A new contract for 130 East Liverpool City Hospital SEIU employees was accepted, offering wage increases between 4 and 8 percent, pick-up bonuses and increases in on-call rates, among other things.

They have previously been working without a contract since the beginning of January of 2025, after negotiations between the union and the hospital failed. 

Union Representative Chrissy Lewis said these workers still deserve so much more.

"They definitely deserve more. like I said I'm happy that we have a contract, the members are, you know, happy we have a contract but yeah they deserve a lot more," Lewis said.

I asked Lewis if she thought her members were then satisfied with this contract to which she replied, "That's a hard question to answer." After a pause, she added, "I think that they were satisfied enough to accept it, but they're probably feeling the same way I am right now that there was so much more that we should've been able to get," Lewis said.

Lewis told 21 News the vote was extremely close but it came down to not really knowing if there would be more, as this was the quote, "best and final offer."

"When you're given a last, best and final to vote if it would go down, there's no guarantee that you're going to be able to get more at the table. You may end up fighting and ending up right where you are right now," Lewis said.

The new contract will hold up over the next three years. Lewis said there are by no means finished fighting for things they want, like respect on the job.

"Just being able to have a union delegate with you during meetings with management when you're uncomfortable so you don't have to sit there by yourself," Lewis said. "Just basic, basic things that management was uncomfortable with for some reason," she said.

However, for now, this contract will keep hospital billing, maintenance, pharmacy techs, cafeteria employees and many others around, just a bit longer.