(OLEAN) – After 17 Months of Difficult Negotiations With Management, a New Four-Year Contract Impacting 230 New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA)-Represented Nurses at Olean General Hospital (OGH) in the Southern Tier Has Been Overwhelmingly Approved.

The Agreement, Which is Retroactive from January 31st, 2013 and Runs Until January 31st, 21018 – Contains Important and Favorable Safe Staffing Guidelines and Improvements to Wages, NYSNA’s Kris Powell – Who Chaired the OGH Bargaining Unit, Tells WNYLaborToday.com.

“We’re Awfully Relieved,” said Powell, Who Along With NYSNA Representatives Were Featured on WNYLaborToday.com’s Labor News Video Magazine: Western New York Labor News… NOW! in October 2013 (A Trio Of Labor Problems In The Southern Tier City Of Olean - http://www.wnylabortoday.com/videos/tv-show-archive/western-new-york-labor-news-now-october-2013-edition-segment-ii/?query=category.eq.TV%20Show%20Archive&back=Videos.

“The Whole Thing Was About Staffing.  It Was Our Number One Issue,” Powell Told Your Regional, On-Line Labor Newspaper Late Last Week.  “Now it Will Be Better and We’ll Be Better Able to Take Care of Our Patients.”

Among the Improvements, Powell said, Was the Creation of a New Shift for Nurses – 13 Hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Three Weekends a Month – Which Will Help With Staffing. 

“We’re Not Talking About Ratios Here.  We’re Talking About Targeting Staffing Levels,” she said. “That’s Going to be Huge in Helping Handle the Caseload and Deliver the Kind of Quality Care We Want to Deliver for Our Patients.” 

A Tentative Contract Agreement Was Reached in February Between OGH and the Nurses Union and the Deal Was Subsequently and Unanimously Ratified by a Vote of 144-to-4, NYSNA Representatives said. 

In Addition to the Safe Staffing Guidelines, the NYSNA-Represented Nurses Were Successful in Gaining Training and Certification Differentials, as well as Tuition Assistance For Registered Nurses (RNs) Seeking Advanced Degrees - Which Union Officials Said Will Help OGH in the Long Run to Recruit and Retain the Most Skilled Nurses.

In Terms of Wages, NYSNA’s Powell Told WNYLaborToday.com Nurses Will Receive a 1% Wage Increase Every Six Months - in February and August - Over the Life of the Contract.

Powell, meanwhile, Took Time to Not Only Congratulate the Members of the OGH Bargaining Team, But Praised Their Commitment and Work to Bring About a New Contract: “The Work They Did Was Phenomenal in Bringing This All to an End.  They Were Involved in Fifteen Negotiating Sessions and Three of the Members on the Team Were Brand New (to Negotiating a Contract).  We are All Ecstatic About the Language in the Agreement.”