New York nurses who work for CenterLight Healthcare said they are fighting for a fair union contract.
The nurses pointed out they have been working without a contract since last September and negotiations with the company have been contentious. They are looking for higher wages and no reduction of their health care benefits but they stressed management cut off their insurance at the end of last year after the nurses rejected an offer, which they said would have quadrupled their health care costs.
Reena Singh, a community nurse with CenterLight, said the process, and ending their insurance, has affected their daily lives.
“In the United States without health insurance, you can’t do anything,” Singh emphasized. “I have few health issues and I was in emergency room – like end of last year, and I had a couple of neuro appointments in January – and my bills are piling up. I have so many bills on my table.”
While many New York hospitals and health systems have low operating margins, CenterLight nurses feel this is not the case with their company. Data show CenterLight spent millions on advertising in 2023, the same year its CEO received $1.5 million in total compensation.
In her work as a community nurse, Singh cares for homebound patients, which involves helping them with regular health checkups and emergency care, since they cannot get to a doctor’s office. Singh argued CenterLight must work with nurses to develop a fair contract. She is hoping for a more cooperative tone.
“We want them to respect nurses, respect the patients,” Singh added. “Our demand is to come to the table and negotiate as soon as possible. That’s what we want. It’ll have to be mutual respect, not imposing what they want.”
In 2016, CenterLight settled a case alleging it fraudulently billed Medicaid for services it never provided to 1,200 people. And in 2018, it settled state and federal allegations its former long-term managed care plan submitted false requests to New York’s Medicaid program.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.