Loretto workers reach tentative deal, cancel planned rally in Syracuse
More than 1,500 Loretto workers scrapped a Syracuse rally after a tentative contract deal, easing a dispute over wages, hiring, pay and pensions.
Less than 24 hours before more than 1,500 Loretto healthcare workers were set to rally outside Sedgwick Heights, union leaders said they had reached a tentative contract agreement and called off the protest. The dispute had centered on wages, hiring, pay and pension concessions for workers represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
The canceled rally would have unfolded outside Sedgwick Heights at 1100 James Street in Syracuse’s historic Sedgwick district, a site New York State lists as an adult home. That location matters because the fight sat at the intersection of labor and care delivery, where any breakdown in staffing or morale can affect the daily routine of residents and the workers who cover their shifts.
Loretto says it is a nonprofit continuing health care organization founded in 1926 and serving Central New York through 19 specialized programs. The organization says it employs more than 2,500 people, making the contract talks about more than one building on James Street and more than one bargaining table.
The system’s footprint also includes Loretto Health and Rehabilitation Center, described in public filings as a 13-floor, 487-bed skilled nursing facility with a 96-bed short-term rehabilitation program. That scale makes labor stability a practical issue for Syracuse families who depend on Loretto facilities and for managers trying to keep beds staffed and services steady.
The tentative agreement also follows earlier multi-site bargaining at the company. In 2023, 1199SEIU said workers at all Loretto locations in Syracuse and at The Commons on St. Anthony in Auburn ratified new three-year collective bargaining agreements. The union says it has about 450,000 members across three states and Washington, D.C., placing the Loretto talks within a broader regional organizing structure.
With the rally canceled, the immediate public pressure eased outside Sedgwick Heights, but the final terms of the tentative deal will determine whether the agreement brings lasting stability to Loretto’s workforce and fewer disruptions for Onondaga County families with relatives in its facilities.
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