Albany Med and NYSNA talk rejected contract

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Seven months of negotiations for nurses and still no contract has left the hospital community frustrated. Both sides told NEWS10's Anthony Krolikowski that the other is being unreasonable.

Hourly rates for the new generation of workers are just one of many heated topics. "Our current proposal would increase that from $33 an hour to $37.50 per hour immediately. Next year, that would increase to $38.50 per hour and with merit increase, it would move up to $39.66," stated Dennis P. McKenna, MD, President and CEO of the Albany Med Health System.

As a contract negotiator and RN, Kathryn Dupuis says Albany Med is not considering the competition with its goal of hiring more than 300 employees in 2025. "Unfortunately that doesn't leave us in the market. That would leave us in the market until I think March of next year where Ellis' starting rates would be even higher than that."

Besides pay, Dupuis adds that the biggest issue is making sure there are enough nurses on the clock.

"We are fighting for safe staffing ratios. We are fighting for the ability to enforce the staffing ratios that the state has. It's a two-to-one ratio in an ICU. Not a three-to-one and that should never be acceptable."

"NYSNA says there is not enough nurses to care for babies in our neonatal intensive care unit, which is the only one in our region," echoed McKenna. "That is absolutely false."

The two also can't agree on benefits.

"Our benefits are so expensive," said Dupuis. "We were asking for free benefits with a $25 fee for each dependent additional. They shouldn't be going up by up to 10% over the quarter of a contract."

"The preceptor pay, the charge pay, the premium pay, the optionality of dues; all of that are in our current proposal," listed McKenna.

NYSNA will be going back to the table on December 17 to continue negotiations. Albany Med's final proposal is still available to sign but without the previously offered retroactive pay.