With the sale of Forum Health expected to be completed within 2 weeks, another union has ratified a contract with Forum's new owner, Community Health Systems.
"It was overwhelmingly accepted by the membership," said Mary Ann Hupp, SEIU union administrator. "We are looking forward to moving forward into the future with CHS. We're hoping for a bright future, because the same members that were here two years ago providing quality care are going to be here now and in the future providing quality care and providing choices."
Members of the service employees union voted to accept the deal that will give them job security for the next two years. Details of the contract are not being released.
But the new agreement covers 600 workers at Northside Hospital, 400 workers at Trumbull Memorial and 70 at ClinLab. The contract with Northside runs through 2015 while the TMH deal runs until 2012.
"Today marks the beginning of what we hope will be a bright and productive future between Community Health Systems and the caregivers we represent," said Rob Johnson, hospital division director with SEIU District 1199. "Through the shared sacrifice of the workers, the community will continue to receive the same high quality, professional care they have come to know and respect."
Contract agreements had been ongoing for more than 18 months.
Monday, 480 members of Forum's nurses union at Northside ratified a new contract. The nurses at Hillside Rehabilitation Center also approved a contract. But AFSME, which represents three units at Trumbull and Hillside, still has no contract and is continuing negotiations.
