SEIU LOCAL 199 WINS RAISES FOR NURSES STATEWIDE
SEIU Local 199 pushed the Iowa Legislature to begin to tackle the
serious issue of the state’s ridiculously low wages for nurses, and
lawmakers responded with a step in the right direction just before the
end of the session.
On the last day of Iowa's legislative session, the Iowa House and Senate
passed a historic bill that earmarks this year's Medicaid provider
reimbursement increase to boost nurse wages across the state. This
one-percent Medicaid provider reimbursement increase could mean $5.1 million for Iowa's RNs, translating to hundreds of dollars per nurse.
Beginning to raise nurse wages is a needed step toward solving the
state's drastic nurse shortage and improving patient care. At the rate
Iowa is going, the state will have a shortfall of 9,100 RNs by 2020, a
27 percent gap.
Increasing wages is a critical part of solving that looming problem.
Iowa's nurses are the lowest paid in the country, ranking 52nd in the
country.
"While hundreds a year is not a huge pay increase, this bill shows that
nurses and policymakers can initiate change that will lead to the
recruitment and retention of quality nurses in our state. I am proud
that SEIU led this charge and members and not-yet union members are
being rewarded," said SEIU Local 199 president and national nurse leader
Cathy Glasson.
About 10,000 Iowa nurses should receive raises over the next year.
Critical-access hospitals, are not included in the increase, because
their payments are calculated under a different system.
The law state would add $1.7 million extra in Medicaid money for
hospitals. The federal government is expected to match that with about
$3.4 million. The hospitals are required to demonstrate that they used
the money to raise registered-nurse pay, separate and apart from any
raises nurses were otherwise scheduled to receive.
Gov. Chet Culver's spokesman said the governor intends to sign the bill.
Culver has said he wants to bring Iowa nurse pay up to the national
average. That would take about $125 million per year.
SEIU Local 199 has played a critical role in both researching this issue
and leading the charge for change. Union RNs Sarah Swisher and Teri
Murphy served on the Wages Subcommittee of the Governor's Nursing
Taskforce.