Working into the wee hours of the morning, the CHW bargaining team settled a ground-breaking contract on October 21, 2008 with: average increases of 31%, with some getting a maximum increase of 46% over four years; immediate 5.25% retroactive to May 1, 2008; and the addition of 2 more “longevity steps” to the wage scales for experienced nurses. The new wage scale, and nurse wages, grows 2 times per year in 2009 and 2010 and once in 2011 with guaranteed minimum increases of at least 4% per year and maximums of 10%.