Nurses at Montefiore Mount Vernon (N.Y.) and Montefiore New Rochelle (N.Y.) hospitals have approved new three-year labor contracts.
The contracts, approved Dec. 28 and Dec. 29, respectively, cover nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association, according to lohud.com. They have been in effect since Jan. 1.
A Dec. 29 union news release said the contracts include "historic wage increases that bring these Montefiore nurses in line with pay standards of the Montefiore Bronx facilities and improvements in working conditions, including strengthened safe staffing enforcement language."
The agreements also improve healthcare benefits, uphold the union pension at no added cost, and provide increased tuition refunds and new mentorship programs, said NYSNA.
Tracy McCook, RN, said in the union release: "Our patients deserve the highest level of care, irrespective of their ZIP code. This contract, with strengthened staffing enforcement language and respectable wage increases, helps us reach that goal to ensure the safety of nurses and our patients."
Montefiore declined a request from Becker's for comment
Meanwhile, nurses at Montefiore Nyack (N.Y.) Hospital have reached a tentative agreement, which also includes pay increases and the implementation of safe staffing ratios, and are voting on whether to approve it. A union spokesperson told Becker's voting closes Jan. 3.