SEPTEMBER 2018
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER
Nurses Say Yes to Safe Staffing, No to Mandatory Overtime The nurses in ECMC’s Operating Room handle a heavy caseload. That load has seemed even heavier since last winter, when nurses on the day shift were routinely being asked to stay late—often on very short notice. Towards the end of a shift, nurses would be told that if they didn’t volunteer to stay late, they or one of their coworkers would get mandated to work overtime. Because no timeframe would be given, nurses could be working for an extra 15 minutes or several extra hours, depending on the needs of the patient or the level of emergency. “We all have responsibilities outside of work,” explained Lee Barnett, RN, an OR nurse of over three years at ECMC. “It’s very nerve-racking to not know when you’re going to leave. We’re a tight-knit team, so people definitely felt pressure to volunteer instead of risk having a colleague mandated. If nurses didn’t volunteer so often, we probably would have been mandated even more than a few times a month.” Instead of utilizing resources like scheduling overtime or calling nurses to come in and cover a shift, managers relied on mandation, and on nurses volunteering for overtime. The schedule was manipulated daily and often overbooked, leaving a staffing crisis when nurses were supposed to leave work.
Nurses were feeling frustrated by the situation and filed a class action grievance in February. We also took our concerns to a Labor Management meeting in April. Management admitted that staffing and staff retention were the primary reason that nurses in the OR were being mandated and asked to volunteer so often. They committed to work on the problem. Almost a decade ago, NYSNA nurses fought for and won a law that places limits on how many hours nurses can work, and under what circumstances our employers can mandate overtime. (See page 2 for more details about the law). Unfortunately, the law does not apply to surgical techs and other healthcare workers, who can still get mandated without limits. After our step 1 grievance hearing, ECMC management responded in writing that, moving forward, they would follow the letter of the law when it comes to mandatory overtime. They also hired additional staff in the OR. It goes to show that when nurses are empowered to speak up and advocate for our patients and each other, we can make a change! It also goes to show that nurses need to be vigilant in understanding and defending our rights on an ongoing basis. Mandatory overtime cases are decided case-by-case, so nurses need to speak out and reach out when experiencing a problem. Lee Barnett, RN concluded, “Staff in the OR are going above and beyond and willing to stay late, but the onus is really on management to have the OR properly staffed so that people don’t have to make these hard choices.”
WE ARE NURSES, WE ARE NYSNA!
KNOW THE LAW: Mandatory Overtime Before July 1, 2009, employers could and did force RNs to work excessive hours, which led to errors, complications, and less safe conditions for delivering patient care. NYSNA fought for and won a law to ban mandatory overtime for many nurses. Now New York State has joined 14 other states in strongly restricting mandatory overtime for RNs. The law prohibits hospitals from requiring nurses to work beyond our scheduled shifts – except in the case of a declared emergency. And the law protects us from retribution or discipline for refusing overtime. Voluntary overtime, on the other hand, is not limited by the law. The law includes some limited exceptions when we must complete an assignment which requires work beyond our scheduled hours: nn An unanticipated healthcare disaster increases the need for healthcare personnel nn A federal, state or county Declaration of Emergency is called in the RN’s county of employment (or a contiguous county) nn The facility must engage in an on-going medical or surgical procedure that the RN is actively engaged in/his/her skills are essential to ensure the health and safety of the patient. nn The employer declares an emergency, subject to regulations. Contact your NYSNA rep to understand more about this exception, and/or read Labor Law 167 which discusses this exception in detail. If management is pressuring you to work overtime, talk to your NYSNA delegate or rep right away. Learn more at: www.nysna.org/know-your-rights
NYSNA nurses celebrated Labor Day by marching with our Buffalo union family, and teaching the next generation about solidarity!
SEPTEMBER 2018
A Newsletter for NYSNA RNs at Erie County Medical Center
Q: What was your experience like?
Ask a Nurse: Karen Davis, RN
Q: How long have you been a nurse? I’ve been a nurse for around 10 years. I work in MedSurg Tele at ECMC. I love that in nursing, there’s always opportunity for helping people, growth and learning. If you seek it out, you can always continue learning and building your knowledge of nursing.
Most of the time, we went out into the community and helped people. We encountered a lot of poor people who were not getting the medical care they need. In Mexico, the government was very hospitable and welcomed us with open arms. In Brazil, we worked alongside some of the Brazilian union nurses to set up clinics. On both trips, people were incredibly friendly and just so grateful for the medical care they were receiving. There was so much gratitude. It was a very humbling experience that renewed my outlook on healthcare.
Q:
What would you say to a colleague considering doing a Med Mission? I would encourage them to go. I would say it’s very rewarding. It refreshes your meaning of why you became a nurse, or why you went into the medical field. Nursing is not just a job—it’s a career and a life choice—and sometimes we all need to get a renewed sense of why we do what we do.
Q: When did you first get involved with NYS-
I would love to raise the visibility of the NYSNA Medical Mission program with ECMC. It would be great to collaborate and prioritize the program, so that more nurses could participate in something so rewarding.
A: Probably about 4-5 years ago when I went to one of the Continuing Education conferences. I feel like I still don’t know all of what NYSNA can and does do, and all of the resources that are available to nurses through NYSNA!
Learn more about NYSNA’s Medical Missions and volunteer at: https://www.nysna.org/disaster-recovery
NA?
Q: You recently went on two Medical Missions
* If you know a NYSNA member who deserves to be recognized, please email NYNurse@nysna.org with your suggestion
with NYSNA. Why did you decide to volunteer?
In May, I went on the Medical Mission to Mexico, and then in late June, I went to Brazil. I’d wanted to go on a trip like this for a long time, but many other programs require nurses to have a Bachelor’s degree, or are too cost-prohibitive. I actually saw a Facebook post from another ECMC nurse who had gone on a trip with NYSNA, so I reached out and asked him about it.
NYSNA’s next Member Leaders completed training in September. Let’s go nurses!
UPCOMING EVENTS (For more information or to register, ask your NYSNA Rep)
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BARGAINING SURVEY LAUNCH October 10, HR Conference Room WESTERN NY INTER-REGIONAL October 15, 5:30 - 8:30 PM 166 Franklin St., Buffalo MED-SURG NURSING CERT. REVIEW October 24 & 25, ECMC Staff Dining Room, 2nd Floor WESTERN NY INTER-REGIONAL December 12, Buffalo 2019 SEMINAR AT SEA May 12-19, Spain
RSVP to the October Inter-Regional today! Email mcp@nysna.org or call 518-782-9400 BARGAINING UPDATE! Our contract expires on 12/31/2018. Help set the priorities by joining our official bargaining survey launch on Wednesday, October 10 in the HR Conference Room: 5a-9a, 11a-2p, 6p-9p
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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