1199SEIU Members at Loretto Health and Rehabilitation in Syracuse, NY win Labor Board Settlement

Last fall, just one month after signing a new collective bargaining agreement with 1199SEIU, Loretto Health and Rehabilitation in Syracuse, New York, management arbitrarily began to make changes to the pay and benefits of some LPNs. This contract violation was part of a pattern of disrespect by the employer toward 1199 members and their legally binding contract.

The 1199SEIU delegates did not take this situation lightly. They filed several charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on behalf of all employees regarding the unilateral changes made to hours of work, negotiated wages, and weekend requirements. Finally, in December a settlement was reached with Loretto management and approved by the NLRB, firmly stating that the employer will “not put into effect changes which modify the terms of the collective-bargaining agreement currently in effect without the consent of the Union.”

Longtime Loretto LPN and 1199 delegate, Samantha Jacobson is happy that a settlement was reached quickly. “Making changes that benefit one group of workers and not the rest is a technique employers use to divide and conquer union workers. We need to be smarter than that. All jobs are important, only by standing together across all job categories will we gain back our strength. We must think of the big picture.”