The pandemic united these workers more powerfully and fueled their fight for safe, family-supporting jobs and quality patient care.
While the COVID-19 pandemic posed unique challenges for the health care sector, it also presented a rare opportunity. The crisis boosted public appreciation for health care workers like never before.
As communities celebrated and thanked these health care heroes, the USW seized the moment—mobilizing for health and safety protections and securing historic contract language that benefited workers and patients alike.
Since the last constitutional convention, the sector also doubled down on training and education.
In 2022, the USW launched a pilot program in California to train members on health and safety issues faced in hospitals and nursing homes. In 2023, the union replicated this model for first responders and hosted the USW’s first-ever customized health and safety training for the EMS work force.
This momentum carried health care workers into one of the union’s most extensive Health, Safety and Environment conferences, with hundreds of workers from numerous industries gathering in Pittsburgh in 2023 to mobilize around prominent health and safety issues and build leverage for bargaining stronger contracts.
USW health care members work across a spectrum of industries and professions, but the pandemic united these workers more powerfully and fueled their fight for safe, family-supporting jobs and quality patient care.
“the USW seized the moment—mobilizing for health and safety protections and securing historic contract language that benefitted workers and patients alike.”
Bristol Myers Squibb
Despite challenging negotiations, Local 4-438 members at Bristol Myers Squibb secured a four-year agreement that provided the best economic gains in decades.
Workers at the pharmaceutical company secured 12 percent increases along with further upgrades for certain job classifications. Additional wins included adding Juneteenth as a paid holiday, increasing the sick day allotment and bereavement time, and bumping the company’s 401(k) match to 6 percent from 5 percent.
Local 4-438 comprises 274 clerks, laboratory assistants, warehouse workers, maintenance and biological technicians, and more, at locations in New Brunswick and Lawrenceville, N.J.
Copper Country Mental Health
Members of Local 7798-1 at Copper Country Mental Health in Houghton, Mich., won wage increases and solidified workplace violence protections in the three-year agreement they ratified unanimously in November 2022.
The workers received an immediate 4.5 percent wage increase, and the contract also included an annual wage opener.
Members also added into the contract the workplace violence language they first secured in 2019.
This agreement committed the employer to appoint a committee, including two local union members, to draft a workplace violence policy. The policy defines aggression and outlines safety procedures, all of which are reviewed yearly.
Members with more than 15 years of service also received an extra week of vacation under the new agreement.
Essentia Health
Local 9460 members who work across five Essentia regional clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin ratified a contract in September 2022 that delivered solid pay increases along with wage parity.
The contract covers 122 health care workers, including registered nurses (RNs), radiology technicians and patient access representatives.
Workers used solidarity to their advantage. Two of the locations previously had evening wage differentials, for example, and the group rallied to ensure that members at the three remaining clinics received the same.
Additional contract victories included wage increases of $1 per hour for phlebotomists and lab technicians who complete certain training programs as well as improvements to the grievance process for members denied adequate training on new technology, system updates, and policies and procedures.
Fairview Range Medical Center
About 35 home care and hospice workers at Fairview Range Medical Center in Hibbing, Minn., ratified their first union contract in July 2024 after standing strong through 11 tough months of bargaining.
The three-year agreement with Local 9349 featured wage increases of 18 percent, significant work-life balance gains, pension increases, and contract language on market analysis pay adjustments. The bargaining unit includes RNs, physical therapists, social workers, administrative assistants, home health aides, licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and workers in scheduling and billing.
Frontier Ambulance
The emergency medical technicians and paramedics of Frontier Ambulance in Fremont County, Wyo., ratified a historic three-year union contract in October 2023, after becoming the state’s first health care union and one of the first unions in the state in decades.
The 25 members of Local 9012 won wage increases of up to 15 percent, plus a recruitment and retention bonus of up to $5,000, increased vacation leave, improved safety measures, and paid sick leave and paid union leave programs.
Kane Community Living Centers
Roughly 500 workers at Kane Community Living Centers in Western Pennsylvania ratified a groundbreaking first contract in December 2022.
The bargaining unit consists of LPNs, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), recreation aides, dietary and housekeeping workers, and material handlers at the Allegheny County-run assisted-living and senior facilities in four townships.
LPNs immediately received a $3-an-hour raise, and by the end of the four-year contract, they’ll receive another $2 an hour. The contract also increased the uniform allowance and included longevity raises for workers with at least three years of service.
Montgomery General Hospital
Local 12625-03 members at Montgomery General Hospital in Montgomery, W.Va., fought off major concessions and secured significant economic gains in a three-year contract ratified in April 2023.
The local’s 130 members include activities aides, surgical technicians, CNAs, LPNs, clerks, cashiers and secretaries.
They eliminated entry-level wages for all job classifications and bumped pay by an additional $2 an hour for CNAs and by $3 to $3.50 an hour for LPNs. Members also improved their holiday pay and established the first employer contribution match to their 401(k) since their pensions were frozen in 2004.
Oroville Hospital
Members of Local 9600 in Oroville, Calif., won the formation of a worker-driven joint health and safety committee in their latest three-year contract with Oroville Hospital.
The agreement, ratified in September 2022, covers approximately 800 unit clerks, phlebotomists, respiratory therapists, occupational therapy assistants and environmental service workers, among others.
Workers wanted the new health and safety committee to give them a greater voice on both patient care and workplace safety.
Union negotiators also addressed each of the 110 job classifications at the hospital separately, achieving an average first-year wage increase of 9.5 percent. Members also secured an additional week of vacation for workers in the business office and service unit, addressing disparities.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
After enduring a grueling four months of an unfair labor practice strike, Local 4-200 members achieved historic staffing language in a three-year contract with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.
The solidarity of the union’s 1,700 RNs secured these industry-setting staffing standards protecting workers and patients, along with enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance and a process to facilitate greater communication between front-line nurses and the administration. To comply with these provisions, the hospital added 70 RN positions.
The agreement, ratified in December 2023, also raised wages and capped insurance costs.
Siemens Healthineers
Local 12273-07 members at Siemens Healthineers in Mishawaka, Ind., ratified a three-year agreement in 2022 that included raises of 10.25 percent and made key progress toward eliminating a tiered pay system.
The local represents about 160 workers—including production operators, stock keepers, maintenance and environmental service workers—at the medical device manufacturing company.
UP Health System—Marquette
Approximately 260 workers at UP Health System—Marquette in Marquette, Mich., ratified a first contract in January 2025, winning historic wage increases, boosting on-call pay, securing much-needed safety protections and more.
The three-year agreement covers LPNs, care aides, lab assistants, payroll, IT, maintenance, office staff, and others.
Wage increases average about 13.5 percent in the first year of the contract and total about 20 percent over the term. Other highlights include a wage scale that recognizes seniority, caps on health insurance premiums, shift differentials, and a seat on the hospital safety committee.