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:
Interfaith Nurses Win 20.5% salary increase over four years
BROOKLYN, NYC Feb. 7, 2003 - Registered nurses at Interfaith Medical Center Wednesday evening overwhelmingly approved a new four-year agreement that will boost RN salaries by 20.5% over the life of the contract and make many improvements in their working conditions.
The 250 RNs are represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). Under the new contract, base starting salaries for staff RNs will increase from their current $51,154 to $61,528 in July 2005. Nurses will receive a lump-sum payment of $1,000 on Feb. 14, 2003, and additional $1,000 on Aug. 1, 2003; a 4% raise on Jan. 1, 2004; a $1,000 lump-sum addition to the base on July 1, 2004; a 4% raise in Jan. 1, 2005; and a $1,000 lump-sum addition to the base on July 1, 2005.
Some other highlights of the agreement:
* Experience differential steps - Five new steps will be added to the experience scale starting this year. By Jan. 1, 2005, the maximum amount RNs will be eligible to receive in experience pay will increase to an additional $23,125 after 25 years. There will no longer be a cap on credit for outside experience, which will help Interfaith recruit veteran nurses.
* Staffing ratios - Under the nurses' most-recent contract, which was settled in 2000, an RN committee was established to develop enforceable, unit-by-unit, RN-to-patient staffing guidelines. The ratios they decided upon have now been formally incorporated into the contract.
* Health benefits for retirees - RNs who retire at age 62 with 20 years of service can receive health coverage through Interfaith's insurance plan at no cost until they become eligible for Medicare.
* Handling home care paperwork - Interfaith RNs who work in home care will now be given a paid day to complete necessary paperwork. The paperwork burden in home care is so great that many nurses often have to spend several hours each week completing it - in addition to their patient care duties and travel time. For the first time, home care RNs will also be reimbursed to cover their travel and phone costs.
* Latex allergy prevention - The hospital will also implement a plan to reduce RNs' exposure to latex products and respond to incidents of latex allergy - a serious and debilitating reaction to latex powder in many health care products. It has been estimated by the federal government that latex allergy can affect up to 12% of health care workers.
The nurses have been working without a contract since Dec. 31, 2001.
"The changes called for in this contract will dramatically improve Interfaith's competitiveness in the New York area RN job market," said Camille Edwards, NYSNA nursing representative. "It also indicates a recognition by management of the importance of nursing to patient care at this facility."
NYSNA is the professional association for registered nurses in New York with more than 34,000 members statewide. A multipurpose organization, NYSNA fosters high standards of nursing education and practice and works to advance the profession through legislative activity and collective bargaining. NYSNA is a constituent of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and its labor arm, the United American Nurses (UAN), which is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
-jt
2,709 Posts
UPDATE:
For Immediate Release
Interfaith Nurses Win 20.5% salary increase over four years
BROOKLYN, NYC Feb. 7, 2003 - Registered nurses at Interfaith Medical Center Wednesday evening overwhelmingly approved a new four-year agreement that will boost RN salaries by 20.5% over the life of the contract and make many improvements in their working conditions.
The 250 RNs are represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). Under the new contract, base starting salaries for staff RNs will increase from their current $51,154 to $61,528 in July 2005. Nurses will receive a lump-sum payment of $1,000 on Feb. 14, 2003, and additional $1,000 on Aug. 1, 2003; a 4% raise on Jan. 1, 2004; a $1,000 lump-sum addition to the base on July 1, 2004; a 4% raise in Jan. 1, 2005; and a $1,000 lump-sum addition to the base on July 1, 2005.
Some other highlights of the agreement:
* Experience differential steps - Five new steps will be added to the experience scale starting this year. By Jan. 1, 2005, the maximum amount RNs will be eligible to receive in experience pay will increase to an additional $23,125 after 25 years. There will no longer be a cap on credit for outside experience, which will help Interfaith recruit veteran nurses.
* Staffing ratios - Under the nurses' most-recent contract, which was settled in 2000, an RN committee was established to develop enforceable, unit-by-unit, RN-to-patient staffing guidelines. The ratios they decided upon have now been formally incorporated into the contract.
* Health benefits for retirees - RNs who retire at age 62 with 20 years of service can receive health coverage through Interfaith's insurance plan at no cost until they become eligible for Medicare.
* Handling home care paperwork - Interfaith RNs who work in home care will now be given a paid day to complete necessary paperwork. The paperwork burden in home care is so great that many nurses often have to spend several hours each week completing it - in addition to their patient care duties and travel time. For the first time, home care RNs will also be reimbursed to cover their travel and phone costs.
* Latex allergy prevention - The hospital will also implement a plan to reduce RNs' exposure to latex products and respond to incidents of latex allergy - a serious and debilitating reaction to latex powder in many health care products. It has been estimated by the federal government that latex allergy can affect up to 12% of health care workers.
The nurses have been working without a contract since Dec. 31, 2001.
"The changes called for in this contract will dramatically improve Interfaith's competitiveness in the New York area RN job market," said Camille Edwards, NYSNA nursing representative. "It also indicates a recognition by management of the importance of nursing to patient care at this facility."
NYSNA is the professional association for registered nurses in New York with more than 34,000 members statewide. A multipurpose organization, NYSNA fosters high standards of nursing education and practice and works to advance the profession through legislative activity and collective bargaining. NYSNA is a constituent of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and its labor arm, the United American Nurses (UAN), which is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
http://www.NYSNA.org
Contact: Mark Genovese: 518.782.9400, ext. 353