Striking nurses from the Youngstown General Duty Nurses Association (Ohio Nurses Association) continue to bring the message to Western Reserve/Forum Health that safe staffing is not negotiable. As the strike, which began on May 1, passes the 70-day mark, nurses are planning a Rally in the Valley-Justice for Nurses march, to be held July 14 from 3-8 p.m. The march will begin at strike headquarters, 630 Gypsy Lane, in Youngstown. If you believe nurses deserve safe staffing and respect on the job, come to the rally and show your support for the courageous Youngstown nurses. For more information, contact YGDNA strike headquarters at 330-746-6344, or Michele Prater, ONA Communications, at 614-448-1029. Safe staffing is not negotiable!!
Speaking of the importance of the ANA's Code of Nurses & its significance to all nurses:
OLD BUSINESS
"From The Picket Fence - 1975
There were two major issues involved in 1966. Obviously, there was the economic issue of the nickel (5 cents) difference between full and part time nurses. Also at issue were working conditions such as unclear personnel policies, the erratic scheduling, and the need for better staffing. Each directly affecting patient care. It must be stressed that quality patient care and nursing practice was a definite issue in 1966..............
Ada Jacox points out that during the long series of negotiations the hospital administration dealt with a professional group solely as a labor organization. Indeed, in 1966 the hospital recognized the non-professional union as a bargaining agent before they recognized the nurses right to bargain collectively. The hospitals attitude was clearly manifested during the negotiations when an administration representative stated, "You are just a
union it isnt up to nurses to say what jobs they should or shouldnt do".............
As a result of the actions taken in 1966, the hospital accepted the nurses right to act as union. But also in 1966, it was clear the hospital denied nurses the right to act collectively as professionals. The hospital feels that how nursing is to be practiced in the hospital is not within the realm of a professional group to determine.............
Where we are going ----------> the fight of professional nurses to provide quality-nursing care at Youngstown Hospital Association continues. During the present negotiations it is obvious the hospitals position has not changed since 1966. The hospital negotiates with nurse "widget operators", not with nurse professionals............
And so we come to the Code of Nursing. Nurses at YHA insist that the hospital be contractually bound to the Code. The Code of Nursing provides a standard of nursing care that protects the patients rights and defines nurses as professionals. As we have seen, the hospital feels that nurses have no professional right to demand changes within the hospital that affect nursing practice. They say this is a management right.........
Nurses know that business administrators at YHA alone would do little to improve nursing practice at YHA because they have consistently denied the existence of professional practice issues. When the Code is included in the contract, the standards it provides will force the hospital to recognize nurses professional voice in nursing issues and indeed, nursing as a profession.
As Ada Jacox concludes in her article about our last struggle ---- if nurses want to control nursing practice, they must not let themselves be used as organizational women to meet the hospitals diverse bureaucratic needs; they must instead act collectively on the practice issue and expect even more resistance from administrators than when they act collectively on salary issues.
And so today in, 1975, we continue the good fight............."
"And so in 2001, WE continue the good fight!"
Youngstown General Duty Nurses Association/Ohio Nurses Association/UAN
>the striking nurses held a peaceful march........."
nurse unity at its best:
"Youngstown Rally in the Valley - 'Justice for Nurses' March -
On Saturday, July 14, hundreds of Youngstown General Duty Nurses Association (YGDNA) members, family, friends and nurses from around Ohio and the Midwest gathered to take the message of Safe Staffing to the streets. The Rally was held to show support and solidarity to the Youngstown Nurses from Forum Health who have been on strike for more than 70 days calling for an end to mandatory overtime and unsafe staffing..........
The march began in the parking lot of the strike headquarters and proceeded past the Forum Northside facility to a nearby metro park. At the park, the rally had several special speakers including YGDNA President Bonnie Lambert and Bill Berga, President of the Ohio AFL-CIO........
Jean Ross, an RN from the Minnesota Nurses Association/UAN shared support on behalf of the Fairview Southside RNs who recently settled a similar strike in Minnesota. Linda Warino, Ohio Nurses Association First Vice-President and United American Nurses (UAN) executive council member, brought words of encouragement from ONA and the UAN. John O'Conner, a staff member, from the New York State Nurses Association/UAN treated the attendees to several solidarity songs written especially for the YGDNA.......
ONA members from bargaining units across the state carried signs of support from their local units. Several other states had nurses in attendance as well as area labor unions........
Earlier in the day, a labor summit was held where labor leaders from a five-state area met to discuss strike ending strategies and suggestions in support of the Youngstown nurses..........
New Contract ensures safe hours, safe staffing and quality patient care for RNs.....
Youngstown, Ohio - RNs at Youngstown's Forum Health-Western Reserve Care system resoundingly approved a new three-year contract late Friday night with provisions to ELIMINATE the dangerous practice of mandatory overtime! The approval ends the 81-day nurses' strike, which began May 1st when 771 RNs walked out of the hospital......."
-jt
2,709 Posts
Speaking of the importance of the ANA's Code of Nurses & its significance to all nurses:
OLD BUSINESS
"From The Picket Fence - 1975
There were two major issues involved in 1966. Obviously, there was the economic issue of the nickel (5 cents) difference between full and part time nurses. Also at issue were working conditions such as unclear personnel policies, the erratic scheduling, and the need for better staffing. Each directly affecting patient care. It must be stressed that quality patient care and nursing practice was a definite issue in 1966..............
Ada Jacox points out that during the long series of negotiations the hospital administration dealt with a professional group solely as a labor organization. Indeed, in 1966 the hospital recognized the non-professional union as a bargaining agent before they recognized the nurses right to bargain collectively. The hospitals attitude was clearly manifested during the negotiations when an administration representative stated, "You are just a
union it isnt up to nurses to say what jobs they should or shouldnt do".............
As a result of the actions taken in 1966, the hospital accepted the nurses right to act as union. But also in 1966, it was clear the hospital denied nurses the right to act collectively as professionals. The hospital feels that how nursing is to be practiced in the hospital is not within the realm of a professional group to determine.............
Where we are going ----------> the fight of professional nurses to provide quality-nursing care at Youngstown Hospital Association continues. During the present negotiations it is obvious the hospitals position has not changed since 1966. The hospital negotiates with nurse "widget operators", not with nurse professionals............
And so we come to the Code of Nursing. Nurses at YHA insist that the hospital be contractually bound to the Code. The Code of Nursing provides a standard of nursing care that protects the patients rights and defines nurses as professionals. As we have seen, the hospital feels that nurses have no professional right to demand changes within the hospital that affect nursing practice. They say this is a management right.........
Nurses know that business administrators at YHA alone would do little to improve nursing practice at YHA because they have consistently denied the existence of professional practice issues. When the Code is included in the contract, the standards it provides will force the hospital to recognize nurses professional voice in nursing issues and indeed, nursing as a profession.
As Ada Jacox concludes in her article about our last struggle ---- if nurses want to control nursing practice, they must not let themselves be used as organizational women to meet the hospitals diverse bureaucratic needs; they must instead act collectively on the practice issue and expect even more resistance from administrators than when they act collectively on salary issues.
And so today in, 1975, we continue the good fight............."
"And so in 2001, WE continue the good fight!"
Youngstown General Duty Nurses Association/Ohio Nurses Association/UAN
http://www.YGDNA.org