Niagara Falls nursing home workers ratify 1-year agreement

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — Workers at Schoellkopf Health Center in Niagara Falls have ratified a one-year agreement with the nursing home.

1199SEIU, which represents licensed practical nurses, certified nurse assistants, unit clerks and laundry aides at the facility, made the announcement Thursday night. In all, the new contract impacts more than 70 workers.

“I am very pleased with the results and mutual respect with hard work that it took to make this contract one of the best ever,” said Earl Pugh, a licensed practical nurse. “We worked to combine our bargaining units into one agreement. This was a collective effort.”

Schoellkopf Health Center is attached to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. With this new contract, workers will get a retroactive wage increase dating back to May 1. The average increase is 11 percent, but some workers will get up to 34 percent.

Additionally, the contract includes Juneteenth and Labor Day as paid holidays.

Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award, JANY Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter .