1199C Ratifies Contract With Jefferson Hospital

PHILADELPHIA, May. 15 /PRNewswire/ --

PHILADELPHIA, May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Members of District 1199C of the National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees AFSCME, AFL-CIO this morning (Thursday) ratified a four-year contract agreement with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital that calls for a 16.8 percent increase in wages and benefits. District 1199C represents some 1300 full- and part-time workers at Jefferson and the agreement was reached with the hospital following some 17 hours of round-the clock negotiations begun Tuesday morning and concluded around 3 a.m. Wednesday. The vote approving the union's Memorandum of Agreement with the hospital was 360 to 40 and followed two hours of discussion at the Doubletree Hotel in Center City. The new contract goes into effect July 1.

Henry Nicholas, president of District 1199C, said the vote represented "an historical breakthrough in our long history of trying to advance hospital and healthcare workers who once were the lowest paid workers in Pennsylvania. The new contract lifts wages and standards considerably over the average Philadelphia salaries."