Welcome to VFNHP
Dear New Vermont Federation of Nurses Local 5221 member,
Welcome to Fletcher Allen Health Care. The Registered Nurses at FAHC voted by an overwhelming majority of 2 to 1 to create our union in October 2002. We began bargaining in December of 2002 and signed our contract July 2003. The Licensed Practical Nurses voted to join our union in 2003. Together, our mission statement is:
We, the Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses of Fletcher Allen Health Care are organizing our Union with the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, UP/AFT Vermont, AFL-CIO to:
- Empower ourselves to advocate for our patients and our profession;
- Ensure safe staffing to meet our patients' physical, emotional and spiritual needs;
- Guarantee competitive wages and benefits for nurses in all clinical settings to improve retention and recruitment;
- Negotiate a legally binding contract that fosters an environment of professionalism and respect in which nurses have a real voice in decision making.
Our first contract was one of the best first contracts in healthcare in the country. We signed our second contract in July of 2006 and were able to negotiate many important improvements.
As elected officers and stewards, we assist our colleague Registered Nurses, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses to ensure the implementation and enforcement of our contract is a priority in our workplaces.
Our strength is in our ability to give our members a strong voice on the issues that affect our patients, our workplace and our profession. In the past we were employees at will. Now we have rights and protection built into our union contract that benefits our patients and ourselves.
This is a demanding, but exciting time for Fletcher Allen. I know you will find the healthcare workers at Fletcher Allen to be a very dedicated, professional group of people. The healthcare workers at FAHC serve our community and are committed to high quality, safe care - it is our top priority.
I am very proud to represent such a diverse, energetic collection of truly caring staff members.
In solidarity,
Jennifer Henry, RN
President
Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals Local 5221
United Professions/AFT Vermont afl-cio
