The New York State Nurses Association reached preliminary agreements with Northwell Health last week on contracts for nurses at three Long Island hospitals.
The agreements were reached in time to avoid a strike, whose deadline had been set by the association for this Monday, January 12.
Plainview nurses were the first to reach an agreement, reaching a preliminary agreement late on Jan. 8, followed by nurses at Syosset and Huntington hospitals over the weekend.
“Nurses at all three facilities worked hard to secure contracts that ensure quality care for Long Island patients,” stated the New York State Nurses Association.
“Since the beginning of negotiations, our goal has been to reach a fair contract that supports our valued nurses and maintains the high level of care that our patients and community rely on,” stated a Northwell Health representative.
According to the association, nurses were seeking assurances for safe staffing policies, improved health care benefits, and better hiring and retention practices to address concerns about staffing shortages.
The new contracts, which remain preliminary until they are ratified by a majority vote among nurses at each hospital, include improved staffing standards across all hospitals, addressing nurse-to-patient ratios, according to the association.
The contracts also include annual salary increases of approximately 5% during each year of the contract at the three hospitals, as well as maintaining good health benefits and improving pensions and retiree health care at Plainview Hospital, according to a statement from the association.
“This agreement reaffirms our commitment to providing a supportive work environment and provides our nurses with competitive compensation and benefits,” stated a Northwell representative.
The nurses’ contracts with Northwell at the Syosset and Plainview hospitals expired in October and November, respectively. Huntington nurses were seeking their first contract since voting to join the association.
“Nurses at all three hospitals are proud of the unity they demonstrated during this campaign and are confident that the contracts will improve patient care in their communities,” stated the New York State Nurses Association.
According to the association, votes for ratification will take place this week.
