The three-year contract includes a 13.25% wage increase across the board on top of ratification bonuses and recruitment and retention incentives. These include extra shift bonuses to recruit new nurses and longevity bonuses to keep experienced nurses at the bedside. Nurses successfully rejected other givebacks that Ellis Medicine management demanded. Most importantly, nurses held the line on safe staffing standards to protect their main priority, patient safety. NYSNA will share the results of the ratification vote and more details about the agreement after ratification on Thursday, June 13.  

Patty Donahue, RN, President NYSNA’s Local Bargaining Unit at Ellis Hospital said, "We fought long and hard for this historic contract victory. From the beginning, we pledged to do whatever it takes to win safe staffing for Schenectady patients and today we are so proud that we stayed the course and won big for nurses and patients.” 

Dawn Zipp, RN, President NYSNA’s Local Bargaining Unit at Bellevue Women’s Center said, “Our number one issue has always been safe, quality care for our patients. And we believe that the agreement we reached with management will help us achieve that goal by creating new incentives and fair compensation to recruit and retain experienced nurses at the bedside.” 

Ellis Hospital and Bellevue Woman’s Center nurses previously voted by a 94 percent margin to authorize an unfair labor practice strike. This contract settlement averts the possible strike. Throughout their campaign Ellis nurses gained widespread support. Dozens of elected leaders, labor unions, and community organizations signed a letter calling on Ellis management to settle a fair contract with nurses.