Registered nurses at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, N.Y., and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, N.Y., both part of the Catholic Health System on Long Island, have approved new labor contracts, according to the New York State Nurses Association.
Issues addressed in the contracts include staffing levels, health benefits and wages. Specifically, the contracts call for: additional nurses being added to shifts at both hospitals; increases in health benefits and wages, including a 3 percent wage increase; and improved staffing enforcement language, union officials said.
These agreements were reached in time to avoid potential strikes. According to the NYSNA, nurses at both hospitals voted last month to authorize strikes at each facility.
The agreements also follow contract ratifications between NYSNA and management at numerous hospitals across New York. This summer, NYSNA members ratified contracts at three upstate hospitals: Nathan Littauer in Gloversville, Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown and St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica.