Healthcare workers at Dunkirk, N.Y.-based Brooks-TLC Hospital System approved a new contract that includes a 10 percent wage increase, a one-time appreciation bonus and incentives to address staffing shortages, according to the union that represents them.
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which represents about 150 Brooks-TLC healthcare workers, announced the one-year agreement March 15.
Under the deal, per diem employees will receive a one-time appreciation bonus of $250 while full-time employees will receive $750. The contract also includes an increase in pension contributions as well as step increases for years of service and an agreement to negotiate further regarding incentives for union members to take extra shifts, according to the union.
"We worked hard to get this agreement done," Jeffrey St. George, a personal care assistant, said in a news release. "We are a little closer to where we need to be in these tough times. We will continue to work hard in our future."
Becker's reached out to Brooks-TLC and will update this story if a comment is received.
The agreement, which runs through April 2023, covers a range of positions, from environmental services aides and food service attendants to MRI technicians and registered nurses. The staff members work at the rural hospital in Dunkirk and the Gowanda (N.Y.) Urgent Care Center.