Union nursing home workers at Corning Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare ratified a new labor contract on July 4. Workers received wage increases and benefits expansions in the contract.
The previous contract for Corning Center union members expired April 30.
Health care workers at the nursing facility, represented by the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, will receive increases in new hire and longevity wages, shift differentials and employer-provided pension contributions.
Rural caregivers in their first year at Corning Center will receive an average wage increase of 4.75 percent to more than 9 percent. The wage increase is retroactive to June 1.
Workers with 10-19 years of service are set to receive an additional 2 to 2.5 percent wage increase. Twenty years of service or more will get an additional 3 percent.
The starting rates for Certified Nursing Assistants increased to $18 per hour. Services worker rates increased to $16.25 per hour. Cooks and maintenance workers increased their rates to $17.50 per hour.
Workers also secured paid vacation, paid time off with buyout or carryover options and employer contributions towards health insurance.
According to a union press release, Corning Center is typically staffed by 100 nursing home workers. However, the union reports that number has dropped to around 60 caregivers.
The Corning Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare is a 120-bed facility according to the New York State Department of Health. There have been 110 complaints filed with 11 citations issued since 2021. It is managed by Centers Health Care, a private nursing care company.
Union members at the facility include health aides, housekeepers, clerks, drivers and nurses.
The 1199SEIU represents 450,000 members in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, DC.
The union also represents hundreds of workers at Guthrie Corning Hospital who recently ratified a 3-year labor contract. The Corning hospital is the only facility in The Guthrie Clinic health system that is unionized.