With help from their 1199SEIU brothers and sisters, the nurses at Civista Medical Center in La Plata, MD have a won a new contract after a six month-long fight for safe staffing.The new contract, which was ratified by a unanimous vote, was settled after months of negotiations focusing on patient safety and quality care. In April a spirited rally in La Plata, with over 450 1199ers, brought community awareness to the staffing issues at Civista including much needed improvements to nurse-to-patient ratios and staffing grids on many floors.The contract includes a number of significant victories for the nurses and their patients:Improvements to staffing grids and/or nurse-to-patient ratios on every unit in contention. A competitive wage increase of 6.25% over three years that will allow the hospital to retain and recruit the experienced staff needed to provide quality patient care. The first joint labor-management pilot project in the region to address the shared goals of the administration and the nurses.“Over the last six months, we’ve been fighting for our patients and our community by bargaining for safe staffing at Civista,” said Joy Adiansingh, an RN in Civista’s ICU.“This agreement really demonstrates the strength of nurses having a union voice to advocate for quality care.” “The nurses at Civista Medical Center have set a new standard as advocates for patient care. Their contract will not only allow nurses at Civista to provide the best care to their patients, the joint labor-management pilot program will also help them set an example that other area hospitals can follow,” said 1199SEIU Vice President Vanessa Johnson.Read the news article about this contract victory.- See more at: http://www.1199seiu.org/1199_nurses_at_civista_medical_center_in_maryland_win_safe_staffing#sthash.zjhUrGwD.dpuf