Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital workers win 18% wage increase

Direct care workers at Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, New York, won an 18% wage increase over the next three years—along with other benefit improvements—in their new contract on October 20.

The contract, which was “overwhelmingly approved,” secured “increases to night and evening differentials, a larger uniform allowance, and additional pay for designated caregivers who provide training to other staff,” according to 1199SEIU, the union that represents about 500 workers at Mercy.

“The pay increases we fought for and won are substantial. A lot of us have been working overtime or two jobs to survive,” Dawn Naughton, a dietary aide at Mercy for 15 years, said in a statement. “I did the calculations, and they are going to make a big difference in my life.”

In addition, more than 500 staff members working in dietary, transport, patient care, housekeeping, pharmacy, and other areas of the hospital will be able to access a health plan that costs $0 in premiums and certain copays, according to the union.

The union’s previous three-year contract expired in June, Rose Ryan, spokesperson for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, told Healthcare Brew.

“There were about 10–12 negotiating sessions, and it was a little contentious at times,” Ryan said. “The staff were prepared to take a staff vote, but they didn’t reach that point.”

She added in a subsequent email that “management had initially refused to make the necessary adjustments to wages and improvements to its below-industry standard health benefits.”

Mercy is part of Catholic Health, which operates six hospitals, three nursing homes, a home health service, hospice, and a network of physician practices throughout Long Island. The hospital didn’t respond to calls and emails requesting comment.

Workers at the Rockville hospital joined 1199 in 2017. The union represents nearly half a million members across facilities in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, DC.

“This is the biggest win since we voted to join the union. People said it couldn’t be done, but we did it,” Manny Oxilus, a clinical laboratory associate who’s worked at Mercy for 14 years, said in a statement. “This contract has competitive wages and benefits that will help attract new talent and workers—and better staffing means better patient care.”