Blossom Health Care Center Staff Approve New Contract Terms: Employee Pay to Rise 4% This Year

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers
East
Upstate New York Division              
                
Service Employees
International Union
225 West Broad Street, 
Suite B
Rochester, New York 
14608
Telephone:      (585)-244-0830
Fax:
           (585)-244-0956
Website:       
www.1199seiu.org
 
 
MEDIA RELEASE    
      NOVEMBER 1, 2007
 
 
BLOSSOM
HEALTH CARE CENTER STAFF APPROVE NEW CONTRACT
TERMS
 
EMPLOYEE PAY TO RISE 4% THIS
YEAR
 
        (Rochester) - Employees of
Blossom Health Care Center today
approved
new contract terms that raise pay rates by +4%
immediately.   65
Blossom employees  are
affected.  They work as certified
nursing
assistants, dietary, housekeeping,
laundry aides, and maintenance aides.
 
 
      Current employees will receive a +2% wage
increase retroactive to
July 1, 2007, and an
additional +2% effective November 1, 2007, for
a total
of +4% this year.  The settlement
also requires the employer to increase
its
share of health care insurance premiums on
January 1, 2008.
 
        Blossom
employees negotiated their first union contract
in May,
2006.  That contract called for
reopening of negotiations over wages
and
benefits in 2007.  The new terms amend
the existing collective
bargaining
agreement.  The full contract
expires April 30, 2008. 
 
        "We
feel victorious." said Michelle Payne, a
certified nursing
assistant at Blossom for
the past 9 years and a member of the
union's
negotiating committee.    "This
settlement is another step forward
in
improving the conditions at our facility.
 We still have more to go but we
are on the
right path." 
 
        The employees are
members of  1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers
United
East.  Blossom Health Care Center is
an 80 bed rehabilitation and skilled
nursing
facility located at 989 Blossom Road in
Rochester.
 
        For further
information, please contact Bruce Popper
at
(585)-244-0830 x316, or by pager at (585)
277-9999.