JANUARY 2019
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER
New Year, New Contract On December 27, NYSNA nurses at ECMC and Terrace View Long Term Care had our first bargaining session with ECMC management. The meeting was largely procedural—we agreed on the ground rules and timeline, extending the contract through March 31.
With the exception of our pension, everything is up for negotiation at the bargaining table. From our survey collection and small group conversations, several themes have emerged that are most important to ECMC nurses.
One new and exciting agreement that NYSNA made with management was to allow open negotiations— a first for ECMC! This means that any ECMC nurse— even those not on the bargaining committee—are invited to sit in on negotiations. Our next bargaining session is February 6. Please come and observe on breaks and at lunch, or the whole day, if you are off.
We are circulating a petition that summarizes the main demands that arose from member surveys—be on the lookout for the petition on your unit. Signing the petition is another way to show unity and express your solidarity and support for a fair contract that puts patients first and prioritizes: 1) patient and staff safety; 2) safe staffing; 3) quality and affordable health insurance; 4) retirement with dignity; and 5) fair wages.
Even if you cannot make it to the bargaining session on February 6, you can still show your support—and NYSNA’s strength—by wearing red.
Bargaining is such an important opportunity to make our voices heard. We hope to hear from you this time around!
WE ARE NURSES, WE ARE NYSNA!
ECMC Nurses in the House!
ECMC Delegates Kevin Donovan, Jennifer Brinkworth and Ray Rebmann attend the rally at NYSNA Convention
ECMC nurses turned out big at NYSNA’s first delegated Convention. Long-time leaders and newer leaders, alike, traveled hours to bring the voices of their ECMC colleagues to New York City. “The members can feel NYSNA in our facility. We joke about ‘NYSNA in the house.’ We truly have that in Buffalo,” said Cathy Bystrak, RN and Grievance Chair, who was attending her 10th NYSNA Convention. “Patient care cannot be compromised. That’s why we’re here.”
The ECMC delegates were eager to discuss their issues with other nurses around the state. According to Jennifer Brinkworth, RN in Behavioral Health, safe staffing and workplace violence are big concerns. Chiqkena Collins, RN and NYSNA Board of Directors Western Regional Director, added that we need to fight to protect retiree health benefits and pensions, and stay strong and united as a union in the face of the Supreme Court Janus decision. Nurses at ECMC are focused on building a member-driven union that delivers for nurses, especially as we move into bargaining a new contract. The meeting to establish ground rules for negotiations was on December 27, and the New Year will bring many more bargaining sessions and opportunities for ECMC nurses to bring our voices to the table. Kevin Donovan, RN and Vice-Co-Chair of ECMC’s Executive Committee concluded, “NYSNA is everything. It’s the force behind everything we do. I can’t wait to bring what I’m learning at Convention back to the hospital!”
Julie Roman, RN, was attending Convention for the first time. She said, “This is the first year of me participating in the union, and I was elected as a delegate. It feels wonderful. I’m glad that I can be given the opportunity to stand tall and advocate for all the nurses who work hard on a daily basis.”
The Convention serves to get members fired up. We are becoming more membercentered.” - Chiqkena Collins, RN, NYSNA Western Regional Director
NYSNA means togetherness, unity, standing together. - Julie Roman, RN
JANUARY 2019
A Newsletter for NYSNA RNs at Erie County Medical Center
should care about this? At ECMC, we are over 1,000 strong after Janus—we’re stronger than we’ve ever been before. Only two people didn’t sign up on the new membership form. Our nurses understand how important the union is. We’re getting geared up and educated about the purpose of public unions. I love teaching members. If I call someone and put them into action, they’re ready to go. We’re only as strong as the member standing next to us.
Q:What’s new about bargaining this time around? Ask a Nurse: Murnita Bennett, RN
Q: How long have you been a nurse? I’ve been a nurse for over 30 years. I was at ECMC in my early years, got my RN, and came back about 22 years ago.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a nurse?
I love the interactions with the public and the variety of jobs available to us at ECMC. I have worked in Psych, Emergency, ICU, Med-Surg, and now I’m in Utilization Review.
Q: How long have you been involved with NYSNA? I’ve been active with the union for 10 years, and on the Exec Committee for nearly 10 years.
Q: There’s a movement in this country to reduce
the power, the wages, and the rights of working people. The Supreme Court Janus case was part of this attack. What would you say to a co-worker who hasn’t been very involved in NYSNA about why they
Our leadership team has grown. We used to have only 6-7 delegates, and now we have 42-43 delegates and floor reps beyond the Executive Committee. Everyone will have a task to do during bargaining, and I’m happy to see our nurses take that extra step. We administered bargaining surveys and had small group conversations with members that backed up what the surveys said. In negotiations, we are using bullet points from the survey results.
Q: How did the first bargaining session go? I think it went very well. We left there feeling very optimistic about what’s to come. Management were surprised when we asked for open negotiations, but then they caucused a minute and agreed. Most of our members are very vocal, so we’ll need ground rules around how members caucus during bargaining, so they can raise issues as they come up.
Q: What are the next steps for members? Come to membership meetings, and turn in a survey if you have not already done so. Everything is open for negotiation at this point, except for our pension, which is part of the state system. February 6 is the next bargaining session, and also “Wear Red Day.” Sign a petition showing you support NYSNA nurses in negotiations, and get involved. Everyone has a purpose. It may be to hand out fliers or to spread updates on your units. It’s not just the committee doing negotiations, it’s all of us. We are the union.
UPCOMING EVENTS (For more information or to register, ask your NYSNA Rep)
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BARGAINING SESSION February 6 9AM-4PM, HR Training Room
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MEDICAL MISSION TO PHILIPPINES February 26 - March 6, Philippines
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CRITICAL CARE NURSING CERT. REVIEW
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MEDICAL MISSION TO GUATAMALA March 27 - April 3, Guatamala
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PSYCH MENTAL HEALTH NURSING CERT. REVIEW April 11-12, ECMC
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MED-SURG NURSING CERT. REVIEW April 17-18, ECMC
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MEDICAL MISSION TO BRAZIL April 23 - May 9, Brazil
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2019 SEMINAR AT SEA May 12-19, Spain
March 13-14, ECMC
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 Ben Stanford, Delegate over all Unit Managers Colleen Casali, ASU Valeta Dunn, 8 Zone 1 Lee Barnett, OR Liam Morrissey, OR Jennifer Brinkworth, 4 Zone 4 Delores Mitchell, TV Botanical Gardens
If you’d like to join our leadership team, speak to a Delegate, or contact your Rep.
GET ANSWERS/STAY IN TOUCH
Your NYSNA Representatives: Michael Graham michael.graham@nysna.org 716-467-0449 Jennifer Valentín-Polanco jennifer.valentin@nysna.org 716-445-6319 Anna Rose anna.rose@nysna.org 716-804-4953 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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