Northwell physician assistants demand pay hike and first union contract at LIJ Medical Center

The sound of chants and blaring car horns rang out in front of Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park early Tuesday as unionized physician assistants picketed for higher wages and a first labor contract.

The workers, members of 1199SEIU, protested in front of the hospital to bring awareness to their lack of a contract more than a year after voting to join the union. The union, which represents about 160 physician assistants at the New Hyde Park hospital, has been negotiating a first contract since October.

"The PA body at LIJ has just been overlooked and taken for granted for a long time," said Erica Rose, 46, a longtime PA in the hospital’s surgical and intensive care unit who attended the demonstration. 

"The same has been happening in negotiations," Rose added.

Hospital officials said they are committed to reaching a fair contract with the union.

"We respect our team member's right to conduct informational picketing," said Barbara Osborn, deputy chief public relations officer at Northwell Health, in an e-mailed statement.

"This is not a strike," Osborn said, "and we want to assure our patients and the community that normal hospital operations will continue in providing uninterrupted, superior care which remains our top priority."

"We are committed to engaging in constructive, good-faith negotiations with 1199 to reach a fair contract that supports the unique and important role our dedicated physician assistants provide in delivering the high-quality care our patients deserve," she said.

Chief among the complaints of the hospital’s PA’s has been the lack of pay raises since unionization last year.

Physician assistants at the hospital voted to join the union in April 2024 and were poised to receive a 5% cost of living pay increase that May, according to 1199 officials. Non-union workers traditionally receive wage increases in May of each year but Northwell management has said because the PAs had voted to unionize, it would address wage increases in separate negotiations, according to the union. 

Officials with Northwell did not immediately respond Tuesday about the health system's policy on cost-of-living increases or whether they wanted to negotiate with the union separately on pay raises.

The PAs began negotiating for a contract last fall and have had 16 meetings to date but remain far apart from the health system on the issue of wages, the union said.

Physician assistants on Long Island earn a median wage of $174,965, according to state Labor Department figures. Though estimates from job search site Indeed put the average salary on the Island closer to $151,500, with lower end salary offers coming in at $110,350. PAs are licensed medical professionals required to have both a bachelor’s degree and to have completed a masters-level PA program, according to the American Academy of Physician Associates. They work directly with patients, conduct physical exams, order medical tests, diagnose illnesses and prescribe medication.

It is quite common for unions nationwide to face delays in reaching a first contract, said John August, director of health care labor relations at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Over half of bargaining units across the country were without a contract within 1½ years of unionizing, and only 57% gained the first contract in two years, according to researchers at Cornell.

"First contracts are extremely difficult to achieve," August said.

When bargaining groups are smaller — as is the case with LIJ PA’s — and they are negotiating with a larger entity, it can be a particular challenge, he said, and an uphill battle to secure wage increases.

"It’s just not a surprise when you have a smaller group of professionals seeking wage increases ... it’s going to lead to a dispute," August said,

Josh Silver, vice president of 1199SEIU’s Northwell Health division, said events like Tuesday’s demonstration are meant to serve as a wake-up call to the hospital.

He added that while he believes the health system is "negotiating in good faith," it’s still necessary to remind the public and Northwell about the vital work PA’s do. 

"We’ve had a long history with this particular employer and a good one overall," Silver said. "But every now and then you have to remind even your closest friends where the value is."

Brooke Romano, 43, a PA with LIJ for the last 17 years, said with the cost of living "going up and up in price," it’s paramount that she and her co-workers see a substantial raise.

"We want to be taking care of patients, we want to do our job, we want to help people, that’s what we signed up to do," Romano said. "We just want to be paid fairly."