LABOR Albany Med nurses attain contract
Hospital, union happy to have breakthrough after three years at loggerheads
After three contentious years, a contract breakthrough between Albany Medical Center and its unionized nurses is being applauded by both sides.
On Thursday, nurses voted to approve their first union contract at the hospital with a 97 percent “yes” vote, according to the New York State Nurses Association.
It comes after three years of tough talks that included very public disputes, including demonstrations, a one-day walkout and charges of union-busting.
Both the hospital and the union detailed terms of the new contract, which will include raises, new pay differentials and schedules, and a labor management committee.
On Friday morning, Albany Med President and CEO Dennis Mckenna said that, following state legislation that requires all hospitals to create staffing committees, Albany Med will have a staffing committee with representation from management and NYSNA to ensure staffing ratios consistent with all academic medical centers.
“I’m very happy with where we are now. It has been a three year process,” Mckenna said. “I credit our negotiating team to holding to our principles the entire time, which was only doing something that was fair not only for
our nurses and but for our entire workforce, fiscally responsible, quality, and safety. Ultimately I think the contract that was agreed upon and ratified is one that is completely consistent with those principals.”
Mckenna also stressed that every nurse has a choice to join the union, and will not be required to join the union. All nurses will be covered by the same terms of the contract whether they elected to join the union or not, Mckenna said.
The nurses union said the contract also includes staffing grids that outline safe staffing numbers for each unit in the hospital. The grids will serve as a template for future staffing negotiations, they said.
Registered nurse Lenore Granich, a member of the NYSNA negotiating committee at Albany Med, said in a statement late Thursday: “I’m feeling elated. Having a voice is the most important thing. Our union is the nurses of Albany Medical Center. It is us standing together, speaking up for each other, and speaking up for our patients and the care we provide for the community.”
Registered nurse Lisa Case, in the statement provided by the union, said, “The biggest thing we’ve always been fighting for is safe staffing. We’ve had an incredible shortage of nurses. It was great to see the staffing law pass, and great that we got our staffing grid in this contract. The nurses stuck together, and we got this contract together.”
According to the NYSNA, other contract terms and details include:
Nurses will gain a greater voice in work roles, including regular scheduling and defined breaks, limitations on floating and limitations on performing non-nursing functions that impede the ability to provide quality care.
Pay differentials will be granted for cardiac, ECLS, float pool, charge nurse/ team leader and weekend shifts. Educational benefits will be increased. Many differentials have been increased greatly from pre-union levels.
An immediate acrossthe-board $2.30/hour wage increase will be implemented, resulting in a 4-9 percent base pay increase for all nurses. Per diem nurses will receive an immediate 10 percent increase.
All nurses will receive 3 percent annual increases via guaranteed and merit raises.
There will be a joint redesign and expansion of the clinical practice pay ladder, which will allow many more nurses to gain professional experience and pay.
Both parties agree to follow all health and safety laws and promote a safe work environment. Issues related to health and safety and pandemic preparedness will be addressed. Nurses will use this new language to ensure the safety of Capital Region patients as New York continues to confront COVID variants.
Earlier in the week Mckenna said the contract will also include on-call compensation increases, and weekend and shift differential increases.
He also said annual health insurance premium increases would be capped at $5 per month for individual coverage and $10 per month for family coverage.
Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Massarweh, in a statement from the hospital, said the resolution allows Albany Med to move forward with an undivided focus on quality care.
“Now is the time to remember what brings us together,” she said. “From the bedside to the clinic and the research bench, our nurses make unique contributions to professional care delivery.”