KINGSTON – Following two years of negotiations, a majority of healthcare workers at WMC/HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement.
The employees, members of 1199SEIU United Health Care Workers East, voted to join the union in early 2020.
The contract includes across the board wage increases; annual raises, starting in 2024, and HealthAlliance will participate in the 1199 National Benefit Funds, a Taft-Hartley fund that is administered by both labor and management trustees. That provides union members with health coverage with little to no out-of-pocket costs; no premiums and zero to modest co-pays; and a contractually guaranteed grieve procedure with a timeline to level the playing field when resolving workplace issues.
Greg Speller, regional union vice president, said HealthAlliance “is joining almost every other 1199SEIU health system employer in the Hudson Valley by participating in the 1199 National benefit Fund.”
He said the employers “recognize they can better attract and keep qualified caregivers at their institutions by offering their staff what they need most – economic stability and peace of mind.”
