Nurses at Logan Health in Kalispell say their newest union contract includes "life changing" pay raises that benefit both tenured and new nurses.  

Donna Nelson, a registered nurse and executive board member with Service Employees International Union Healthcare 1199NW, said they were able to reach an agreement after four months of bargaining. It’s a record compared to their previous sessions, the first of which took two-and-a-half years and included a three-day strike. Their next contract involved eight months of bargaining sessions.  

“There are always tenuous moments anytime you have a negotiation, because both sides are not always going to agree, right? I will say, since I participated in all three bargains for each contract, I felt that we were better received and we were heard about our issues,” Nelson said.  

The collective bargaining agreement includes an 18% pay increase for all union nurses upon ratification, with across-the-board increases of over 24.5% over the life of the contract, according to SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. There are also five new wage steps to improve retention and reward highly experienced nurses, as well as pay increases for night shift, preceptors, charge nurses and leads. There are improvements to vacation scheduling and hazard pay, and raises for those who continue to earn certifications, according to union officials. 

“The agreement reflects a shared commitment to supporting our nursing workforce and ensuring continued high-quality care for the patients and communities we serve,” Logan Health Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer Amy Vanterpool wrote in an email. “We appreciate the dedication, professionalism and collaborative spirit demonstrated by all parties throughout the bargaining process.” 

Logan Health has invested more than $64 million in compensation and benefit enhancements for employees across the organization, she said. 

 “Maintaining competitive wages and benefits for registered nurses has been an important priority, regardless of the union contract," Vanderpool said. "This ratified agreement represents a significant step forward in that effort. With this pay increase, the starting rate for Logan Health RNs ($41.78) will be among the highest in the state of Montana." 

Nelson said the quick turnaround on the contract is the result of both sides making changes to their approach. Not only did senior management express the sentiment to her that “the culture needs to change, starting from the top,” she said, but the union changed how they approached the bargaining table, too.  

“Our model now is ‘all in to win’ where we still have a negotiator from the union, but nurses like myself are leading the way in the discussions about what we want in a contract and how important it is to us and really taking a more in the front kind of leadership role in the presentation of our proposals,” Nelson said.  

Retention of seasoned nurses was a goal during these sessions, which came through in the extension of their wage step scale that previously topped out at 25 years of experience. Nelson said with 35 years of experience, she’s been capped out for a decade. But with the new provisions in the contract, she not only received the overall 18% raise, but also got the additional step increases all at once.  

“I jumped five steps on year one, which makes it close to about a 25% increase. I don't know about you, but that's pretty life changing for me,” she said.  

Registered Nurse Catherine Baran said she joined her union’s bargaining team because she was frustrated that experienced nurses were going unrecognized. Their years of knowledge lead to better patient care, and they show new nurses the ropes.  

“We're the ones who prepare our new hires. We share the knowledge that we've built with them over decades, helping to ensure patients get the best possible care. And I really felt like that experience knowledge deserved be recognized,” Baran said.  

With 27 years of experience, she hasn’t received a step increase raise over the last two years, despite growing in her role, she said. With the recent raises, she finally feels like they are getting a competitive salary and are able to keep up with the high cost of living in the area. 

She recalled some of her coworkers getting emotional as they cast their ratification vote.  

“People were saying things like ‘Oh my gosh, I can now pay my student loans, now I can really pay my bills.’ ... And I think it puts us in a position so that we're not having to rely on travel nurses so much, because we can have stable staff here that's willing to stay,” Baran said.  

The feeling of thriving with their job, not just surviving, is one reason why nurses like Nelson believe that they wouldn’t have made these gains without the backing of a union.  

“I would like to see all healthcare workers in the union, because the union difference is huge, and this story alone proves how much difference the union makes. Because I can tell you, they would not have given us an 18% increase on that [otherwise],” she said.  

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW is a union of nurses and healthcare workers with more than 38,000 caregivers throughout hospitals, clinics, mental health, skilled home health and hospice programs in Washington and Montana.  

Roughly 650 registered nurses at Logan Health unionized in July 2019 with SEIU 1199NW.  

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.