When Dennis Salonga and his colleagues at a MarinHealth Outpatient MRI clinic joined NUHW last year, their goal was clear — close the giant wage gap between them and their NUHW-represented counterparts who work inside the 327-bed hospital.
Mission accomplished.
Salonga, and his fellow outpatient technologists this month agreed to a five-year contract that will boost pay on average by 23 percent in the first year.
“We all feel happy and secure,” Salonga said. “We got the raises that we wanted because we were underpaid for over five years. “Everybody will stay here now, and we don’t have to worry about losing workers.”
The nine outpatient MRI techs joined their fellow NUHW members on a one-day strike earlier this year.
Salonga, who has worked at the outpatient facility for over six years, said the work stoppage helped to secure their first contract because “management saw and heard what we were fighting for.”
The new contract places workers on the wage scale and according to their years of experience, bumping salaries as much as 32 percent in the first year, and 15.5 percent over the next four years.
The five-year agreement also comes with new and increased per diem, shift, weekend, and preceptor differentials, as well as charge pay. The contract also gives workers the same medical insurance benefits as the one secured by their NUHW-represented colleagues inside the hospital.
Salonga said there is a lot of excitement among the workers after their huge win. “We’re going to have a weekend out with everybody and celebrate what we achieved.”
