Hudson Valley Nursing Home LPNs, RNs Finally Win Their Contract

Darryl Sherman, a night shift LPN at Ferncliff Nursing Home in Rhinebeck, NY for the last 15 years, was in high spirits on December 3, while his co-workers entered the conference room and placed their ballots in the box, voting to ratify their first contract. “This has been a long time coming,” he said.

Sherman explained that most of the nearly 250 staff members at the Hudson Valley nursing home have been 1199SEIU members for nine years. But when they took the vote to unionize at that time, a glitch allowed only the day shift LPNs to be in the bargaining unit. “Finally our time came last week, we voted and all the LPNs and RNs are now in the union with our co-workers,” Sherman said. “We couldn’t be happier—we couldn’t be more relieved.”

Darryl Sherman, LPN, helps sign up new 1199SEIU members at Ferncliff Nursing Home

The 30 new 1199SEIU members will now have guaranteed annual wage increases, a contractual grievance procedure that levels the playing field when there are workplace problems, and many of the 1199SEIU Family of Funds--Healthcare, Pension and Job Security immediately, the Training and Employment Fund in 2011 and the Child Care Fund in 2012.

Urice Roberts, a Ferncliff RN since 1985 said that she has been waiting a long time to be a union member. “Without a contract, we were walking on eggshells,” she said. “And my health insurance co-pays were outrageous.”

Roberts said that her next challenge is to become an 1199SEIU Delegate. “We’re in the union now and everyone is going to be able to have a say at work. As a Delegate, I’m going to make sure of that.”

Urice Roberts, RN and her grandson Felix