For Immediate Release
Contact: Anna Oman, 929-637-3708, anna.oman@1199.org

Union members won significant raises to offset area’s soaring cost of living, and to help recruit and retain essential hospital staff

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – Hundreds of hospital workers voted – with 99% of votes in favor – Tuesday to approve a new three-year contract at Middletown’s Garnet Health Medical Center that raises wages and protects healthcare and pension benefits at the hospital. 1199SEIU members had called on Garnet Health over months of negotiations and public events with elected and community allies to address below-market wages and invest in frontline workers and patient care.

The new contract includes:

● 15% across-the-board wage increase over the next 3 years
● Improved job security
● Increased base pay for key job titles
● Significantly higher on-call pay

Over the past several months, Garnet Health workers were joined by supporters, Assemblywoman Aileen Guntherand Assemblywoman-Elect Paula Kay, during pickets in Middletown and Harris, while Congressman Pat Ryan issued a statement of support.

 Workers at Garnet Health Medical Center had left in droves, and new recruits weren’t staying as wages fell below regional averages and failed to keep up with the cost of living. Workers had been unable to pay bills or stay in their community. Under the stress of short-staffing, workers in every department felt forced to leave the jobs they love—making the situation worse.

“1199SEIU members understood that their new contract with Garnet Health needed to be a strong one to get the hospital on track to maintain and recruit staff and improve patient care,” said Angela Lane, Vice President for the Hudson Valley division of 1199SEIU. “Thanks to their determination, the hospital and the community are better positioned to have the frontline workers necessary to provide the best possible quality care. Now, we need that at Garnet Health Medical Center Catskills. 1199SEIU members are united across the two hospitals for fair wages and benefits and an end to the staffing crisis at Garnet.”

Bargaining is ongoing at Garnet Health Medical Center Catskills, where 1199SEIU members continue to call on Garnet Health for better wages and working conditions to stop the drain of healthcare workers from Sullivan County’s only hospital.

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in New York and nationwide. We represent over 450,000 members throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, D.C. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.