Negotiation Update – December 5, 2016

As we enter the final month of 2016, we are proud to look back at how much Long Island Jewish Valley Stream accomplished this year. We continued to achieve high-quality outcomes for our patients, and aim to build on them in the coming year. You – our nurses – play a critical role in these successes and we thank you for all that you do.

We have now had twelve bargaining sessions with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), and we continue to work toward a fair and equitable contract for our nurses. We have made significant progress in these negotiations and while we would like to have a new contract agreed upon before the December 31, 2016, expiration of the current contract, we only have one more negotiation date scheduled this month.

We will make every effort to reach a deal at our next negotiation session on December 8, however major issues such as wages, health and pension are still outstanding. NYSNA has also proposed a change to staffing that would cost the hospital approximately $13 million a year. Several nurses have attended negotiations and shared their experiences with us, and we have had many discussions with NYSNA’s negotiation committee about alternative ways to address our nurses’ concerns while avoiding this tremendous cost.

Our primary concern throughout these negotiations is ensuring our nurses have sufficient retirement and health benefits. Keeping in mind the incredible rise of costs in these areas, we will focus our discussions at our next sessions to evaluate solutions that will ensure our nurses have the generous benefits they deserve while also addressing the rising costs in these areas.  In addition, we eagerly await NYSNA’s counter-proposal on wages that has been outstanding since our October 27 negotiation session.

Although these significant issues remain open, we determined to continue our progress and work toward reaching an agreement before December 31. Please continue to check your email for updates, and if you have any questions about negotiations, please do not hesitate to speak with your manager or site human resources.