L+M Hospital Caregivers Ratify Contract Agreement

Members of the three AFT-Connecticut affiliated unions who represent nearly 1,700 employees at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract yesterday.

Hospital and AFT leadership announced a tentative agreement on Monday. Specifics of the deal, which run through June 30, 2019, were not announced. 

“We have a truly outstanding workforce that, every day, provided our patients with compassionate, safe, quality care,” said Bruce D. Cummings, president and chief executive officer. “At a time when there is so much uncertainty and upheaval affecting healthcare, this new agreement provides a measure of stability and predictability to our workforce, to our patients and to the larger community we all serve.”

“We are thrilled our members have ratified our new agreement with leadership of the network that operates our hospitals,” said Lisa D’Abrosca, RN, president of AFT Local 5049, which represents hospital nurses. “It’s due to the hard work of both our negotiating committee and management coming together in the shared spirit of putting our patients first.”

“Once again, the collective bargaining process has proven to be the best way for labor and management to work together,” said sleep lab tech and president of AFT Local 5051 Stephanie Johnson, RPSGT. “It’s also the best way to advocate for our patients and our community, and this new contract serves their interests, too.”

“Our member caregivers deserve a lot of credit in seeing these negotiations through to a successful conclusion,” said Harry Rodriguez, NICU coordinator and president of AFT Local 5123, which represents health care workers. “They stood by the bargaining team throughout the process, understanding that this is how we collaborate with management to make improvements in patient care and workplace conditions.”

Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), part of Yale New Haven Health, is a nationally recognized, 1,541-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Medicine (YSM). Founded as the fourth voluntary hospital in the U.S. in 1826, today, YNHH has two New Haven-based campuses, and also includes Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital. YNHH has received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence. YNHH has a combined medical staff of about 4,500 university and community physicians practicing in more than 100 specialties. www.ynhh.org