NEW YORK NURSE: February 2008
by Mark Genovese
The six RNs at this Catskill nursing home will receive annual salary increases of 3%, 3.35%, 3.5%, and 4%, under a new contract approved on Dec. 27. A new step will be added to the top of the experience scale in January 2009, with a rate 3% higher than the current top step. Provisions also were included for scheduling alternate weekends off and posting schedules in advance.
A new three-year contract, approved on Dec. 20, calls for a task force to look into post-retirement health insurance for professionals at the Dunkirk facility. During the first two years, staff on salary steps 1 to 5 will receive a 3% salary increase, while those on steps 6 to 10 will receive a 4% increase. Nuclear medicine technologists will receive a 10% increase in the first year to help bring their salaries up to market level. All employees will receive a 3% increase in the last year of the contract. The 120 RNs, respiratory therapists, and nuclear and medical technologists rejected previous offers in September and October.