Members of the New York State Nurses Association have reached a tentative labor agreement with St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, N.Y., averting a strike that had been scheduled to begin July 13.
The union represents about 300 nurses at St. Charles, a campus of Good Samaritan University Hospital and part of Rockville Centre, N.Y.-based Catholic Health.
Union members authorized a strike in June, and both sides had been bargaining for months. NYSNA said nurses will vote July 10 on whether to ratify the three-year agreement.
According to the union, the tentative agreement includes improved enforceable safe staffing standards, workplace violence protections, safeguards related to artificial intelligence, annual wage increases of 4%, 3% and 4% over three years, additional wage increases for experienced nurses and increased retiree health benefits.
“NYSNA nurses at St. Charles fought tooth and nail for a fair contract that will help us fix the staffing crisis at the hospital we love,” Rob Barone, RN, president of NYSNA’s local bargaining unit at St. Charles, said in a July 9 union news release.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, Catholic Health said St. Charles and NYSNA reached a tentative agreement covering nurses and that the union has withdrawn its strike notice. “The tentative agreement reflects a continued commitment to invest in our nurses and deliver excellent patient care,” the health system said. “We are pleased to have reached this tentative agreement and appreciate the efforts of everyone involved throughout the negotiations.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated on July 9.
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