Yesterday Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) met virtually with SEIU1199 United Healthcare Workers East (1199) for our 22nd negotiation session.

It was another milestone session as the hospital presented a comprehensive economic proposal, including details on wages and benefits. The initial economic proposal we presented yesterday represents the beginning of what will surely become an in-depth discussion over our next few negotiation sessions, as SIUH and 1199 work to negotiate a fair and fiscally-responsible economic package that balances all our interests. We look forward to continuing the conversation at our next session.

If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for text message updates from SIUH by texting SIUHPA to 77295. You can also visit this website for SIUH PAs for the latest updates. 

Yesterday we had our 20th negotiation session with SEIU1199 United Healthcare Workers East union as we work toward establishing a new collective bargaining agreement for you – our physician assistants (PAs).

The parties engaged in a constructive dialogue that enabled us to reach common ground on the important issue of continuing medical education (CME). In particular, we agreed upon procedures that permit PAs to pursue CME courses and professional development opportunities both within and outside of their clinical specialty.

This is a great example of both sides recognizing your advanced professional role and invaluable contributions to delivering the highest quality patient care. We hope to accelerate the momentum we gained yesterday at our next negotiation session.

If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for text message updates from SIUH by texting SIUHPA to 77295. You can also visit this website for SIUH PAs for the latest updates.

As you may already be informed, Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East union (1199) mutually agreed to postpone today’s negotiation session due to SIUH’s priority focus on managing a COVID-19 resurgence.

In this regard, we look forward to continuing our work with 1199 as we mutually share interests in ensuring a safe work environment for all SIUH team members, while also delivering the highest quality of care our patients and service to our community at large. Our next session is scheduled for January 6, and we will keep you updated on its status. Thank you for continuing to provide world-class care to our patients, especially in these challenging times.

Yesterday we had our 19th negotiation session with 1199 as we work toward establishing a new collective bargaining agreement for our physician assistants (PAs).

It was a milestone session as we made our first segue into discussions about economic topics. As has been our approach throughout these negotiations, we began by seeking common ground on the smaller issues – which are theoretically easier to resolve – before opening up the conversation to bigger topics, such as salary and benefits. Still, this shift to the economic phase of the negotiations represents the unwavering hard work and collaboration of both parties.

In light of the challenging economic circumstances confronting the healthcare industry, and the corresponding budgetary impact on Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH), we want to be upfront in stating that many of the union’s costly economic proposals are simply unrealistic. As we stated at the onset of negotiations, we are fully committed to negotiating in good faith toward a contract that balances the needs of both parties while reflecting the unique professional status of our PAs. We look forward to continuing the economic discussion at our next session on Dec. 11, and will keep you updated.

If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for text message updates from SIUH by texting SIUHPA to 77295.

Thank you for your continued interest in the negotiations.

Yesterday we had our 18th negotiation session with 1199 as we work toward establishing a new collective bargaining agreement for our physician assistants (PAs).

In one of our most collaborative and constructive sessions to date, we engaged in a lengthy discussion about shifts, which is one of the last issues that need to be resolved before we can advance the conversation to economic topics, such as salary and benefits.

With both parties demonstrating the flexibility and open-mindedness needed in order to find common ground, we were able to come to a tentative agreement on shifts that we believe appropriately balances the needs of our patients and the quality of life for our PAs.

If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for text message updates from SIUH by texting SIUHPA to 77295.

Please look for our next update following our upcoming bargaining session on Nov. 17.

First and foremost, as National PA Week draws to a close, we want to take this opportunity to thank you and celebrate your extraordinary contributions to the patients and communities we serve. Your unwavering passion and drive are held in the highest regard by your fellow clinicians – including our physicians, nurse practitioners and nurses – and your compassion and clinical expertise are truly valued by your patients.

Last Friday, we came together virtually for our 17th negotiation session. The tone was upbeat and collegial, with both sides making significant movement on issues. As a result, we reached several tentative agreements on some of the more difficult subjects the parties had been discussing for months. This includes procedures and guidelines for hiring, internal transfers, promotions, and scheduling vacations. The agreed-upon provisions take into account the special role PAs play at the hospital while maintaining necessary flexibility to allow for future growth of that role.

Looking ahead, there are just a few remaining issues that need to be resolved before we can advance the conversation to economic topics, such as salary and benefits.

To stay informed throughout the negotiation process, please sign up for text message updates from SIUH by texting SIUHPA to 77295. Additionally, you can visit our website for SIUH PAs.

Please look for our next update following our upcoming bargaining session on Oct. 27.

Staten Island University Hospital and the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East labor union met yesterday for our 16th negotiation session.

We were unable to reach any tentative agreements on the core issues that the parties discussed. This appears to be a result of the parties’ fundamental disagreement about applying the generic industry labor contract to PAs. As we have communicated to you before, our intent all along has been to create a new contract that is truly customized to reflect the unique professional role and status of our physician assistants (PAs). This requires recognizing the inherent differences in professional scope and job responsibilities between PAs and other 1199-represented team members at the hospital — while also factoring in how the role of our PAs may continue to evolve in the future.

Although we were unable to find common ground in yesterday’s session, we greatly appreciate the union’s flexibility and professionalism throughout these negotiations, which enabled us to work together to reach more than 50 tentative agreements up until this point.

For timely updates about the negotiations, visit our dedicated website for SIUH PAs. We look forward to making further progress at our next negotiation session on Oct. 9, and will keep you updated.

This past Friday, Staten Island University Hospital met with the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East labor union for our 15th negotiation session.

During Friday’s session, we continued to engage in robust discussions on the same topics addressed in our previous negotiation session, and also segued into new discussions about shifts. We were unable to come to any tentative agreements and remain divided – to varying extents – on many of these issues. Nonetheless, both parties spent time listening and gaining a better understanding of each other’s positions, ultimately advancing us further down the path toward finding common ground. 

We will continue to bargain in good faith at our next negotiation session on Sept. 15 and look forward to communicating with you again afterwards.

Staten Island University Hospital and the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East labor union met on Thursday for our 14th negotiation session. 

During the negotiations, there were robust discussions on a range of topics, including leaves of absence, seniority, work hours, vacations, and unpaid leave. It was a productive session with both parties exchanging multiple proposals and counterproposals – and agreeing in principle on a couple of issues – moving us closer to beginning conversations about economic items such as salary and benefits. 

We will continue to bargain in good faith to achieve a fair and fiscally-responsible collective bargaining agreement tailored to our physician assistants. 

As always, we encourage you to stay informed throughout the negotiations by visiting this website and aigning up for text message alerts by texting SIUHPA to 333-111.

Thank you for your continued interest in the negotiations. We’ll update you again following our next scheduled session on Aug. 28.

Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199) met virtually today for our thirteenth negotiation session. Some say 13 is an unlucky number. Superstition aside, SIUH and 1199 were unable to reach any tentative agreements. But that is not unexpected or even unfortunate. The farther along parties are in the collective bargaining process, often the harder the issues are to achieve agreement.  

Fortunately neither SIUH nor 1199 are letting these challenges impede progress. In particular, the parties engaged in earnest dialogue over how seniority principles will apply to Physician Assistants. We are optimistic that with additional discussions the parties will reach an agreement on seniority and the remaining non-economic issues, thereby paving the way to begin conversations about economic items such as salary and benefits.

If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to sign up to receive timely text message alerts about the status of negotiations by texting SIUHPA to 333-111. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP.

We look forward to making further progress at our next negotiation session on July 30, and will keep you updated.