FEBRUARY 2019
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS
Community Says: The Nurses’ Fight is Our Fight! Nurses from NYC H+H facilities throughout the city came together in Harlem on February 5 to launch our contract campaign, Healthcare Justice for the Other New York. Judith Cutchin, RN, President NYSNA NYC H+H/Mayorals Executive Council and NYSNA Board Member led the rally and press conference at the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, across from Harlem Hospital. “We are proud to care for one in five New Yorkers,” said Judith. “Healthcare justice for the other New York means making sure that all New Yorkers get the care they need and deserve.” H+H nurse leaders Alizia McMyers, RN, Jovana Woodley, RN and Marion Perkins, RN also spoke about the urgent need for a fair contract that delivers the respect and resources that nurses and our patients deserve. We were joined by many community, labor, and elected leaders, who offered words of solidarity and their own heartfelt pleas for more resources for the nurses and patients in our public health system. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer got a standing ovation after relaying his personal story of a skilled ER nurse who cared for his young son during a late-night hospital visit. He told H+H nurses, “We leave our families in your hands. Safe staffing is saving lives. A livable wage is saving lives!”
We also heard commitments to support nurses for as long as it takes from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., New York City Councilman and Chair of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor Committee and Co-chair of the Black, Latino/a, and Asian Caucus, I. Daneek Miller, New York City Councilman, and Chair of the Health Committee Mark Levine. Labor leaders showed solidarity and recognition of the important role that nurses play, including the New York City Central Labor Council, AFSCME DC 37 Local 420, and the Doctors Council SEIU. “The working people of New York need a working healthcare system. The CLC stands with our brothers and sisters in NYSNA to support quality care for all,” said NYC CLC President Vinny Alvarez. Leaders from community groups Community Voices Heard, the Dominican Women’s Development Center, Metro NY Health Care for All and the Commission on the Public’s Health System also came out to support nurses and describe how important our city’s public hospitals are to New York’s communities, particularly low-income communities and communities of color. Facilities throughout the H+H system are launching rallies in February and March to build more unity and power to win our demands. Get involved by joining a Contract Action Team today—email Henry.Rose@nysna.org.
WE ARE NURSES, WE ARE NYSNA!
strike notice, along with the midwives.
CRNAs Win First Contract! Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) from seven NYC H+H facilities in four boroughs first got together in 2016 to start organizing a union with NYSNA. Historically, the scattered CRNAs from Jacobi, North Central Bronx, Lincoln, Harlem, Metropolitan, Kings County, and Coney Island Hospital were underpaid and had disparate salaries and benefits, depending on the facility. One of the Chief CRNAs who was instrumental in moving the organizing drive was Mauro Marcelo, CRNA, who explained, “When I talked to CRNAs at other facilities, they were very interested. Though we were all PAGNY employees, everyone was treated differently, especially in terms of salary scales. We wanted all CRNAs to be treated the same. But the deciding factor was wanting to have one voice.” The approximately 60 CRNAs wanted to move quickly. The vote for NYSNA was nearly unanimous, and the process of meeting to determine bargaining priorities began immediately. Although the CRNAs were ready to negotiate, it took some time for PAGNY to come to the table. That all changed when we filed an improper practice charge against PAGNY and issued a 10-day
Celebrating African American History Month Last year, NYSNA nurse leaders at NYC Health & Hospitals/Harlem were taken on a tour of the hospital’s restored murals that trace the history and achievements of African Americans in America and in healthcare. Watch it here: http://bit.ly/harlemmurals
Once at the table, management’s proposals were unacceptable, but the CRNAs stayed united and held out to win our demands. Our patience paid off. Management came back with more reasonable offers, and we agreed to a first contract where all CRNAs are treated fairly and equally. We won: nn Increased annual base salary of $20-30K and structured step increases in pay nn Increased session pay for per diems nn Sessional pay of $115/hour for holidays nn $2K tuition reimbursement with annual rollover and educational days nn $7K differential for Chief CRNAs In addition to the excitement of starting a new year with a new contract, NYSNA CRNAs will also receive a significant pay increase and two retro payments to compensate for the time spent negotiating the contract. In reflecting on his experience of campaigning for a union and a first contract, Mauro said, “It can be hard to move forward if you are not united. Even though we were at different facilities, we were united through the contract, and that’s what helped us succeed.”
FEBRUARY 2019
A Newsletter for NYSNA RNs at NYC Health + Hospitals
MMDU nurse Chivone Paulson, BSN, RN-BC, CARN attended the meeting and said, “I felt that my concerns were heard and that they mattered in that meeting. I felt that my professional input was relevant.” After the meeting, Dr. Katz toured the ICU, and assured the nurses there that H+H did not have a hiring freeze, and that they would get some staffing relief. NYSNA NYC H+H/Mayorals Executive Council President and NYSNA Board Member Judith Cutchin, RN with Gregory Calliste at a Community Board meeting
Woodhull to Hire 40 Nurses For some time, Woodhull RNs had been raising red flags about critical nursing shortages in the ICU and CPEP. We raised concerns repeatedly in Labor Management meetings. Woodhull doctors recognized the problem, and the Doctors Council SEIU invited NYSNA nurses and NYC H+H President and CEO Dr. Katz to a meeting in late November to discuss the issue.
It is reassuring that NYSNA is able to mobilize and implement change from our healthcare leaders.”
Soon after, on February 12, Woodhull CEO Gregory Calliste attended the NYSNA membership meeting and announced 40 new RN positions. - Chivone Paulson, Recruiting and hiring will BSN, RN-BC, CARN, begin immediately. ConWoodhull Hospital gratulations to the nurses at Woodhull for their persistence and strong patient advocacy, and much appreciation to H+H for hearing our concerns and responding!
Congratulations Nurses! Congratulations to the first graduating class of recipients of NYSNA’s Health Workforce Retraining Program/Initiative (HWRI) grant! Last month, five NYSNA nurses completed their advanced degree programs at the Hunter College School of Nursing, with the help of NYSNA’s tuition reimbursement and grant program. Jalisa Saud, RN, MSN, AGNP, and NYSNA Release Time Representative was among the graduates and said, “It was an intense program—I got through it with the grace of god and the help of NYSNA. Being a nurse is reward in itself, but I’m so grateful that NYSNA offered this additional opportunity.”
Graduating Advanced Practice RNs Kadean Mitchell Brooks, Jalisa Saud, and Julianne Forbes at their graduation ceremony
UPCOMING EVENTS
(For more information or to register, ask your NYSNA Rep or visit www.nysna.org/events)
✚
LOBBY DAY
✚
PACU NURSING CERT. REVIEW
✚
CHARTING WITH A JURY IN MIND
✚
PAIN MNGMT NURSING CERT REVIEW
✚
MEDICAL MISSION & DISASTER RELIEF
✚
PSYCH MENTAL-HEALTH CERT REVIEW
✚
LOBBY DAY
March 6, Albany March 7 & 8, NYSNA NYC Office March 14, NYSNA NYC Office March 25, NYSNA NYC Office March 27 - April 3, Guatamala March 27 - 29, NYSNA NYC Office April 2, Albany
NYSNA nurses were proud to celebrate alongside SEIU1199 heallthcare workers at the annual Lunar New Year parade in Manhattan’s Chinatown on February 17
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 • Patricia Morris, Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Nursing & Rehab Ctr • Deborah Gatson, East NY D & T Center • Pauline Williams, Elmhurst Hospital Center • James Ambery, Fire Department • Kittie McGee, 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 • Charles Mighty, 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
nynurses
@nynurses
nynurses