JULY 2019
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS/MAYORALS
NYSNA Negotiating Committee Gets Down to Business Coming off a positive bargaining session at NYSNA headquarters, the NYSNA Negotiating Committee headed downtown to NYC Health + Hospitals headquarters to bargaining on July 11 and 12. We delved into NYSNA’s proposals and had a robust discussion about safe staffing, self-scheduling, workplace violence and safe patient handling. On July 11, the discussion focused on safe staffing. NYSNA held up the recently executed NYC private sector hospitals’ contract as an example of what could be achieved in terms of safe staffing ratios/grids. We also pointed to the ideal staffing ratios per unit contained in the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act. Management was receptive to what nurses said about workload and staffing problems, and they recognized that staffing must be improved at NYC H+H. The City is currently fulfilling our information request about its current staffing levels, and we anticipate continuing to make progress on safe staffing. On July 12, H+H gave presentations responding to several NYSNA proposals. We discussed the new Clarvia selfscheduling system, which is currently being rolled out in H+H facilities. Ideally, this system will allow members to have more flexibility and autonomy in their schedules. Nurses emphasized that this new system could also be used to schedule and monitor safe staffing on the units.
NYSNA has a data request outstanding about workplace violence throughout H+H, and we pressed management on their definition of workplace violence. Management also proposed creating and activating Safe Patient Handling Committees. Nurses emphasized that it was important to create a good process with union input to select who would serve as “evaluators” on these committees. “We are making good progress, and I’m looking forward to digging in deeper on the issues that are specific to Mayorals nurses,” said Kesha Morris, RN. In negotiations, the employer and the union exchange, review, and respond to each other’s proposals until the parties mutually agree. These agreements are called tentative agreements, because they are not final until membership votes on the whole contract at the end of negotiations. Judith Cutchin, RN and President of NYSNA’s NYC H+H/ Mayorals Executive Council, said, “Although we do not have any tentative agreements yet, we are feeling positive about the course of bargaining so far, and the Negotiating Committee remains resolute regarding our overall demands from our contract proposals.”
SAVE THE DATES! Next Bargaining Sessions: Thursday, September 5 Friday, September 6
