NUHW members who work for the prison health contractor Wellpath now have increased bargaining power after they negotiated a Synchronized Agreement covering five of the existing county jails where NUHW represents workers, as well as Wellpath workers at other jails who choose to join the union.
Wellpath is the largest provider of healthcare inside California jails, employing nurses, social workers, and therapists to provide medical and mental health services for prisoners. The synchronized agreement will cover the nearly 400 caregivers represented by NUHW at jails that contract health services to Wellpath in Stanislaus County, Sonoma County Jail, Solano County, Lake County, and Merced County. One member from each facility was part of the team that negotiated the deal.
The agreement covers non-economic working conditions and certain shared economic provisions, with carve-outs for specific wages at each site. The accord will also include newly organized Wellpath-run facilities that come on board. Those new units would immediately have access to grievance and mediation processes.
A Synchronized Agreement will make it easier for NUHW and Wellpath to negotiate future contracts. It also “helps open the door to new units being organized and means more power at the table for the unionized workers,” said Allison Moorehead, an NUHW member leader who works for Wellpath at Merced County Jail.
NUHW also represents Wellpath workers at the Alameda County Jail. They are expected to join the Synchronized Agreement during the next round of bargaining.
