UTICA, N.Y. — The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) announced nurses at Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) and Wynn Hospital reached a tentative contract agreement on March 19.
The agreement covers 650 nurses and includes stronger safe-staffing enforcement, break coverage to always ensure safe staffing, wage increases, and reduced costs for health insurance, according to a press release from NYSNA.
The tentative agreement is the first one reached since MVHS moved operations to Wynn Hospital more than a year ago and nurses from the former St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Faxton St. Luke’s merged into one union — the New York State Nurses Association.
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“Nurses are committed to this community,” Sheila Conley, local union president, said in the NYSNA announcement. “All we wanted in this contract was the ability to provide the best care possible. We have worked far too long with too many vacancies. Finally, we achieved what we set out to do and more. We achieved a contract that will ensure that nurses will be able to provide the care this community deserves with safe staffing, higher wages, and improved benefits. Our committee could not be happier.”
MVHS also issued a statement about the new contract. “MVHS’s leadership is enthusiastic about the tentative agreement and believes this contract will be very attractive for our nurses. Further, this agreement will help MVHS continue to recruit and retain the best nursing talent and provide top-notch care for our patients.”
The new agreement includes across-the-bard raises between 13.9 percent and 21 percent retroactive to January 1 plus pay increases to retain highly trained and experienced nurses. Nurses will also be able to appeal staffing violations to a third-party mediator if the employer continues to violate agreed upon staffing plans.
The union believes the wage increases, staffing improvements, and lowered insurance costs with help MVHS and Wynn Hospital recruit and retain nurses. According to the union, there were 250 nurse vacancies in 2023 and over 200 vacancies remain.
The previous contract expired on Dec. 31, 2024. The new contract will be brought before union members next week for a ratification vote.
“MVHS and NYSNA have been meeting since November 2024 to come to an agreement on a new contract,” the MVHS statement read. “We are looking forward to finalizing the contract and thank NYSNA for a collaborative negotiation and ratification process.”
“Over the last few months, nurses have been fighting for a contract that ensures the hospital have a plan to recruit and retain nurses to ensure safe patient care,” NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said. “This contract is a win for the nurses and a win for the future of health care in Utica. Now we need the rest of Central New York to follow suit to ensure that all patients in New York receive the best care possible.”
Nurses at Oneida Health Hospital in Oneida are currently bargaining for a new contract.
The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members and is the largest union and professional association for registered nurses in the state. It is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO.
