Great news! The Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. It’s a good deal that calls for wage increases for every member! These gains came after a long hard fight by your Bargaining Team who insisted that every member gets something. The pay hikes—many of which are based on market data– vary from two 2% to double digit increases. The plan also calls for Make Up steps from the recession and a Wellness Program to encourage employees to get check-ups and adopt healthy habits.
As with any negotiation process, concessions are also part of the deal. Among them are changes to the Holiday AD practice, Extended Illness and insurance rates. As you probably read in previous updates, Management has called for the elimination of the HMO High/Standard insurance plan. The good news is members can save $1,300 per year if they switch to Jackson First or Select. And the HMO High/Standard plan won’t be discontinued right away because your Bargaining Team worked hard to get a 1 year extension however rates will increase.
Despite these and few a other concessions, overall, this tentative contract will benefit all of our members and help sustain Jackson Health System into the future.
Of course, this tentative contract doesn’t go into effect until you and your union brothers and sisters vote on it. We’ll be sending you information soon with additional details about this agreement as well as ratification dates.