Hudson Valley Hospital nurses rally for better wages and benefits

The nurses say they joined the New York State Nurses Association two years ago and have been trying to bargain in good faith since.

News 12 Staff

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Jul 30, 2020, 10:20 AM

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Updated 1,540 days ago

Nurses at a Cortlandt Manor hospital rallied Thursday for better wages and benefits.

The New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital nurses say they've been on the front line fighting the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, so they shouldn't have to fight for a fair contact, especially after losing two of their own to the COVID-19.

"That was probably the hardest thing I've ever seen. We were close to both of them, and we will miss them but, we need to do this for nurses. It could have been any one of us," says Sue Beck, RN.
The nurses say they joined the New York State Nurses Association two years ago and have been trying to bargain in good faith since then, but they've had no results.

The union claims Hudson Valley Hospital managers have given themselves, and nonunion workers two raises since the RN's joined the NYSNA.

“Every other hospital employee got raises except the nurses, it's definitely a retaliation for getting the union, there's no question in our minds," says Beck.
In addition to wages and benefits, the nurses say they want management to address other issues, such as staffing and safety conditions.

"We're not looking to gain anything we're not entitled to something fair across the board. It's just we work hard and we want to be compensated for that," says Lauren Mansfield, RN Intensive Care.

Hospital officials released a statement saying, “Our goal during the ongoing negotiations remains to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that rewards our nurses for their tremendous commitment and contribution to providing exceptional patient care."