Provided by Springfield Hospital
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Health care workers at Vermont’s Springfield Hospital and Windham Center for Psychiatric Care voted on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, in favor of joining the United Nurses and Allied Professionals (UNAP), a regional health care union representing approximately 7,000 nurses, technologists, therapists, support staff, and other health care workers employed in Rhode Island, Vermont, and Connecticut.
The union currently represents a number of health care workers in Vermont, including those at the Brattleboro Retreat and Copley Hospital, as well as counselors, coordinators, therapists, case managers and other mental health workers in Youth Services, and clinicians, RNs, therapists, social workers, and counselors with Health Care and Rehabilitative Services.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of this vote,” said Eileen Glover, a psychiatric nurse at the Windham Center who helped organize the union campaign. “It’s a tough time to be a health care worker, and it’s important — now more than ever — that we have a strong voice on the job.”
Marcey Tucker, an endoscopy nurse at Springfield Hospital, added, “We want our workplace to be an environment of positivity, team-building, and better work/life balance so we can be the best we can be at the jobs we trained hard for and dedicate ourselves to every day.”
“We are seeking more input on key issues that impact the lives of health care workers and the patients we care for,” said Alicia Reed, an ER nurse at Springfield Hospital. “We want to ensure hospital management is properly investing in the workforce and the supplies and equipment throughout the hospital. We want to ensure sufficient staffing ratios so workers and patients are protected. By having a strong union, we’ll ensure better working conditions, increase retention rates, and help attract people to the hospital and to the profession. We look forward to our first contract negotiation.”
Thirty-five workers voted in favor, 25 were opposed, and there were seven challenges.
The union has already begun plans to form an elected leadership team for this local, and expects to begin bargaining their first contract later this month.
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