Mount Sinai nurses ratify new contract

MANHATTAN, January 6, 2012 - Members of the New York State Nurses Association at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan have ratified a new four-year contract, from January, 2011-January, 2015.

The new agreement includes wage increases of eight percent during the life of the contract, a $1,500 lump sum payment upon ratification, and two payments of $600 each to be made in December, 2013, and December, 2014, to offset new premium contributions.

Starting in 2012, the hospital will pay for prescription drugs when a nurse's annual catastrophic out-of-pocket prescription drug expense exceeds $1,500, up to an annual maximum cost to the hospital of $40,000 per year.

In addition, the union and the hospital have agreed to make their joint efforts to prevent workplace violence a higher priority in the new contract.

Nurses at New York-Presbyterian and St. Luke's-Roosevelt have ratified their new agreements. Nurses at Bronx Montefiore vote on their new pact next week. If the Montefiore contract is ratified, more than 10,000 NYSNA members in major NYC hospitals will have won significant new agreements in the past two months.

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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