Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media ongoing negotiations between Columbia Memorial Health and its employees have slowed after the hospital offered meager salary increases. The hospital put forward a zero percent wage increase for 2020, 1 percent for 2021, 1.25 percent for 2022, and 1.5 percent for 2023, 1199 Service Employees International Union spokesperson Mindy Berman said. The contract expired Dec. 31, 2019, but it was extended to mid-August because of the pandemic, Berman said. But in August, when the union requested a 60-day extension, management failed to respond, thereby forcing the nurses and technicians represented by the union to work without a contract for several weeks. Hospital spokesman Bill Van Slyke declined to comment on the details of the negotiations, saying that Columbia Memorial’s package is generous. “We provide our team with a generous and comprehensive compensation package that includes competitive wages, excellent health benefits, flexible schedules and ample time off. That combination is rare in today’s marketplace,” Van Slyke said. Robin Johnson, a veteran CMH nurse and a member of the 1199 SEIU negotiating committee, said negotiations this year have been disappointing. One union rep pointed out the wages paid at the hospital do not keep up with the cost of living in Hudson. Upcoming contract negotiations will be conducted at the Hudson firehouse September 22 and 30. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.