A tentative agreement has been reached between the University of Rochester Medical Center and the two unions representing its caregivers and service workers.

It comes as workers were preparing to vote Friday on a potential 72-hour strike.

This agreement was four months in the making. URMC released the following statement on Friday:

"After months of negotiations, the University of Rochester and 1199SEIU and 200United SEIU on Dec. 21 reached a tentative agreement on a contract renewal. This new 3-year agreement is expected to be ratified soon by union members. The university is grateful that through months of good-faith bargaining, the two groups were able to achieve a fair and equitable resolution. We deeply appreciate the work of these staff members and they are valued members of our university community."

“Workers at URMC were able to stand up and demand dignity and respect by negotiating a fair contract and that gives them a real voice on the job,” said Tracey Harrison, 1199SEIU vice president. “We hope to see more workers at URMC doing the same as Rochester becomes much more of a union town."

The unions, which represent 1,800 employees, say they were fighting for a living wage for workers and a quality comprehensive benefits package to help recruit and retain more workers to care for patients, provide services for students and alleviate staffing concerns.

Union members will vote on ratifying the agreement next week. Details will not be released until the contract is ratified.

-

Facebook Twitter