Montana Nurses Association, Community Medical Center agree to contract
Aaron Bolton | Montana Public Radio
The Montana Nurses Association and Community Medical Center in Missoula announced Friday they agreed to a new union contract.
The contract covers 300 registered nurses. It includes a 42-percent wage increase over the next three years. The contract also includes new protections for nurses reporting workplace violence.
Violence against health care workers spiked during the pandemic. But nurses say it continues to be a problem. A recent survey from National Nurses United found eight in 10 nurses that responded had experienced some form of violence in 2023.
Montana Tech awarded Department of Defense grants for workforce development
Ellis Juhlin | Montana Public Radio
Montana Tech has been awarded $6.5 million from the Department of Defense to fund workforce development in the mining industry.
The money will be used to build out curriculum for online and in person training in geology, mining, environmental engineering and metallurgy.
Mining has historically been a significant economic driver in Butte. The area has one open-pit copper mine still in operation. The International Energy Agency says copper demands could increase with clean energy developments as the metal is used in building wind turbines, electricity networks and electric vehicles.
This funding is part of the National Defense Industrial Strategy to address supply chain issues and build out the US’s domestic mineral production.
