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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2021)
PAGE 2 | May 7, 2021 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING Union contract puts Avamere at the top in nursing home pay (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la- bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo- ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore- gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon Mailing address: P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 Phone: (503) 288-3311 Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig Associate editor: Don McIntosh Office manager: Jill Lukens Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. 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AND BUY UNION AND AMERICAN-MADE. Hours: Mon-Sat 12-6 pm Closed Sunday SEIU says new industry-leading agreement will result in better care for residents. By Don McIntosh A new collective bargaining agreement between Service Em- ployees International Union (SEIU) Local 503 and Avamere raises workers’ wages by up to $4 an hour, and sets the highest standard for wages and staffing levels of any nursing homes in Oregon. The three-year agreement was ratified almost unanimously April 12-15 by members voting in nursing home parking lots. It covers about 550 workers at 19 Oregon nursing homes owned by the Avamere chain. It took effect May 1, and runs through April 30, 2024. The contract sets a new statewide nine-step wage scale, replacing regional 12-step wage scales under which Eugene and Bend area workers earned less than those in Portland. Under the new wage scale, pay ranges from $18 to $23.49 for certified nursing assistants (CNAs), $16.79 to $21.90 for cooks, and $15.93 to $20.79 for housekeep- ers. Depending on where they work and what they do, workers will see raises of as much as $4 an hour under the new scale. For CNAs, Avamere’s new wage levels will exceed wages paid at some hospitals. That’s important because CNAs have tended to earn less at nursing homes than at hospitals, which has made it hard for nursing homes to keep experienced staff; the resulting turnover lessens the quality of care. “People are very excited,” says bargaining team member Sam Browne, a CNA at Avamere Rehabilitation of Beaverton. For Brown, it was the second time serving as part of the union bargaining team, and a completely different expe- rience from the first time. Avamere’s contract with the union wasn’t set to expire until October, the same as unionized nursing home chains. [Besides Avamere, Local 503 represents workers at Oregon nursing homes owned by Avalon, Dakavia, EmpRes, Prestige, and at independent Meadow Park Health & Specialty Care in St. Helens.] But Avamere ap- proached Local 503 about start- ing early, and agreed to the union’s proposed ground rules, including a trial run of “interest- based” bargaining, a less adver- sarial and more collaborative ap- proach to negotiation in which the two sides try to solve prob- lems together in a way that serves both sides’ interests. The new contract will im- prove the quality care nursing home residents receive, Browne said: “Happier workers, happier workplace.” Headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon, Avamere has over 8,800 employees at over 300 facilities in 20 states. Its properties in- clude not just nursing homes but assisted living centers, memory care facilities, and retirement communities. Local 503 repre- sents workers at 19 of Avamere’s 21 nursing homes in Oregon, as well as workers at nine of Avamere’s assisted living cen- ters in Oregon under a different collective bargaining agreement. But more Avamere facilities could also unionize thanks to union neutrality provisions in the new contract. For non-union nursing homes in Oregon, the contract commits the company to provide employee lists and contact information to the union, give reasonable access to union organizers to talk with workers in the workplace, and recognize a union at any Oregon facility where a majority of workers sign union authorization cards. The contract also adds longevity bonuses, increases shift differential pay, establishes protections against management bullying, and makes workers freer to speak their minds by eliminating a previous anti-dis- paragement clause. Other provisions: Wage reopeners: The two sides will meet again in April 2022 and April 2023 to negotiate further cost of living increases to take effect May 1 of each year. Improved staffing levels: Avamere also commits to work with the union to set staffing ra- tios for CNAs and housekeepers that are above what’s required by Oregon law, and for CNAs it commits to try out an “acuity” - based staffing model that takes into account how much care in- dividual patients need. Improved training: Newly hired CNAs will be mentored before being added to shifts.
