SPRINGFIELD — Two collective bargaining agreements between the city of Springfield and the Public Health Nurses Association were approved by the City Council during the council’s April 7 meeting.
Bill Mahoney, director of human resources and labor relations, said two collective bargaining agreements have been reached with PHNA for the period of July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2028. The first contract is a one-year agreement that gives the city’s full-time public health nurses a $1 per hour increase, while the second contract is a three-year agreement that gives them a 2% salary increase each year.
The contracts went in front of the council on March 10 under unique circumstances.
Mahoney told the body that there was one employee in the bargaining unit that ratified the new contracts with the city, but that employee had since left at the time of the March meeting.
“Nevertheless, we do have a ratified agreement with [the PHNA], and that’s why it’s in front of you tonight,” he said.
In the past, Mahoney said the city’s public health nurses helped with important outreach efforts, like vaccination clinics for flu and COVID-19.
Although there is currently no full-time public health nurse hired, Mahoney said the city has a nurse supervisor at Health and Human Services and a few school nurses on a part-time basis covering the necessary nursing duties for the city.
Additionally, the new CBAs allow the commissioner of Health and Human Services to use outside agencies and part-time non-bargaining staff to supplement the workforce if needed.
“We think that may be an avenue for us to provide additional services,” Mahoney said on March 10. “If someone’s full-time at one of the hospitals and they want to come work for a couple shifts a week for us, that’s great.”
The council used the March 10 meeting to ponder how they can draw more public health nurses to the city. City Councilor Tracye Whitfield argued that the proposed salary for a public health nurse, $71,300 with a bachelor’s degree, was too low and the city needed to look at increasing it to attract more candidates.
“Even with the dollar increase, that’s not enough,” Whitfield said.
Councilors reflected on the uniqueness of this vote and eventually sent the contracts to its Health and Human Services Committee for further scrutiny.
“This is very unique,” City Councilor Sean Curran said. “We’re voting on a contract in which there’s no employees.”
The contracts were sent back to the full council for their April 7 meeting, and the body unanimously voted in favor of them with minimal discussion.
