Putnam Hospital Center RNs vote for union representation

Registered nurses at Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel on Thursday voted to be represented by the New York State Nurses Association in contract negotiations with hospital management, NYSNA announced.

The election, in which 266 eligible nurses cast ballots, was administered by the National Labor Relations Board.

NYSNA officials said a bargaining committee of nurses will be elected immediately to start contract negotiations with hospital management.

Putnam Hospital Center is part of the Health Quest network of hospitals, which includes Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck and Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Approximately 800 nurses at Vassar Brothers Medical Center are already represented by NYSNA.

“We have many nurses who have devoted many years of their nursing careers to Putnam Hospital,” Colleen Leo, a registered nurse in the hospital”™s intensive care unit, said in the announcement. “We also have many newer, younger nurses who will hopefully do the same. As the Health Quest corporation continues to grow and expand its ability to deliver high-quality patient care to the community, it”™s only fair that nurses have the ability to unite together and negotiate in the decisions that will impact our future.”