St. E’s Nurses And Mohawk Valley Health System Have New Contract

Officials with Mohawk Valley Health System say they’ve reached an agreement on a new three-year contract with the New York State Nurses Association

The union represents registered nurses at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.

NYSNA presented details of the contract to its nursing membership, who ratified the contract on Monday.

Contract negotiations had been going on for two years.

The new contract will expire in 2024.

The New York State Nurses Association released the highlights of the new contract:

• Wage increases of more than 15% over 3 years, making St. Elizabeth’s wages more competitive with other New York hospitals.
• Personal time off (PTO) buy-back at 100% up to 100 hours to compensate nurses who sacrificed their personal time to care for their community throughout the pandemic.
• Preceptor pay at an additional $2 an hour.
• Tuition refund of 100% up to $8,000.
• Retroactive pay of $150/month for 2020 and 2021 for full-time employees, prorated for part-time and per diem employees.
• Increase in night differential to staff more safely on night shift.
• No givebacks.

“We appreciate and highly value all of our nursing staff,” said Darlene Stromstad,  president/CEO of MVHS. “The last two years have been very challenging and stressful and our nurses have been going above and beyond, showing great resilience and caring. I believe this is a good contract for our nurses; it is fair and equitable, ensures that nurses are being paid competitive marketplace wages, and is sustainable for an organization like ours that primarily serves a very vulnerable population. I want to thank the NYSNA leadership for their willingness to work toward a positive outcome for our nurses and the organization.”

MVHS officials say they’re continuing to work collaboratively with the various unions representing their employees as they transition into the new Wynn Hospital.

The New York State Nurses Association represents 42,000 front line nurses across the state.