POTSDAM -- Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and professional/technical workers who are members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East will demonstrate at St. Lawrence Health System buildings next week.

They will picket Canton-Potsdam Hospital and the EJ Noble Clinic in Canton from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 1.

The union says the workers “deserve a contract that includes fair raises, without sacrificing other benefits they have earned over many years.”

“Contract talks began in April, but fell apart when the hospital presented their ‘last, best, and final offer’ in September forcing caregivers to vote on the current proposal. As one of the largest employers in the area, Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s business model of funding employee raises by cutting other important benefits and raising insurance costs is not good for anyone,” the union said in a news release. “As we have seen time and time again, when healthcare wages and benefits are reduced it becomes harder to recruit and maintain the most qualified staff, impacting quality care for our community.”

“The hospital is growing in all areas but they are refusing to recognize the hardworking and dedicated employees that have enabled CPH to grow and expand,” said Nancy Guyette, who has worked as an onocology pharmacy tech at Canton-Potsdam Hospital for 14 years.

There are 136 healthcare workers in the 1199 LPN/Tech bargaining unit. They work as LPNs, surgical techs, lab techs, respiratory therapists, MRI techs, CT techs, nuclear med techs and in other positions.