APRIL/MAY 2019
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER
Nurses Reach More Tentative Agreements At the most recent bargaining session on April 17, ECMC and Terrace View nurses discussed and came to tentative agreements on several issues.
The next session on May 23 should be very dynamic, because we will be hearing management’s response to our economic proposals.
Drug Testing
“We need to protect what we have,” emphasized Steve Bailey, RN. “Management is coming for our weekends and potentially more, so we need to be ready.”
Management’s initial proposal on drug testing was very punitive and focused on discipline over rehabilitation. As nurses, we know the difficulty of treating the disease of addiction, and we know that no type of worker is immune. We were able to introduce language that facilitates nurses getting help before being threatened with a “last chance.”
Workplace Violence Nurses deal with a tremendous amount of workplace violence—nearly every week there is an incidence at ECMC. We were able to broaden the definition of assault for the purposes of collecting assault pay, recognizing that nurses suffer a lot of trauma as a result of physical and emotional abuse that does not rise to the legal definition of assault.
Increased Layoff Protections and Options In the event of a layoff, all open positions will be frozen to allow affected and qualified RNs to move to open positions before initiating the bumping procedure.
“We cannot lose sight of safe staffing and of retiree healthcare,” added Loretta Palermo, RN. “So many members spent their entire lives working here, serving the sickest of sick, banging up our own bodies in the process. Nurses deserve to have health insurance when we retire, especially because we often retire with injuries or pre-existing conditions.” Chiqkena Collins, RN and NYSNA Western Regional Director said, “Now that we’re turning to economics, we truly need the support of our membership.” This will be a meeting where solidarity and attendance will make the difference. Let us know you can make it to the May 23 session by emailing Jennifer.Valentin@ nysna.org.
Save the Dates! Bargaining & Wear Red Days: Thursday, May 23 Thursday, June 13
WE ARE NURSES, WE ARE NYSNA!
ECMC Nurses Are Making History in Washington, DC On their first day in Washington, the nurses stormed the main pharmaceutical lobby building with printouts from patients’ Go Fund Me pages, attaching them to the building with Band-aids to symbolize how broken our healthcare system is.
As a statewide nurses’ union, NYSNA does not organize lobby visits to Washington, DC very often. However, with critical problems in healthcare affecting the whole country, NYSNA members joined with nurses throughout the country to make the trip to our nation’s capital. ECMC nurses Chiqkena Collins, RN, Steve Bailey, RN, and Loretta Palermo, RN, were part of a delegation of approximately 300 nurses from 27 states advocating for safe staffing, healthcare for all, and an end to violence in the healthcare workplace. “We’re from different states and different unions, but we’re all advocating for what’s best for our patients and co-workers,” explained Steve Bailey, RN. “We all have stories of patients who delay or forego healthcare because they’re uninsured or underinsured. Instead of complaining in the breakroom, we’re out here trying to enact change.”
“I lived abroad for years, and I can’t believe that here in the U.S.A. we don’t have universal, affordable, quality healthcare, which is a basic human need” said Loretta Palermo, RN. She continued, “The reception that we have received since we’ve been here is incredible. People on the street want to know why we’re here and have joined in when we tell them. A Congresswoman from California stopped us in the hallway to thank us for speaking out. A Representative from New York was very supportive of nurses. Even a bathroom attendant told me, ‘When the nurses are protesting, I know we’re really in trouble!’” In addition to direct action and lobbying, the nurses attended a luncheon and rally hosted by Senator Bernie Sanders, a cosponsor and champion of the Medicare for All act, which would guarantee quality, affordable healthcare to everyone in the U.S. Chiqkena Collins, RN and NYSNA Western NY Regional Director summed up the trip: “Being in Washington, you can feel the larger scale of things, and you can’t help but think of all the people who came before you to advocate for change. We are feeling the solidarity and community even beyond our 42,000 brothers and sisters in NYSNA, because healthcare is an issue that effects more than just one state or one economic or social group—it’s truly a global issue. Healthcare is the fight of our generation, and I am so proud to be here on the frontlines.
APRIL/ MAY 2019
A Newsletter for NYSNA RNs at Erie County Medical Center
Q:
I understand you attended Lobby Day for the first time. What did you think of the experience? I went with an open mind, and I thought it was interesting that some of the state senators and assembly members seemed to have made up their minds before we even walked through the door. They were very receptive to the Sickle Cell Anemia bill, which is seen as so common sense and cuts across left, right and center political orientation. I wish they could see safe staffing as the same kind of issue. The reality is, we need to think of the nurses who are putting their lives on the line. We experience violence and the threat of violence far too often. Safe staffing is about quality patient care, and also about protecting nurses. Elected officials may not understand some nurses’ stories because they haven’t worked in the healthcare field, but everyone understands violence and wants to feel safe at work.
Ask a Nurse: David Alexander, RN
Q: How long have you been a nurse? Almost two years. I work in behavioral health at ECMC.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a nurse? In the department I’m in, I feel like I can make an impactful change in someone’s life, because sometimes mental health issue can be more difficult to heal.
Q: When did you first get involved in NYSNA? This year was the first year that I’ve been more involved in my union. I’ve had the opportunity and time to help out in anyway that I can. I have been to a few bargaining sessions and learned that our union speaks softly but carries a big stick! We are very clear about what we will and will not accept, and I enjoy seeing that.
Q: Would you recommend for other nurses to attend, or get more involved in the political process?
Absolutely. Your union is the only thing that stands in the way of you and your company. You are not a member of their family. If you don’t provide that service, they will boot you to the curb—no matter what they want you to believe! Unions help us retain our rights as workers and as individuals.
Q: There’s been a concerted attack on unions for
the last few decades. What do you think we as NYSNA members should do to fight back to protect our jobs, our patients and our union? You can do anything and everything to help out— whether it’s going to rallies, or visiting elected officials, or supporting other unions that are struggling. Anything is better than nothing.
UPCOMING EVENTS (For more information or to register, ask your NYSNA Rep)
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BARGAINING SESSION May 23 8AM-4PM, HR Training Room
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MEDICAL MISSION TO DR May 29 - June 2, Dominican Republic
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MEDICAL MISSION TO DR May 29 - June 2, Dominican Republic
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MEDICAL MISSION TO MEXICO June 9 -15, Mexico
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MEDICAL MISSION TO CUBA July 15-20, Cuba
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MEDICAL MISSION TO JAMAICA August 12-18, Jamaica
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PSYCHIATRIC NURSING CERT. REVIEW October 10 & 11, ECMC
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MED-SURGE NURSING CERT. REVIEW October 16, ECMC 3rd Floor Board Rm.
Stay connected: join our Facebook group! www.facebook.com/ groups/eriecountynysna/
Executive Committee
Kevin Donovan, Vice Co-Chair, 7 Zone 4 Karen Green, Terrace View Vice Co-Chair, Supervisor Heather Scott, Secretary, Behavioral Health Clinics Cathy Bystrak, Grievance Chair, MLK & Cazanovia Lisa Nowak, Terrace View Grievance Chair, Canal Ray Rebmann, Membership Chair, 7 Zone 1 Rachel Larkin, Behavioral Health Specialty 1, 5 South Sarah Ott, Behavioral Health Specialty 2, 5 South Tamara Barr, Critical Care Specialty Rep , TICU Chiqkena Collins, Critical Care Specialty Rep, MICU & Western NY Regional Director Loretta Palermo, Emergency Dept. Specialty, ED Dana Bellido-Clark, Med/Surg Specialty, 8 Zone 1 Shawntres Currin, Med/Surg Specialty, 7 Zone 2 Sherry Thomas, OR/Recovery Specialty, PACU Elizabeth McCray, TV Specialty 1, Naval Park Steve Bailey, Terrace View Specialty 2, Kensington Murnita Bennett, At-Large, Care Management
Floor Delegates
Dana Brown, Anesthesiology Dionna Vasquez, Care Management Shawn Mitchell, 5 North Alicia Geiss, PACU Shannon Mahar, 6 Zone 2 Matt Botticelli, 6 North Tara Hill, 9 Zone 3 Jennifer Greene, 9 Zone 3 Cynthia Dwyer, 7 Zone 1 Mackenzie DeCarlo, CPEP Ykeeta Henderson, CPEP Amina Shaibi, CPEP Ben Stanford, Delegate over all Unit Managers Colleen Casali, ASU Valeta Dunn, 8 Zone 1 Christa Poteat, 8 Zone 2 Lee Barnett, OR Liam Morrissey, OR Jennifer Brinkworth, 4 Zone 4 Avneet Jacob, 12 Zone 2 If you’d like to join our leadership team, speak to a Delegate, or contact your Rep.
GET ANSWERS/STAY IN TOUCH Your NYSNA Representative: Jennifer Valentín-Polanco jennifer.valentin@nysna.org 716-445-6319 Dental benefit questions: www.Aetna.com, 877-238-6200 Prescription benefit questions: www.optumrx.com, 888-691-0130 For all other benefits: www.lmhf.net, 716-601-7980
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