VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON – Workers at Columbia River Veterinary Specialists (CRVS) in Vancouver, Washington ratified their first union contract last night by an overwhelming margin of 53-1. Workers have been bargaining a contract with CRVS management for over a year, after voting to join the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 5 in February 2019.
This historic contract is the first-ever private-sector union contract in the veterinary industry, a rapidly growing, lucrative field where workers are often faced with challenging working conditions and pay that is not commensurate with the education and skill required for the profession. In recent years, there has been massive consolidation of the industry as locally owned hospitals are acquired by large companies, leading to a corporate-led environment where workers’ rights and sustainable jobs for local communities too often come second.
“This contract is only the first step toward making veterinary medicine a viable career during this time of corporate greed. [Our contract] will provide veterinary workers with protections, wage equality, and establish a foothold for continued improvements in working conditions,” explains Kat Bennett, LVT VTS (SAIM) at CRVS.
Despite this spring’s unprecedented disruption due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the worker-led bargaining committee and CRVS management worked together remotely to continue negotiations and arrive at an agreement. Highlights from the contract include a Just Cause standard of protection (rather than “at-will employment) with regards to discipline/termination, and fair policies for determining lay-offs and recalls based on a seniority system.
Workers also advocated for an equitable and transparent wage structure that would create a fair living wage for all hospital workers. The first contract achieved a number of victories on this front. All workers will be compensated via an agreed-upon wage structure, including differentials for overnight work, additional certifications and demonstrated proficiency, and seniority tiers. The agreement, which is retroactive to January 1, 2020, also includes yearly Cost of Living wage adjustments in 2021, 2022 and 2023. When the contract is implemented, workers are projected to see an average wage increase of about 7%. By the end of the agreement in June 2023, current CRVS employees will see, on average, a 17% increase in pay. Raising wages in the veterinary industry will help retain and attract qualified, dedicated staff to CRVS and allow staff to support themselves and their families.
“Since I had not received any meaningful wage increase from CRVS over my five years of employment, I had the lowest hourly wage of any technician with my experience, education, and skillset,” explained Tracie Vestal, an LVT at CRVS. “I had considered substandard pay par for the course as a veterinary technician and had been debating leaving the industry. This was an agonizing consideration given my deep and abiding love and dedication to the veterinary profession.”
Thanks to CRVS’s new union contract, employees like Vestal will be able to make veterinary medicine a sustainable career. CRVS will also benefit by retaining dedicated and experienced employees who have a passion for veterinary medicine. According to Vestal, “This equity in pay will set CRVS apart as being a leading employer in the local veterinary community.”
Looking forward, CRVS workers recognize that the fight for higher standards, safe working conditions, and living wages in the veterinary industry stretches far beyond Columbia River. Veterinary workers throughout the country continue to organize, support each other, and advocate for a stronger and more equitable veterinary industry. CRVS’s union contract has shown veterinary workers and hospitals across the country that it is possible to create a fair union contract that benefits all parties.
“Hopefully hospitals throughout the nation will follow suit, including veterinarians,” says Bennett. “This is a long journey, but we owe it to ourselves, our clients, and especially our patients to keep pushing for justice and fairness in our hospitals.”