Sutter Amador Hospital is still in talks with union negotiators, and, although progress has been made, have yet to come to an agreement. The current union employee contract was up for renewal in February, but initial dissatisfaction and resulting discussions over the contract were initiated in December. According to Sutter Amador’s CEO Anne Platt, hospital management has thus far put down two proposals, neither of which has met the union’s satisfaction. The two major points of contention in current negotiations are pay and health care. The union is currently asking for a higher wages equal to wages in hospitals throughout California.

In the hospital’s most recent proposal from February 26, they’ve offered a 14.5 percent  wage increase over a four year period for all employees and higher equity payments for some positions. At Sutter Amador, the union represents non-exempt and non-management employees. Platt says the hospital recognizes the importance of the union and treating all employees by an equal quality standard, and as a result says Sutter Amador treats non-union employees by many of the same standards as union ones.

Employees can choose whether or not they wish to join the union when they are hired. “They want the same wage as their peers are making in other parts of the region,” says Platt. She points out that Sutter Amador Hospital is a non-profit hospital, and that escalated wages at Kaiser have been difficult and maybe unrealistic to match. “We feel like we’re being very cautious. We’re into maintaining a great experience for our employees. They’re our most important asset,” says Platt. Employees are currently represented by United Health Workers, a smaller branch of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, which represents 1.5 million public service workers, nurses, hospital staff and nursing home care providers. Talks so far have gone smoothly and there is no indication they’ve been anything less than friendly, but both sides are hoping for a quick resolution.