Columbia Memorial Health Reaches Agreement with 1199SEIU

• Contract proposed by CMH includes robust enhancements to wages and benefits
• Agreement follows a year of negotiations
• Four-year deal allows CMH to advance additional recruitment efforts

Columbia Memorial Health (CMH) announced today it has reached an agreement with 1199SEIU on a new four-year contract. Union members overwhelmingly voted to approve the contract Feb. 4, 2025.

Hospital leaders invited 1199SEIU to the table in January 2024 to begin bargaining in good faith for a new contract for its professional and service and technical employees. The unit represents approximately 750 of the hospital’s 1,300 employees.

“For more than a year, CMH has been advocating to advance a contract that respects our team’s expertise and our mission to the people we serve,” said Dorothy Urschel, DNP, president and CEO of CMH. “We are thrilled to reach an agreement that provides our employees the wages and benefits they have earned and deserve. The robust enhancements we put on the table will also allow us to advance our continuing commitment to grow our workforce and our mission. It is time for us to move forward together.”

The highlights of the new agreement include:

• A 22.5 percent wage increase that is phased over each contract year
  • 7 percent retroactive to 2024
  • 5 percent for 2025
  • 5.25 percent for 2026
  • 5 percent for 2027
• Minimum starting hourly wage increase to $18
• Reductions in contributions to health insurance
• Elimination of copays for CMH services
• Increased preceptor and orientation pay
• Increased vacation time