NOV/DEC 2018
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER
ECMC NPs Lynn Kordasiewcz, Audrey Hoerner and Mary Carol Scrocco celebrate pay upgrade
Nurse Practitioners Win Upgrade For years, ECMC had trouble recruiting and retaining Nurse Practitioners because of a pay discrepancy regionally. NPs working in the private sector in Western New York could make quite a bit more money, so public sector nurses would frequently leave ECMC for more pay elsewhere. Nurse Practitioners at ECMC came together as a group, because they recognized that recruitment and retention of NPs was a big enough problem that they needed to tackle it together. They held a series of meetings, and invited NYSNA Reps to brainstorm solutions with them. Together, they met with management to collaborate and find a solution. In meeting with management, NPs argued that there was not a big difference between what N5 and N6 NPs do, even though it’s a different job description. They proposed some changes to the civil service rules to
move all NPs to N6—and to get the additional pay that comes with that. Management agreed there was a problem with Nurse Practitioner retention, and was willing to come together with NYSNA NPs to solve the problem. They agreed that an increase in pay would be helpful in retaining NPs, who play a vital role at ECMC and are a more cost-effective solution to hiring more Physician Assistants. Beginning on November 15, NPs at ECMC will be moved to the N6 level, and will begin seeing additional pay in their checks at the end of November. The pay difference will range from an additional $8000/year for Step 1 NPs, to $11,000/year for NPs at the top of the scale. Lisa Kalinka, RNFA, MSN, ANP-BC, one of the NPs who spearheaded the effort, concluded, “It was a good collaborative effort. The pay increase will be helpful with future retention and recruitment!”
WE ARE NURSES, WE ARE NYSNA!
ECMC Nurses Focus on Safety In what other profession are people routinely expected to lift more than 100 pounds without the use of machinery? No wonder nurses have higher rates of musculoskeletal injuries than construction workers, warehouse workers, and almost every other category of worker! It is also no wonder that nurses are starting to raise demands about our own safety. On October 30-31, over 300 healthShannon Mahar and Loretta Miller care workers throughout accept the Zero Lift Task Force’s SPH the state attended the Award of Excellence for ECMC NYS Zero Lift Task Force’s 10th annual Safe Patient Handling Conference in Syracuse. Several NYSNA public sector nurses attended the conference, including Lee Barnett, RN, of ECMC and Dolores Mitchell, RN, of Terrace View. Shannon Mahar, RN, from Erie County Medical Center, was an expert presenter at the conference. ECMC SPH Coordinator Loretta Miller, PT, DPT, NCS, CEAS,
was also an expert presenter, and she was awarded the Zero Lift Task Force’s Safe Patient Handling Award of Excellence. Congratulations, Loretta! Under Loretta’s leadership, the Safe Patient Handling program has grown at ECMC. There are SPH champions and equipment available for any unit, and injuries have decreased. “Keeping patients, coworkers and ourselves safe in the healthcare industry should always be a priority,” said Dolores Mitchell, RN. “It is achievable when using equipment designed for safe NYSNA members Lee Barnett (ECMC) and Dolores Mitchell (Terrace View) patient transfers.” try out a sit-to-stand ambulation as-
To find out what you sistance device can do to improve nurse safety, please contact healthandsafety@nysna. org.
Nurses Help Elect Champions for New York In order to see nurses’ priorities become a reality, we need to elect pro-nurse candidates to office. That’s why NYSNA nurses worked like never before to get out the vote this year in the important midterm elections. Our hard work, in combination with the efforts of our labor partners and community allies, made a huge difference! We won Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and in the State Senate, opening up new opportunities to protect and advocate for our patients and ourselves. Timothy Kennedy won re-election in Senate District-63. The State Senate will now be led by Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the first female to hold that position. Stewart-Cousins was a strong supporter of NYSNA and other unions in the aftermath of the Janus decision. Four NYSNA-endorsed candidates won their races for State Assembly, all of whom support the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act: Crystal Peoples-Stokes (AD-141), Monica Wallace (AD-143), Sean Ryan (D-149), and Patrick Burke (AD-142). Statewide, nurse-backed Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Lt. Gov Kathy Hochul and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli won re-election, and Letitia “Tish” James was victorious in the race for NYS Attorney General. Great work, nurses, and stay tuned for opportunities to connect with our elected officials to make their promises become reality!
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
A Newsletter for NYSNA RNs at Erie County Medical Center
Q: How has being a NYSNA member helped you? You can do nothing and still be a member, but being an active member feels empowering. It’s knowing how many people are advocating for our profession, and working to improve our working conditions. It’s knowing that we can expect a raise, and that through the union, we can make changes. NYSNA helps us make a change in our workplace, and also in our community.
Q: I understand that this is your first time on the
bargaining committee working towards a contract. Is it what you expected?
Ask a Nurse: Rachel Larkin, RN
Q: How long have you been a nurse? I’ve been a nurse for nine years. I have always worked in behavioral health, on the geriatric unit at ECMC.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a nurse?
I really like being able to help people who might otherwise not have someone to care for them. We can make someone’s life easier in some way. I do know that we make a difference.
Q: When did you first get involved with NYSNA? I’ve always been a member, but it was probably two or three years ago that I got more involved. A co-worker suggested I get involved, and so I went to Lobby Day in Albany. That kind of thing is right up my alley, because I got to talk about something that’s really important—not just to nurses—but to the community as a whole. Safe staffing is really important to nurses and to anyone who has a family member who has ever been sick or who may become sick. Going to Lobby Day made me realize how much NYSNA was doing, and made me feel like I should continue to be involved.
I was surprised at how challenging it was to collect bargaining surveys! The bargaining committee could ask for anything, but we really need to know what the majority wants so we know what to bargain for. If you don’t participate, you can still complain about the outcome, but the point is that you do have the power to change things and influence the outcome if you are involved from the outset.
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. Why should nurses care? Unions gave us the eight-hour workday and all the rights we have as workers. In more modern times, it’s not always so obvious what unions do, which makes it possible for people with money, power and influence to sell the decline of unions to the average person as something that will benefit them. But these same powerful people still profit from the decline of unions—that’s why they pour money into court cases and candidates that work against working people. It’s hard to see the larger picture sometimes, but we need to see it.
Q: What do you think we should do to fight back to protect our jobs and our union?
The most important and the easiest thing is to stay in the union. If that’s all you can do, that’s great. If you can be more involved, be more involved. Come out to events and learn about all the great work that we’re doing.
UPCOMING EVENTS (For more information or to register, ask your NYSNA Rep)
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MEDICAL MISSION TO INDIA January 21 - 29, India
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MEDICAL MISSION TO PHILIPPINES February 26 - March 6, Philippines
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MEDICAL MISSION TO GUATAMALA March 27 - April 3, Guatamala
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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
Save the Date: Seminar at Sea May 12 - 19, 2019 Barcelona, Spain
Stay connected: join our Facebook group! www.facebook.com/ groups/eriecountynysna/
Executive Committee Kevin Donovan, Vice Co-Chair, 7 Zone 4 Cathy Bystrak, Grievance Chair, 6 North Lynne Roland, Terrace View Co-Chair, Cazenovia Karen Green, Terrace View Vice Co-Chair, Supervisor Heather Scott, Secretary, Behavioral Health Clinics Raymond Rebmann, Membership Chair, 7 Zone 1 Elizabeth McCray, Terrace View Specialty, Naval Park Steve Bailey, Terrace View Specialty, Kensington Sarah Ott, Behavioral Health Specialty, 5 South Rachel Larkin, Behavioral Health Specialty, 5 South Katrina Reynolds, CPEP Specialty, CPEP Loretta Palermo, Emergency Dept. Specialty, ED Sarah Chmura, Med/ Surg Specialty, 8 North Shawntres Currin, Med/Surg Specialty, 7 Zone 2 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 Chiqkena Collins, MICU Jennifer Brinkworth, 4 Zone 4 Sherry Thomas, PACU Delores Mitchell, TV Botanical Gardens Lisa Nowak, TV Canalside
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 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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