On July 1, 2022, PEF announced the successful negotiation of geographic pay differentials (“geos”) for additional nursing titles statewide. This memo from the New York State Department of Civil Service Division of Classification & Compensation lays out the amount of the geos and which titles are covered at which agencies. (Note: XXXXX in the agency column denotes a title that spans multiple agencies.)
These geos, in combination with previously announced geos for PEF members at the three SUNY hospitals and OMH, will serve as a critical recruitment and retention tool for the state in a profession where private employers and so-called “nurse agencies” are paying very high wages to attract skilled healthcare professionals.
PEF worked directly with Gov. Kathy Hochul and her leadership team to get this done, along with key managers at various agencies statewide. The final push began during National Nurses Month in May, when hundreds of you answered the call and contacted your lawmakers to let them know that the compensation of New York nurses needs to be overhauled. Our Nurses Day of Action that month attracted more than a dozen lawmakers while the legislature was in session and that activism helped generate the momentum that resulted in today’s announcement.
We know there is always more work to be done to improve the lives of all the hardworking professionals in our union, but we are grateful to all the members who stepped up to let leaders and policymakers know just how overworked and underpaid healthcare professionals are. Together, our efforts have paid off in a major win for the nurses of PEF.