Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Corporation announced on Tuesday that nurses at the healthcare system have ratified a five-year contract that runs from ratification to Dec. 31, 2027.
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The new contract, negotiated between ECMC and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), includes a 4.75% wage increase and $250 signing bonus upon ratification. It also includes wage increases in the following years on Sept. 1:
- 4.25% in 2024
- 4.25% in 2025
- 4% in 2026
- 4% in 2027
Existing employee health and retiree benefits remain the same. The agreement is consistent with other area healthcare systems, and helps ECMC remain competitive in the market for recruitment and retention.
NYSNA represents 1,365 registered nurses at Erie County Medical Center Corporation.
"This contract recognizes the hard work and dedication of ECMC registered nurses at the Medical Center and the Terrace View Long-Term Care facility," said President and CEO of ECMC, Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., PhD in a statement. "ECMC is Western New York’s safety net hospital, the largest Behavioral Health Center, and treats the most acute patients in the region in our Level 1 Adult Trauma and Burn Center. In addition to ensuring our ECMC nurses get competitively compensated for this complex nursing care, this new contract further acknowledges their steadfast determination over the past three years to provide hope and healing to the residents of Western New York during the most challenging periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. ECMC has had tremendous success recruiting nurses in the past year, hiring 409 registered nurses since the beginning of 2022 and eliminating almost all agency nurses. This contract also keeps ECMC registered nurses competitive in the market and will help support our successful recruitment and retention efforts."
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