Montefiore New Rochelle, Mount Vernon Nurses Reach Contract Deals

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Nurses at Montefiore hospitals in New Rochelle and Mount Vernon will not begin the new year with a strike.

Nurses at Montefiore Mount Vernon voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new contract Thursday by 98 percent, according to union officials. Nurses at Montefiore New Rochelle, likewise, ratified a new contract agreement over the weekend.

"Nurses power our healthcare system, and this historic contract is a resounding victory for their tireless efforts," NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said in a statement announcing the deals. "From substantial wage boosts to improved working conditions, these wins reflect our unyielding commitment to quality patient care and our invaluable nursing community. We need Nyack to do the right thing and settle a fair contract with nurses now."

The Mount Vernon and New Rochelle tentative agreements come just weeks after nurses voted by a margin of 96 percent in favor of a strike authorization at all three Montefiore Lower Hudson Valley facilities, including Montefiore Nyack in December.

The contracts for Mount Vernon and New Rochelle include wage increases that bring these Montefiore nurses in line with pay standards of the Montefiore Bronx facilities. The union said key improvements in working conditions, including strengthened safe staffing enforcement language, are a part of the new contracts. The agreements also improve healthcare benefits and maintain the NYSNA pension at no added cost to the workers.

The agreements provide increased tuition refunds and new mentorship programs, and increased pay for added responsibilities, labor leaders said.

"Our patients deserve the highest level of care, irrespective of their zip code," Tracy McCook, a nurse at Montefiore Mount Vernon since 1988, said of the deal. "This contract, with strengthened staffing enforcement language and respectable wage increases, helps us reach that goal to ensure the safety of nurses and our patients. Our community needs this hospital to survive and thrive for years to come, and this new contract will help us do just that."