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Unionized hospital workers at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown have approved a new three-year contract. The agreement, which was supported by 99% of the union members, includes a 15% wage increase over the next three years, protection of healthcare and pension benefits, and higher on-call pay for key positions.
The contract approval follows months of negotiations and a picket in early November, where hundreds of healthcare workers and their supporters called on the hospital to address low staffing levels by improving wages and benefits. The protest included workers from nearly every department and job classification, from techs to nurse coordinators to environmental service staff, and their supporters.
The union, 1199SEIU, had been negotiating with Garnet Health Medical Center management for several months. The union claimed that workers were leaving in droves and recruits weren't staying as wages fell below regional averages and failed to keep up with the cost of living. They referred to the low staffing levels as a crisis threatening patient care at the Middletown hospital.
Last year, Garnet cut 49 jobs, including 25 hospital leaders, representing about $13 million in salaries and benefits to make up for operating losses. Forty of those jobs were at the Middletown hospital, and five were positions across Garnet Health Medical Center, which also has locations in Callicoon and Harris. The positions were nonunion and did not affect employees providing direct patient care.
According to the Times Union, Angela Lane, vice president for the Hudson Valley division of 1199SEIU, said in a statement, “Thanks to their determination, the hospital and the community are better positioned to have the frontline workers necessary to provide the best possible quality care."