Long Island Community Hospital deadline for union contract approaches

Union workers at Long Island Community Hospital are facing a Friday deadline to reach a new contract that must include updated staffing ratios, the union said.

Workers at the Patchogue hospital, represented by the Brookhaven Memorial Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals, said although negotiations had been productive, the staff’s current contract expired on Oct. 31. Both management and the union agreed to extend the contract until Nov. 22.

The 306-bed hospital was the last fully independent hospital on the Island before it merged with NYU Langone Health in 2022. The hospital remains a separate corporation from NYU Langone, but is an affiliate of the Manhattan-based health system.

"Long Island Community Hospital is at the table in good faith negotiating this contract and remains committed to supporting our nurses as they continue to provide quality and compassionate care for our patients," James Iorio, director of media relations for NYU Langone Health, said in a statement.

Among the line items the union is seeking in the contract are increases to wages, expansion of medical coverage, and updates to staffing ratios for patient-facing staff, said Desiree Moore, president of the union and a registered nurse at Long Island Community.

"Cost of living [has] gone up exponentially in Suffolk, so we definitely want a fair market wage to reflect that, but we also want to be competitive with our surrounding hospitals and NYU facilities," Moore said.

The union is seeking a two-year contract, Moore said, while hospital management is seeking a three-year agreement, the same length as the union’s current expired contract.

The federation, which represents 700 employees at the hospital, including nurses, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, and lab technicians, is an affiliate of the New York State United Teachers union.

Moore declined to provide specific numbers on the pay increases being sought but said that increases and ratios were necessary to compete over workers with other hospitals in the region.

"If you can get something better next door, you’re going to go next door," Moore said. "We want to grab the best skilled nurses possible. To attract that high level of skill we need to make our contract very comprehensive."

The Island has seen several recent union contracts for hospital workers come up for negotiation.

In February, nurses and other hospital workers represented by the New York State Nurses Association approved three-year contracts with LIJ-Valley Stream and the Peconic Bay Medical Center after authorizing a strike earlier that month.

Workers at Peconic Bay agreed to wage increases of 18-to-20% over three years, depending on job titles and experience, while members at the Valley Stream hospital secured average pay increases of 19.3% over the life of the contract.

In August of last year, nurses at Smithtown’s St. Catherine of Siena Hospital agreed to a contract that increased wages by 23% on average over the course of the three-year contract. Union nurses had authorized a strike four days before reaching a deal.

Moore said the union was not considering a strike authorization vote as "meetings have been very productive."