Carol Bragg

Registered Nurse / Prince George's Hospital / Cheverley, MD

Registered Nurse Carol Bragg has helped negotiate every RN contract at Prince Georges Hospital in Cheverley, Maryland for the past 25 years. Last year’s were particularly tough, says Bragg, when management suddenly changed a key demand.

“The employer’s plans had drastically changed to try to freeze our pension plan,” says Bragg, who is the lead delegate for the 475 RNs that 1199SEIU represents at Prince Georges Hospital. “They thought there were some financial resources they were going to get out of that.”

Bragg says management’s attempt to change the pension plan would have a drastic effect on Prince George’s workers. “In the Prince George’s setting we have a lot of seniority among our workers, so the pension piece was very significant,” she says.

The move spurred a new level of solidarity among Union members, physicians, and other non-union employees who pushed the employers to reverse themselves on their quick financial fix. Workers held sticker days, signed petitions, enlisted the aid of local politicians and were preparing for an informational picket when management pulled their pension freeze plan off the table.

“There was clearly a determination on the part of all to succeed in protecting our pension plan,” says Bragg. “The support from all of our co-workers made the difference.”

Instead of freezing pension contributions, management agreed to work with employees and institute cost-saving and patient satisfaction measures that would have long term benefits for both the institution and the workers. “We really took the book apart on this one,” says Bragg. “Now I think this is one of our best contracts.”