NORWICH – Negotiations began for a new union contract covering 65 registered nurses represented by the United Healthcare Workers East union (1199SEIU).

The nurses work at Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich and negotiations began on October 4. The current collective bargaining agreement, negotiated in 2016, is set to expire on October 31.

Negotiations are taking place with the hospital in the process of raising more than a million dollars from the community for a major reinvestment of the hospital’s facilities.

 

Since organizing to join the union, members and Chenango Memorial Hospital management have enjoyed a productive and cooperative relationship, however, union nurses on the bargaining committee say the process is meeting with challenges.

 

“I was looking forward to bargaining with the new HR personnel as they had indicated they wanted to work with the union,” said Nina Angelina, a long time bargaining committee member, “I saw no evidence of that at our first meeting.”