AUGUST 2019
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS/MAYORALS
Kings and Queens Rally for Safe Staffing and Respect NYC H+H nurses are heating up the summer with actions to demand safe staffing, respect and fair working conditions. On July 22, nurses at Queens Hospital poured out of the hospital, showing off their creative side with handmade signs demanding change. They called for better staffing and an end to bullying and intimidation from management. On July 31, more than 50 Kings County nurses rallied for respect outside of the hospital. Management tried to dampen participation by scheduling another meeting at the same time, but it didn’t discourage nurses from making their voice heard. New York City Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene and Alyshia Goodridge, Chief of Staff for Assembly Member Diana Richardson also stopped by the rally to express their strong solidarity and support.
What’s Next Public sector nurses are getting out in the community, letting patients know that we are struggling in our contract to improve their quality of care. On Saturday, August 17, we tabled for Harlem Week, where more than 150 community members signed our petition to support nurses fighting for a fair contract. We will also march in the West Indian Day Parade on September 2, and the NYC Labor Day on September 9 to spread the message of Healthcare Justice for the Other New York and gain even more community and labor support. To join us, contact henry.rose@nysna.org. Nurses are also getting organized for the next bargaining sessions on September 11 and 12. CAT members are circulating our bargaining platform and a petition to demonstrate to H+H management and the City that we are united for safe staffing and a fair contract that nurses and our patients deserve. RSVP to bargaining by emailing henry.rose@nysna. org, and visit http://bit.ly/hhpetition to sign the petition!
SAVE THE DATES! Next Bargaining Sessions: Thursday, September 11 Friday, September 12
WE ARE NURSES, WE ARE NYSNA!
Renovations at Gotham Health Improve Access to Care NYC H+H Gotham Health/ Morrisania is a busy primary care clinic serving a large and diverse population in the Southwestern Bronx. It serves a large number of uninsured people, and has a high volume of walk-ins, in addition to scheduled patients. The City Council paid for the renovation, and Independence Care System, a nonprofit that specializes in care for people with physical disabilities, collaborated on the project. Women with disabilities are just as likely to get breast cancer as other women, but are less likely to get screened.1 The City hopes to address this disparity by increasing access. A recently-completed renovation of the radiology center at NYC H+H Gotham Health/ Morrisania will make it easier for people with disabilities to access potentially life-saving care. The new center is wheelchair accessible and includes a modified mammography machine and other equipment to accommodate people who use wheelchairs. “This new space will make a difference to our patients,” said Josephine Amoian, RN. “We used to send patients out to Lincoln or Metropolitan for mammograms, because we didn’t have the space here. Now, we can send patients downstairs right there and then to get their exams, and that means they will be more likely to take care of their health. The equipment will be more comfortable for patients in wheelchairs.” Ultrasound room with an in-suite accessible restroom
“The building was built in the 1970s, and they needed to make renovations, explained Ms. Nicole Smith-Ferguson, RN. “Since the laws have changed to protect people with disabilities, the structures have had to change too. This new center is beautiful and will be utilized to the fullest.” For more information about breast cancer, visit https://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/DisparitiesInBreastCancerScreening.html
New mammography equipment for patients with disabilities
AUGUST 2019
A Newsletter for NYSNA RNs at NYC Health + Hospitals
Nurses Should Be Paid for Experience Who believes H+H nurses are overpaid? In the case of one of NYSNA’s long-time members, H+H management claimed the nurse was being overpaid by mistake when she changed job titles, and they dramatically reduced her salary.
Creative Math The nurse and her NYSNA Reps knew this salary decrease was not right, and we filed a grievance. The nurse had taken a voluntary demotion from Assistant Head Nurse to Staff Nurse, and she expected her salary to be reduced by about $1,300 a year—the difference between the minimum base pay for each title. However, H+H calculated her new salary by adding together the minimum base pay for a Staff Nurse and their own creative calculation of the nurse’s experience differential (NEX) that ignored the compounding effect of her substantial 20-year NEX. As a result, the nurse’s pay was reduced by nearly $9,000 a year! “I felt very frustrated, because they were paying me like a newcomer who just walked in off the street,” said the nurse. “They made me feel like I was being punished, and my years of loyalty and service to the City were being disregarded, because this was a voluntary demotion. I didn’t expect to win my case, but I wanted to hear an official explanation of their pay policy, because it did not make sense.”
Our Actual Pay Policy Since 1997, H+H nurse salaries have been calculated by adding NEX onto the base salary for the job title. Each year, the increased NEX is added to the individual base pay rate, compounding and increasing a nurse’s base pay. When there is a negotiated wage increase, or promotion to a new title, the increase in pay is based off of the nurse’s individual base pay rate,
ACS nurses show solidarity on sticker day. What are you doing to support the fight for a fair contract?
which increases over time. This is how a nurse earns a salary increase when promoted to a new title; s/he doesn’t start from scratch at a new minimum base pay, which could be lower than her current salary. Any other differential a nurse may be entitled to, such as shift, education or certification differential, is then added on top of the base pay. NYSNA successfully argued that any change in title, including demotions, should not wipe away the compounding effect of a nurse’s experience differential. The arbitrator agreed with us, ruling that upon any change in title, an RN’s salary should only change by the amount of the difference between our Collective Bargaining Agreement’s listed base rates for the titles to and from which she is changing.
Moving Forward The arbitrator’s decision clarifies how NYC H+H calculates salaries, and sets up a great precedent for ensuring nurses are paid for our experience—and paid correctly. The nurse involved reflected, “It was a long process, but it was worth it. I feel relief and gratitude that my NYSNA Rep and lawyer saw this through with me! I hope my case can help other nurses, too.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
(For more information or to register, ask your NYSNA Rep or visit www.nysna.org/events)
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MEDICAL MISSION & DISASTER RELIEF
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WEST INDIAN DAY PARADE
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NYC LABOR DAY PARADE
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PEDIATRIC NURSING CERT. REVIEW
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PHARMACOLOGY REVIEW
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MEDICAL MISSION & DISASTER RELIEF
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PEDIATRIC CCRN CERT. REVIEW
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WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION
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PERIOPERATIVE NURSING CERT. REVIEW
August 21-29, Philippines September 2, Brooklyn September 9, Manhattan September 5 & 6, NYSNA NYC Office September 9, NYSNA NYC Office September 22-30, Zimbabwe Sept. 23 & 24, NYSNA NYC Office September 27, NYSNA NYC Office October 3 & 4, NYSNA NYC Office
SAVE THE DATE! NYSNA CONVENTION OCTOBER 29 & 30 ALBANY, NY
NYC H+H & MAYORAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CHAIRS RNS: • Naomi Greene, Administration for Children’s Services • Todd Schultz, Bellevue Hospital Center • Jovana Woodley, Coler Specialty Hospital & Nursing Facility • Ray Briggs, Coney Island Hospital • Audrey Morgan, Correctional Health Services • Florence Exinor, Cumberland D & T Center • Keysha Morris, Department of Correction • Theresa Minarik, Department of Sanitation • Jacqueline Leach, Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Nursing & Rehab Ctr • Deborah Gatson, East NY D & T Center • Pauline Williams, Elmhurst Hospital Center • James Ambery, Fire Department • Marion Parkins, Harlem Hospital Center • Grace Lee, Gouverneur Healthcare Services • Peter Pacheco, Henry J. Carter Specialty Hosp. & Nursing Facility • Rivka Elyahu, HHC Health and Home Care • Yelena Levin, Human Resources Administration • Mary Simon, Jacobi Medical Center • Curlean Duncan, Kings County Hospital Center • Marsha Wilson, Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center • Verginia Stewart, Metropolitan Hospital Center • Nicole Smith Ferguson, Morrisania D & T Center • Lynne Sanderson Burgess, Police Department • Sharon Greenaway, North Central Bronx Hospital • Lindella Artman, Queens Hospital Center • Stephen Nartey, Renaissance Healthcare Network • Kimberly Yeo, Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center & Home • Natalie Solomon, Segundo Ruiz Belvis D&TC • Judith Cutchin, Woodhull Medical & Mental Health Center
GET ANSWERS/STAY IN TOUCH Dental benefit questions: www.Aetna.com, 877-238-6200 Prescription benefit questions: www.optumrx.com, 888-691-0130 For all other benefits: www.ASOnet.com, 888-692-7671 NYSNA NYC Office: www.nysna.org, 212 785 0157 NYSNA Board of Directors: www.nysna.org/board-directors
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