Nurses at Tri-Cities Community Health will get wage increases as well additional pay for those moved to new worksites on short notice under a new contract.

The nurses, which are represented by UFCW 3000, reached a tentative agreement with TCCH earlier this month, according to a union release. They voted to accept it following a vote on June 26.

“Our member-led bargaining team feels proud to have negotiated a strong contract with fair wages that keep up with local clinics, which will help us recruit and retain more nurses so we can deliver the level of care our patients deserve,” said Sophia Rubalcava, a nurse and member of the union’s bargaining team, in a statement. “Personally, I'm putting my raise toward certifications I plan to get to help increase my skills on the job.”

Nurses and TCCH representatives began negotiating the new contract in early April. The former one lapsed in June and agreed upon wage increases in the new contract will be applied retroactively.

The new deal also provides temporary assignment pay to nurses who are moved to a different TCCH facility with less than two weeks’ notice.

TCCH operates seven clinics throughout the Tri-Cities staffed by 320 health care providers and employees. It was founded in 1982 by two women who saw the needs of migrant and farm workers in the community. It became a Federally Qualified Health Center in the 1990s.