Union and hospital administrators are touting Kent’s first contract with its nurses as a cooperative effort that will benefit both parties and patients.

“This is not about what I got,” Kent President and CEO Sandra Coletta said, “or what they got, but what we got.”

Coletta said much of the talks centered on procedural issues and systems. As an example, she cited scheduling and how the hospital deals with floaters or nurses who would fill in depending on where they were needed.

“What’s unique is that this is the first contract,” said Jack Callaci, field representative for the United Nurses & Allied Professionals. Hospital nurses voted to unionize last October.

Callaci said that unlike situations where a contract is being extended and parties focus on a handful of issues, this is a first agreement and efforts first had to be directed at capturing every term and condition of employment.

He and Coletta said talks proceeded over seven months concluding July 2 in a marathon session lasting more than 24 hours.

Last Wednesday during a series of meetings held at the Crowne Plaza throughout the day, nurses voted 172 to 149 to approve the two-year contract. Local 5008 has a membership of 670.

The agreement gives full-time nurses with nine years of service a raise of 8 percent over two years. Lower step nurses also receive increases in addition to step increases. Callaci said the hospital agreed to drop Tufts for health coverage and convert to Blue Cross in January. Co-pay for health insurance premiums is 6 percent in the first year followed by 8 percent, he said. Job protection for leaves of absence has been extended based on length of service.

Paul Beaudoin, hospital senior vice president of finance, explained yesterday that all nurses would receive 2 percent pay increases in October of this year and October 2010. In addition, nurses on step 9 will receive a 1.5 percent pay increase in April 2010 followed by another bump of 2.5 percent the following April.

Because of the offset of health care co-payments, Beaudoin said Kent would experience an overall cost increase of 6.5 percent for the two years. The net cost increase for the first year is $1.1 million followed by $1.5 million in the second year, he said.

Not all are pleased with the results of negotiations or the speed with which a contract was reached.

Even before the vote at least one Kent nurse, who asked not to be identified, questioned how those voting would be verified as members of the Kent local. She questioned the need for the union and the benefits of paying dues, which Callaci said average about $500 a year.

Jeannette Geary, an emergency department nurse and a representative for the hospital local, is critical of what she finds as a lack of time for members to study the agreement prior to the vote. In a letter to the editor appearing in today’s paper she also says she was denied the right to vote and, while initially a supporter, has become disenchanted by the union.

Callaci explained that traditionally members are called upon to approve or reject an agreement soon after terms have been reached and that in this case the union not only waited a week but also mailed copies to all members as well as had them available at the hospital.

Geary said copies of the contract were not mailed out and only became available after she repeatedly asked about it.

He said that meetings and ballot times last Wednesday were staggered between 8 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. so as to answer the questions of those on different shifts and enable them to vote. Geary, he said, showed up between those sessions and therefore couldn’t vote at that time. She did vote later in the day.

Geary questioned what happened to the ballot box between the scheduled periods and called the vote a sham. She said she is not alone in her dissatisfaction with the union and is pursuing legal action.

In a statement released jointly by the union and the hospital, Union President Rose Desnoyer said, “I want to emphasize that we intend to build on the goodwill and all of the hard work that has been accomplished at the bargaining table to make our hospital the best place to be a patient and the best place to practice the nursing profession.”

To that end Callaci said the parties have agreed to the creation of an eight member committee consisting of the president of the union and three designees and the chief nursing officer and three designees to meet monthly to address shift rotations, patient safety and quality issues.

“Our interests have always been aligned with what the nurses wanted,” Coletta said. She said both sides worked well together. She called the relationship cooperative and fruitful.

“I believe the mutual effort that went into this agreement is a testament to the quality of care and dedication to the patients of Kent Hospital,” she said.