Healthcare workers held an informational picket May 27 outside MidHudson Regional Hospital of Westchester Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., over contract issues, according to a Mid-Hudson News report.
The workers voted to join the union 1199SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East a year and a half ago, according to the report. However, no contract has been reached.
Here are four things to know about the ongoing contract negotiations.
1. The employees are calling for a "fair collective bargaining agreement" with the hospital.
2. One of the contract negotiators, Jeanella Dunkley, a behavioral health tech, claims in the report that the hospital is "adamant about not taking on the benefits and pension plan that 1199 has."
3. The hospital said in a statement that Mid-Hudson Valley Staffco, which employs the 1199 bargaining unit members, has proposed wage increases, including "significantly raising minimum hiring rates, to bring the salaries of the staff at MidHudson Regional Hospital toward market level," according to the report. The hospital also claims Staffco is working to "enhance fringe benefits" for its employees.
4. The hospital expressed confidence that both parties can reach an agreement.
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