PLATTSBURGH -- Both sides caught in a contract dispute at CVPH Medical Center moved a bit closer to an agreement, but significant differences still need to be ironed out.
Negotiations between management and the New York State Nurses Association, which represents 600 nurses and other health-care professionals at the hospital, stalled in late May after the hospital put what it said was a final offer on the table.
The union did not accept the offer and instead scheduled an informational picket for Wednesday afternoon to bring concerns to the community.
PENSION PLAN
Heated debate has surrounded the hospital's proposed pension plan. Both sides have now agreed to move away from the traditional employer-supported pension to a defined-contribution plan, in which both employer and employee contribute to the employee's retirement package.
"We are willing to discuss this change, but it's just a matter of how much the deduction is," said Janet Strominger, labor-relations representative for the Nurses Association.
"The proposal doesn't even come close to what the employees would have gotten under the old plan. Our membership just isn't ready to accept that."
CONTRIBUTIONS
CVPH is proposing a 3-percent base contribution for all employees, regardless of whether the workers contribute in the plan or not.
Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone has no base contribution, and Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake/Lake Placid offers a 1-percent base contribution.
CVPH is also offering a 2-percent hospital match, compared to a 3-percent match at Alice Hyde and AMC, with a CVPH employee contribution of 6 percent.
"If you look at the base contribution and the match contribution, it far exceeds anybody in the area," Mundy said. "And if you look at the plan after 20 years, the savings are even greater."
At year 20, the CVPH base contribution rises to 3.5 percent while the hospital match rises to 6 percent from the original 2 percent.
"It's a fair and just plan," Mundy said.
Strominger believes those figures could be even better for the hospital's professional staff.
"They've acknowledged that they are going to save money with this new plan," she said of CVPH management. "We feel they can put more of those savings back into the defined contribution plan."
Mundy said the hospital has put savings from the proposal back into the retirement plan and added that there is little room, beyond minor "tweaking," that the hospital can do with the contract.
"What we have brought to the table is basically what we have to offer," he said. "To go any higher would be irresponsible to the community and to the Medical Center."
SALARIES
Another major concern deals with the proposed salary increase.
"One of the issues still outstanding is the wages the hospital has offered," said Nurses Association representative Sandra Guynup. "Their offer is still 2.5 percent behind Alice Hyde for first-year nurses."
The proposed CVPH contract offers a base hourly rate for registered nurses at $23.01, a 3-percent increase, while the base rate at Alice Hyde is $23.58.
In comparison, Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake offers $22.86, and Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, which is of comparable size to CVPH, pays $21.41.
"We've had nurses who have left here to go to Alice Hyde," Guynup said. "There is one nurse who is now making $5 more an hour with the same experience. Other nurses are going to Fletcher Allen (in Burlington) or are becoming traveling nurses. We need to have a salary that is more competitive."
Management feels the proposed contract does offer a competitive salary, however.
"You have to look at the contract as a package," said CVPH President Stephens Mundy. "We believe we are offering a far superior package. There are great people here, and they do great work. We think we've got a great package for them."
For instance, when computing shift differentials for working evenings, nights or weekends, the base salary increases anywhere from $2 to $3.25 per hour at CVPH, whereas Alice Hyde nurses receive an additional $1.80 for evenings and nights and $1 for weekend work, Mundy noted.
That means a new nurse at CVPH can make up to $26.01 per hour, while differentials at Alice Hyde will increase the hourly wage to no more than $25.38.
TALKS TO RESUME
Both sides will return to the table in a few days to see if any changes can be made to bring the staff and management to an agreement.
"They did make improvements to the original offer, but there's just not enough," Guynup said. "This proposal is not going to cut it."
Several dozen health-care providers stood along Cornelia Street wearing bright red T-shirts with the slogan "Whatever it takes for as long as it takes" augmenting their message. Many motorists honked in support as they drove by.
jmeyers@pressrepublican.com
Local News
Related Photos
-
Staff Photo/Michael Betts
Discussion
ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.
Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.
Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.
We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.
Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:
There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.
Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.
Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.
Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)
Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”
Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.
Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.
Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.
In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.
Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.
We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
CVPH health-care professionals voice displeasure over contract proposal
Despite pickets, nurse-hospital agreement called closer
- Local News
-
-
Governor visits North Country to promote budget package
Delights huge crowd at Plattsburgh State in promising to continue reform in Albany. INCLUDES VIDEO
-
Boundaries may remain as is
Franklin County has started work on redistricting, but legislators say the population probably didn't change enough to warrant a new plan.
-
Marble River Wind Farm work continues
The 72-tower project in the towns of Ellenburg and Clinton is expected to be operational in October.
-
New technology helps history, tourism, arts
Adirondack Architectural Heritage in Keeseville hosted a presentation on using Facebook as part of marketing strategies.
-
Body likely missing Fort Covington man
Dustin Trimm of Winthrop charged with murder.
-
Pipeline work on hold
A natural-gas boom in Pennsylvania increased demand for specialized workers and has doubled the expected construction costs for the 48-mile St. Lawrence Gas line through Franklin County.
-
Many agencies working together on waterway remediation
In Keene Valley on Thursday, officials and citizens visited a cross-weir on John's Brook designed to protect both the environment and the bridge there from future flood damage.
-
Robert Russell to the rescue
The 6-year-old Peru boy was recognized for thinking quickly to call 911 when his mother had a seizure.
-
Powerful savings— for now
National Grid is ending collection of one fee and beginning collection of a smaller one, leaving residential and business customers with lower bills in 2012.
-
Appeal mostly denied for Tupper Lake man
Travis K. Borden was convicted in 2010 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old.
-
Sharing dough
Students in Ticonderoga learned to make bread from scratch from King Arthur Flour's free Life Skills Baking Program.
-
City approves surcharge for dam repairs
Funds will go toward paying off long-term bond for infrastructure improvements.
-
Car chase nets arrest
Lance D. Lamora allegedly fled police in the City of Plattsburgh on Monday night; he faces numerous misdemeanor charges, including driving while intoxicated.
-
Of Interest: Feb. 3, 2012
DWI crackdown runs today through Sunday; Venue changes for Crown Point meeting; Dannemora Village to work on budget; Saranac School Board to meet Feb. 7.
-
Westport Branch of Latter-day Saints closes
Lack of members cited for closure; Westport members merge with Middlebury, Vt., ward.
- February 2, 2012
-
Pipeline on hold
A natural-gas boom in Pennsylvania increased demand for specialized workers and has doubled the expected construction costs for the 48-mile St. Lawrence Gas line through Franklin County.
-
Strand Theatre fundraising on home stretch
It has about $800,000 left to raise for the $4 million project.
-
Appeal mostly denied for Tupper Lake man
Travis K. Borden was convicted in 2010 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old.
-
Governor visits North Country to promote budget package
- Recent Article Comments
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
