Porter Medical Center nurses ratify new three-year labor contract

Porter Medical Center nurses in Middlebury, Vermont have ratified a new three-year contract with annual wage increases of 3.25% in the first two years and 3.5% in the third, plus gains in shift differentials, incentive pay and bereavement leave. The deal, confirmed by the Porter Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals and Porter administrators, followed bargaining sessions since July and a mediator brought in to avert a possible strike; the prior contract expired Sept. 30. The union said it pared back wage demands to secure other gains, including a registered nurse career ladder, paid time off after workplace assault, increased retirement benefits, and a strengthened Nursing Practice Council paired with a Labor Management Committee aimed at establishing enforceable staffing ratios. The contract covers 143 full- and part-time nurses; about 70% of union members voted, with 80% of those voting to approve.