Local News
LABOR: Workers at Eastern Niagara Hospital-Newfane OK new contract
NEWFANE — Employees of Eastern Niagara Hospital-Newfane have approved a new labor contract with management, the workers union said Friday.
The 110 Newfane employees voted in favor of the agreement Thursday by almost a 4-to-1 margin, said the Service Employees International Union, United Healthcare Workers East 1199. Under the new contract, workers will receive a 7.2 percent wage increase over three years. Workers will also receive an average 18 percent increase in employer contributions towards the pension. Workers will also see improvements to shift differentials and significant improvements to job security language in the contract, the union local said.
Erica Seib, a nurse and member of the employee negotiating committee, said she felt the workers reached a fair settlement. Don Fiorilli, the administrative organizer for the 1199 SEIU, agreed.
“We feel that this is a fair contract that provides wage increases and improved retirement benefits,” he said.
In April, the Newfane site, formerly known as Inter-Community Memorial Hospital, merged with Lockport Memorial Hospital, now Eastern Niagara Hospital-Lockport. The union said the merger created significant wage inequities between the two sites. Newfane also has fallen behind other area health care facilities in its support of retirement benefits, the union said. Newfane employees had been working without a contract for a month.
Negotiations began in February, and a federal mediator joined the talks in May. Contract talks broke off June 24 over issues of wage equity and retirement security. Prior to tentatively agreeing to the deal on July 2, workers had voted to strike if no deal was reached by then.
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