[-jt]

A hospital in our Brooklyn neighborhood has just cut 40 vacant RN positions & then tried to LAY OFF another 40 RNs at the same time it was having a ribbon cutting celebration on the new building it just opened. There was a big political outdoor event for this ribbon cutting ceremony last week but the RNs crashed the ceremony, protesting how the hospital could open a new facility at the same time it was LAYING OFF RNS in a national bedside nurse shortage. Speaking to how illogical & dangerous this was & pointing out the hospital had its priorities mixed up, they drowned out the hospitals celebration speakers & told the crowd, the media, & elected govt officials who were present all about how nice the building looks but there is not enough RNs on staff to take care of the pts who will be in those beds. They told of staffing ratios, skeleton staffs, forced overtime, and made public the fact that a new pt care building was opened to put pts into at the same time the hospital is eliminating RNs, so who will be there to take care of all those new pts, etc.

It wasnt a job action or a nurses rally. It was a HOSPITAL EVENT that the media was invited to & the governor among others attended. But 50 nurses who were off that day or on break at that time took center stage right there in the street - ripping the local news headlines off the focus of the new building & putting it straight on RN STAFFING at that facility. So, instead of the news headlines reading "Hospital XYZ Opens New Facility", the front page headline was "NURSES RALLY OVER STAFFING!" The hospital was livid that the RNs dared to steal its thunder. LOL!!! But the nurses really drove the staffing issue into the local publics awareness. How ridiculous the hospital official sounded when he told the reporter they couldnt afford better staffing - as he stood there at the grand opening of a new $200 million building paid for with govt grants. lol. But with the pressure on the hospital, our union (New York State Nurses Association) was able to stop the layoffs of RNs there.
For story & a great, inspiring photo, see the NY Daily News Article at:

Nurses Rally Over Staffing
http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/...7p-20646c.html

(dont you just love it!)

[ERNurse752]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[caroladybelle]

GO NURSES!! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES!! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !! GO NURSES !!


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAA TEAM

[renerian]

HEHEHEHEHEH


renerian

[navynurse29]

You go on with your bad selves!!!

[fedupnurse]

There is a hospital I almost took a job at that is doing multi million dollar renovations and laying off non nursing (for now) personel. Come on now -jt, you know that money comes from another budget!!!!!! I honestly think that suits are truly from another planet! They have no problem with this! Thank God the nurses in NY took a stand and warned the public of this unsafe situation. We all need to start doing that.
Along those lines, for people who say "well at least it is something" when we are offered little tokens or lousy increases that don't amount to even cost of living increases, my local is about to enter negotiations for our contract. The suits made an offer over the summer. They offered us the priveledge of having our health benefit costs raised by 12 to 25% over the next couple of years. So with a 4% max increase via merit wages and a possible 2% across the board raise we would still be taking a pay cut!!!! People just don't get it!

[oramar]

Man, this is such a great post, I got big smile on my face.

[NICU_Nurse]

First:
"The four-story facility, made possible by

*a 1998 state-backed LOAN of $148.5 MILLION*,

enables the Bedford-Stuveysant hospital to consolidate all patient care into one 287-bed location. "

Then:
"Our indications are that the care is not suffering," he said. "The nurses feel we need a better ratio, and the administration feels

*THIS IS THE BEST WE CAN DO TO KEEP US FROM FALLING INTO A TRAP OF DEBT*.


Umm. Ahem. Err...does the 'best we can do' to stay OUT of debt really include taking out a multi-million dollar LOAN???? Last time I checked, a loan was considered a debt, was it not? F*cking hypocrites. Can you tell I had a bad night? ;>)

[Sleepyeyes]

:hatparty: NYSNA NURSES ROCK!! :hatparty:

can we borry a couple for us nurses in Gerri-land ??

[lynnintn]

That post made my day!

I'm afraid that would never happen here in TN. I wish nurses everywhere would quit grumbling and be more proactive.