Yale - New Haven Hospital's dietary workers in 1199 approve a contract with management: In a vote of 68-4 Tuesday night, the unionized dietary workers at Yale-New Haven Hospital chose to accept a new contract with the hospital, bringing a partial conclusion to this stage of the struggle between the parties, which has been ongoing since January 2003. A hospital spokesman said Thursday that the institution is pleased that the contract was settled and believed the new deal -- which the union said is largely the same as the previous contract between the parties -- was fair and reasonable. But officials of both Service Employees International Union District 1199, which represents approximately 150 dietary workers, and Yale's unions said the workers had not achieved what they wanted. "It's not the contract they wanted or deserved -- it's what they could achieve under the current conditions," District 1199 Spokeswoman Deborah Chernoff said. "It's a somber reality. They're proud they stuck together and moved the hospital a little."