[Utica, NY] – The Communications Workers of America Local 1126 has reached a three-year agreement with Faxton/St.Lukes Healthcare that provides for 4% yearly wage increases while strengthening health insurance and other benefits for their membership of Registered Nurses, Licensed Professional Nurses and Technicians at healthcare facilities across Utica & Central NY.
The agreement covers over 800 workers at St.Luke’s Hospital and its satellite facilities. The contract would have expired on June 30th, but the parties continued to negotiate up until the deadline to reach the agreement. Workers voted on Thursday July 17th to ratify the new contracts by over a 2 to 1 margin. Official election results were certified by the Local’s Election committee earlier this week.
CWA Local 1126 President Michael Garry said the Hospital came to the bargaining table willing to bargain from a healthy financial position despite the current economic landscape. This increased the Local’s resolve to not only stand firm on its tradition of “No-Givebacks” bargaining, but to focus on improvements which the membership demanded as well.
“The Bargaining team stayed focused on winning an agreement that would share the Hospital’s prosperity with the Healthcare Professionals we represent and at the same time focus on patient care. Membership mobilization around our Staffing and Health Insurance issues plus diligent work by the bargaining committee kept the heat on for benefit improvements and staffing retention.”
“We were able to achieve our membership’s main goals of a fair pay increase, improving our health care, staffing protections, and increased retirement & pension security” he said.
The ratified agreements also provide for:
· Increases to: On-Call pay, Life Insurance, Educational and Longevity Bonuses
· Higher maximums on accrued Paid Time Off (PTO) - with an increased year-end cash out.
· Protections for workers transferred to the Faxton Campus
· Increased employer pension contributions for 20yr and 25yr employees and much more.
CWA Local 1126 represents over 1000 workers in Utica, Rome, Oneonta, Cooperstown, Oneida, Herkimer, Stamford & Cobleskill
At Verizon, Time Warner Cable, AT&T Mobility, General Dynamics, Avaya, PM Savvy, & Faxton/St.Lukes Healthcare.
