated as such. Both, UMH employees and 1199SEIU Florida, share management’s vision of becoming a premier destination teaching hospital and the establishment of a minimum wage of $10.10, which may well be the highest to date in Florida, puts us on that path.”
All of the parties credit their historic agreement to a strong partnership through the UMH Labor-Management Committee, which is composed of staff and management working together to improve patient care and the work environment. The committee was re-launched in 2012 and has already been responsible for tremendous improvements throughout the hospital.
University of Miami Hospital is a 560 private-room, acute care facility and the flagship hospital of UHealth - University of Miami Health System. It is the only university-owned and –operated teaching hospital in Florida and provides multispecialty care to patients from across the region. UHealth/Miller School of Medicine faculty physicians partner with community physicians to provide the most advanced care possible. UMH is at the forefront of minimally invasive procedures, robotic surgeries and stem cell therapies, and is home to UHealth Sport Medicine, the only academic sports medicine program in South Florida.
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East Florida represents more than 25,000 nurses and healthcare workers throughout the state and 400,000 workers across Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, and Washington, D.C. 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all. 1199SEIU is part of the 2.1 million-member Service Employees International Union.
Labor management partnership raises the bar for Florida’s healthcare industry.
MIAMI, FL – In a ground-breaking agreement, University of Miami Hospital (UMH) management and members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East - Florida (1199SEIU Florida) agreed to strengthen their labor management partnership by guaranteed across-the-board wage increases, implementing a $10.10 minimum wage that will increase annually over the course of the next three years, limiting subcontracting, increasing the number of permanent positions, and reinvesting in the training and education fund.
“Our staff is second to none,” said David Zambrana, D.N.P., M.B.A., RN, Chief Executive Officer of UMH. “We are extremely pleased to reach this agreement. Not only does it benefit our employees, it sets the bar for the healthcare industry and lets others know that University of Miami Hospital is a leader.”
“We are very proud to be part of University of Miami Hospital,” said Alma Georgia, RN. “This agreement definitely strengthens our path towards becoming a world-class hospital by investing in all of the employees, from establishing a minimum wage to reinvesting in our joint Training & Education Fund which provides tuition assistance, college prep, GED, ESL and undergraduate/graduate education, and most importantly by strengthening our Labor-Management committees throughout the hospital to address quality care and staffing concerns.”
“In order to invest in quality care, we must invest first in the caregivers,” said Monica Russo, executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. “Whether you are an environmental service worker who ensures that the patient’s rooms are clean and sanitized or a Registered Nurse in the Operating Room, caregivers are a healthcare employer’s greatest asset and must be treated and compensated as such. Both, UMH employees and 1199SEIU Florida, share management’s vision of becoming a premier destination teaching hospital and the establishment of a minimum wage of $10.10, which may well be the highest to date in Florida, puts us on that path.”
All of the parties credit their historic agreement to a strong partnership through the UMH Labor-Management Committee, which is composed of staff and management working together to improve patient care and the work environment. The committee was re-launched in 2012 and has already been responsible for tremendous improvements throughout the hospital.
University of Miami Hospital is a 560 private-room, acute care facility and the flagship hospital of UHealth - University of Miami Health System. It is the only university-owned and –operated teaching hospital in Florida and provides multispecialty care to patients from across the region. UHealth/Miller School of Medicine faculty physicians partner with community physicians to provide the most advanced care possible. UMH is at the forefront of minimally invasive procedures, robotic surgeries and stem cell therapies, and is home to UHealth Sport Medicine, the only academic sports medicine program in South Florida.
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East Florida represents more than 25,000 nurses and healthcare workers throughout the state and 400,000 workers across Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, and Washington, D.C. 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all. 1199SEIU is part of the 2.1 million-member Service Employees International Union.
