Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

State agrees to pandemic pay bump for nurses

Posted in:

Illinois

* Press release…

The Illinois Nurses Association and the State of Illinois have agreed on a series of COVID-19 related compensation and safety measures for registered nurses who work in state mental health facilities, correctional centers, Illinois Youth Centers, veteran’s administration homes, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and Department of Public Health.

“These are incredibly challenging times for nurses and INA’s negotiating team has been working hard to win safety measures and other benefits to address working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic,“ said Victorian Dameron, RN, one of the lead nurse negotiators.

The team was able to successfully negotiate important safety provisions for all nurses, as well as premium pandemic pay for nurses not covered under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, she said.

INA and the State agreed on a 12% increase to an employee’s base salary for days worked between April 16th, 2020, and June 30th, 2020.

In addition to the pandemic pay, nurses excluded from the Families First Coronavirus Response Act who worked the full time from May 1st through May 31st, 2020 will be granted an additional personal business day; this will be added to their accrued benefit time January 1st, 2021. To be eligible for this benefit, nurses must have worked the full time and not taken days off during this period.

This is the second group of nurses for which INA has negotiated enhanced pandemic pay. In early April, INA and the University of Illinois Hospital agreed on a premium pay scale to reward nurses who were working through the pandemic at the hospital.

More than 100 nurses have tested positive for COVID-19 and two have died since the pandemic began earlier this year.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 18, 20 @ 9:40 am

Comments

Great to hear. They deserve it !!

Comment by Proud Thursday, Jun 18, 20 @ 9:46 am
This is a very good thing.

In actuality, the monetary measure during this once in a century global pandemic, the mental strain the nurses have felt working long shifts fighting this virus will never fully be compensated. The peace and the calming of anxiety can’t be measured. Still, this move is important to recognize the nurses and should be embraced.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jun 18, 20 @ 9:59 am
Good deal, they deserve it.

Comment by Pacman Thursday, Jun 18, 20 @ 10:19 am
In Springfield I read that saint johns laid off many nurses and memorial just laid off 450 employees this week. Odd times.

Comment by R A T Thursday, Jun 18, 20 @ 10:41 am
A number of nurse friends have had their pay cut during the pandemic. This temporary fix, while welcomed by them, just brings them back level to what was taken away. And somehow hospitals remain tax-exempt.

Comment by Need A Suggestion Thursday, Jun 18, 20 @ 11:08 am