Nursing union at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center votes to ratify updated contract after months of bargaining

Teamsters Local No. 690, which represents roughly 200 registered nurses working at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, recently voted to ratify an updated contract with the Lewiston, Idaho, hospital.

Larry Kroetch served as the union’s lead negotiator. He said the agreement, which will last for the next three years, will bring nurses’ wages up to par with other area hospitals and secure existing benefits.

“We had been behind in other area hospitals, mainly in wages,” Kroetch said. “We were able to get that up to area hospitals, and then the future increases for the next three years matched what some of the other contracts around us got, Pullman mainly.”

The new contract will provide a roughly 13% increase in wages in the first year, and roughly 3% increases the next two years following, Kroetch said.

In a statement, Desiree Silva, the director of marketing and communications at St. Joseph, said hospital leadership looks forward to fostering collaboration and providing high-quality care.

“We appreciate the importance of reaching a fair agreement for our colleagues while recognizing the need for flexibility in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape,” Silva wrote. “This contract reflects our commitment to achieving these crucial objectives.”

In addition to wage increases, the new contract limits how many shifts nurses can be sent home early in a pay period, providing more income stability if the medical center has a low patient headcount, Kroetch said. It also includes some clinic nurses who weren’t included in the previous contract.

The last contract expired in June, Kroetch said. The union began negotiating in April and reached a tentative agreement in October.

“It was longer than the typical negotiation,” Kroetch said. “Usually, we can get an agreement done in 30 to 60 days.”

Ed Freysinger, the hospital’s CEO, announced that the contract had been ratified in a letter sent to the board of trustees on Nov. 7.

“We are happy to announce the nurses’ union held their contract vote yesterday and they have ratified the agreement,” Freysinger wrote. “We now have some procedural steps to follow associated with the joint preparation, proofing and execution of this agreement. Notwithstanding these remaining tasks, the Hospital and the union do currently have a binding contract in place.”

Kroetch said the new contract ensures area nurses won’t have to leave the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley to receive compensation on par with other area hospitals.

“I think they’re set up to be competitive with other area hospitals,” he said.