Nurses and other workers at hospitals and health systems have secured large raises recently amid contract negotiations with unions. Others have secured raises through minimum wage increases. Below is a breakdown of the raises, as reported by Becker's since Jan. 26.
Editor's Note: This webpage was updated March 10 and will continue to be updated.
1. Hagerstown, Md.-based Meritus Health is bumping its minimum wage from $15 to $17. The change will affect 1,400 employees, including medical, nursing and imaging assistants; medical receptionists; environmental services aides; and food service workers, according to a March 7 news release shared with Becker's.
2. Members of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals approved a three-year contract with Burlington-based University of Vermont Medical Center that includes immediate pay raises of 6.5 percent to 25.6 percent for most bargaining unit members, the hospital announced March 6. Under the new contract, workers will also receive annual wage increases of 6 percent in 2024, 5 percent in 2025 and 5 percent in 2026.
3. Nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., voted March 4 to approve a new contract that includes 15 to 33 percent wage increases over three years. The contract also includes a commitment from the hospital to hire 1,350 registered nurses by 2025.
4. Members of the Michigan Nurses Association approved contracts with McLaren Central Hospital in Mount Pleasant and MyMichigan Medical Center Alma that include raises. Nurses at McLaren Central voted Feb. 22 to approve a new three-year contract, according to a union news release. Nurses at MyMichigan Alma approved their agreement Feb. 16. Under the deals, McLaren Central nurses will receive 16 percent wage increases over three years, without factoring steps. MyMichigan Medical Center Alma nurses will receive an additional 5 percent wage adjustment on average in the first year of their new contract, 3.75 percent in the second year and 3.25 percent in the third. This means these nurses will also receive at least 16 percent wage increases over three years when additional 2022 raises are factored in.
5. Nearly 800 resident physicians and fellows at the University of Illinois Chicago, reached their first tentative agreement with hospital administrators, the Committee of Interns and Residents announced Feb. 14. The deal includes a total of 18.5 percent in salary increases over four years, in addition to postgraduate year increases.
6. Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers in Hawaii voted Feb. 18 to approve a contract with Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente. The contract, which covers about 50 Kaiser mental health workers in Hawaii, includes wage increases of at least 3 percent in 2023 and 2024 and 2 percent in 2025, according to a union news release. Both sides reached an agreement after a strike that lasted about six months.
7. The University of California has reached agreements with the Committee of Interns and Residents on behalf of physicians at its health system. Residents will receive salary raises to help keep up with inflation: a 6 percent initial raise, with 5 percent salary raises in 2023 and 2024, according to the union. The agreements, announced Feb. 16, cover resident physicians and fellows at University of California Davis, University of California Irvine, University of California Los Angeles, UCLA Olive View, University of California Riverside, University of California San Francisco, and UCSF Fresno.
8. Nearly 800 resident physicians and fellows at the University of Illinois Chicago reached their first tentative agreement with hospital administrators. The union said Feb. 14 that the four-year tentative agreement includes "significant salary increases" for each contract year, a discretionary educational fund allowance and a licensure reimbursement program. The deal specifically includes a total of 18.5 percent in salary increases over the life of the contract, in addition to postgraduate year increases.
9. On Jan. 26, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health announced plans to raise its minimum wage from $15 per hour to $17 per hour, effective March 3. The change will apply to more than 4,400 health system employees. The wage increase, combined with salary increases for this year, represents an investment of more than $100 million, according to Novant.