Healthcare workers reach 3-Year agreement with Guthrie Corning Hospital

CORNING, N.Y. (WETM) — Unionized healthcare workers at Guthrie Corning Hospital reached an agreement with management to extend their current contract before it was set to expire on April 30, 2022.

Guthrie says that the new Union Contract will help recruit and retain caregivers with increased wages and incentives for professional development.

Workers voted to ratify the three-year agreement on April 27, 2022. According to the release, the agreement includes a general wage increase in excess of 9% over the life of the contract and adjustments to pay grades covering more than 150 caregivers in order to meet market demands and to help with the retention of healthcare workers at the hospital in Corning.

The new agreement will start on May 1st, 2022, and is effective through April 30, 2025. It will cover Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Physical Therapy Assistants, Technicians, Care Partners, Clerical Workers, Unit Clerks, Environmental Services Workers, Food and Nutrition Workers, Maintenance Mechanics and others. Caregivers are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.

Gutherie states that caregivers not covered by wage adjustments over the past 12 months will receive a lump sum payment in mid-July. Under the new agreement, on-call pay and shift differentials were negotiated to recognize and attack caregivers who work non-traditional hours and ensure the hospital is competitive with area healthcare facilities.

Felissa Koernig, President at Guthrie Corning Hospital says, “The challenging events over the past couple of years in healthcare have caused our partnership with our Union colleagues to become even stronger as we navigated the nearly constant changes related to COVID,”. Korenig continued, “I’m pleased that partnership is evidenced in the agreement that we reached last week, demonstrating how much we appreciate the caregivers that work at Guthrie Corning Hospital,”

“This is the first time we ever settled a contract before its expiration date,” says Peggy Clarkson, Emergency Room Unit Clerk and 49-year employee. “This is definitely the year for healthcare workers to move forward and to be appreciated for everything that we do. This is for everyone in healthcare – from service workers to clerical workers and dietary. We were there when people needed us and when the community needed us,” says Clarkson.