Registered nurses at Des Peres Hospital have successfully negotiated their first contract as members of a union.
The Des Peres nurses joined the National Nurses Organizing Committee in 2012. The deal ratified on Thursday adjusts job security protections, bars mandatory overtime, and establishes a committee of nurses to work with hospital management to improve patient care. The agreement also provides for wage increases and secures the nurses’ employer-paid health coverage.
Nurses at Des Peres celebrated the dealing, with one telling the National Nurses Union, "Our contract gives us the tools we need to better advocate for our patients, while securing a future for our jobs and our families.”
A statement from Des Peres Hospital reads, "We negotiated with the union in good faith and successfully concluded a contract that we believe is good for both our nurses and the hospital."
The Des Peres contract follows a similar agreement formed by Saint Louis University Hospital nurses earlier this year. Both hospitals are members of the NNOC-Missouri.
The new agreement will run through August 31st, 2016.
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