More than 8,000 NYSNA nurses at New York City’s public hospitals and Mayoral agencies have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract with HHC. The settlement includes 19.41% in pay raises, retroactive pay, groundbreaking new funds to support HHC nurses in education and in caring for children or elderly relatives.

Every day New Yorkers know that they can receive the care they need at our public hospitals and agencies – because of the nurses and caregivers who dedicate our lives to carrying out the mission of HHC to care for all patients, regardless of income, or of immigration or insurance status.

Now, hardworking city nurses have reached tentative agreements for a fair union contract. The agreement includes child and elder care funds and training and upgrading funds for nurses and caregivers.

1199SEIU caregivers also settled their contract with the city and have the same funds included in their settlement. The child and elder care funds reflect the reality of the 24-hour-a-day, female-dominated healthcare workforce, in which healthcare workers are often the primary caregivers at home for children and elderly family members. Now, city nurses and caregivers will have more options for affordable care for loved ones through the new child and elder care funds included in the settlements.

The new training and upgrading funds will allow nurses and caregivers to keep their skills up-to-date and receive training and education that will help advance their careers and improve care.

“This new agreement reflects what we can achieve when we work together with a progressive mayor to make positive changes in the lives of city nurses and our patients,” said NYSNA’s HHC Executive Council President Anne Bové, RN. “For too long, city nurses struggled for a fair contract. Finally, we can put that struggle behind us. We are committed to working together to ensure that New York City’s public hospitals continue to be the best places to work and to receive care.”

Here are some of the highlights of our Tentative Agreement with HHC:

• 19.41% increases over the life of the contract.
• Retro Pay. We’ll be getting retro payments owed to our city nurses back to our previous contract.
• New employer-paid child and elder care funds. This is a groundbreaking fund that will make a difference in the lives of nurses caring for children or elder relatives.
• New employer-paid training and education fund. This fund will help ensure that HHC RNs have more opportunities to advance our skills.
• No givebacks.

HHC/Mayoral RNs: Stay tuned for information about membership meetings at each facility in the coming days, and about our upcoming ratification vote.