We Are Nurses: ECMC July 2019 Mobile Edition

A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER

We Aren’t Planning on Giving up Anything

ECMC nurses are making progress at the bargaining table. Our bargaining sessions on June 26, July 10 and July 18 resulted in more tentative agreements, as well as opened the door to addressing safe staffing and retiree health.

We made significant improvements for per diem nurses, tentatively agreeing to lunch pay and holiday pay on par with part-time and full-time employees. We won a tentative agreement to give SANE nurses up to eight hours off between on-call activation and next shift. Improvements were made for employees with on-call responsibilities, and we agreed to increase compensation for Capstone and Preceptors.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be part of bargaining,” said Chiqkena “Kena” Collins, RN. “We haven’t given up anything yet, and we aren’t planning on giving up anything.”

We also had robust discussion and saw movement on some other issues. After initially brushing off our efforts to discuss safe staffing, management came in with a proposal of their own. They proposed $2.5 million to hire more nurses, as well as forming a tenperson committee, equally divided between NYSNA nurses and management to work out where staff is most needed.

Nurses asked if the money that management proposed was for hiring new staff after filling the existing holes, or if it represented the total amount they are committing to hiring new nurses. While management claims that there are 55 open positions, the website lists over 70 positions. It will certainly cost more than $2.5 million to just fill the existing holes, and we need to hire more nurses on top of filling the current vacancies.

Nurses were excited to open a dialogue about retiree health insurance, which was a benefit that we lost in bargaining in 2009 and that nurses hired before 2009 were counting on.

“This is about righting a wrong for our veteran nurses,” said Kena. “It’s a matter of solidarity to fight for those nurses who were counting on accessing retiree health insurance some day.”

The July 22 and 23 bargaining sessions were cancelled because of a joint commission visit. RSVP to Jennifer.Valentin@nysna.org for the next bargaining session, and remember to wear red that day!

Save the Dates!

Bargaining & Wear Red Day: August 7 & 8

POAs Save the Day

The Protest of Assignment (POA) is a powerful tool. POAs are recognized in the ECMC contract; providing a legal framework to document unsafe conditions during your shift to protect your license and advocate for better conditions for nurses and patients.

Protect Your License

• Our code of ethics, regulations, and case law mandate that RNs, based on their professional and ethical responsibilities, have the professional duty to object in writing to any patient assignment that puts the patient or themselves at serious risk of harm.

• POAs are written documentation that serves as evidence in grievance hearings, arbitration hearings, and court cases. For example, in one recent arbitration, the arbitrator specifically found that termination of an ER nurse was not warranted, in part because on the night the RN committed an error, “The [POA] form clearly put the Hospital on notice that the caseload was too high, impeding safe care. The Hospital took no action to address the situation.”

• POAs act as notice to the facility that, in the event of an untoward patient event under these circumstances, liability will be transferred to the facility. Such notice acts to safeguard the license and working privileges of the individual RN and to mitigate rulings at the Offices of Professional Discipline.

From Individual Protection to Advocacy

When regularly used by nurses at a worksite, Protests of Assignment can be used to track patterns and provide a record of understaffing that help nurses push for better staffing at labor-management meetings, contract negotiations, regulatory filings, lobbying sessions, and safe staffing campaigns.

At Westchester Medical Center, nurses ran a POA campaign to demonstrate consistent understaffing in several units. The majority of POAs filed were signed by several nurses. As a result of this meticulous documentation, nurses improved the safe staffing language in their contract and were able to win additional nurses in the most critically understaffed units.

POAs at ECMC

Nurses at ECMC are planning to restart POA committees to document where there are consistent staff shortages. Currently, many managers do not see POAs as an indicator of an acute staffing shortage that needs to be immediately resolved. Clearly, we have a lot of work ahead of us.

“I tell nurses on my unit, which is regularly understaffed on the 3-7 PM shift and the night shift, to just fill out the POA,” explained Michele LaRiviere, RN, from 7Zone1, an Ortho/Med-Surg unit. “Management may not respond and do the right thing, but you still need to cover yourself—and POAs are about your safety, as much as your patients.’”

Kena’s Corner

Kena’s Corner is a new feature where ECMC and Terrace View LTC nurses hear directly from Chiqkena “Kena” Collins, RN, NYSNA’s Western Regional Director and the Critical Care Specialty Representative on NYSNA’s Executive Board at ECMC. She delivers the latest news and perspectives from leadership to keep members informed about our union.

Q: There’s always a lot happening at ECMC and in Western New York. What’s the latest?

A: The union movement can seem like it moves slow at times, but I feel like this is a time when we’re making great movement. Our union reps have been instrumental in motivating people and identifying leaders. I think we’re starting to see that strength and unity make a difference at the bargaining table here and in the County, as well as in Albany.

Nurses at the Erie County Health Department just ratified a great new contract. I sat in on their meetings and negotiations. They knew that all of ECMC and NYSNA was ready to show our solidarity and help them win the best possible contract.

I travelled to Albany recently to meet with the New York State Department of Health, which is studying safe staffing at the moment with the goal of producing a report before the state legislature starts up again in January. NYSNA was the first group to meet with the DOH, and we were really able to make our case and set the tone.

We had research and political experts speak on safe staffing, as well as nurses representing public and private hospitals upstate and downstate. I think we demonstrated to regulators that this is an issue that afects everyone, and the scope of the study needs to be statewide. The DOH had some questions about costs reflecting the Hospital Association’s misinformation that the costs are too high. We emphasized the cost offsets and associated savings with safe staffing. I was proud that NYSNA is there — where and when it matters most.

Q: Something like 99.9% of nurses at ECMC are in our union. Why do you think that matters?

A: Now, you have the choice to be a part of the union. We couldn’t be as strong as we are without a unified membership. Management sees us turning out to bargaining and wearing red—they know we’re ready to fight. The fact that our members are standing behind the union makes a big impact at the bargaining table. This is how we get everything our membership deserves and more.

ECMC Nurses Connect with Community During Juneteenth Celebration

UPCOMING EVENTS (For more information or to register, ask your NYSNA Rep)

BARGAINING SESSIONS July 22 & 23, HR Training Room

MEDICAL MISSION TO JAMAICA August 12-18, Jamaica

PSYCHIATRIC NURSING CERT. REVIEW October 10 & 11, ECMC

MED-SURGE NURSING CERT. REVIEW October 16, ECMC 3 rd Floor Board Rm.

NYSNA CONVENTION October 29 & 30, Albany

Interested in being a delegate and making sure your coworkers and issues are being represented?

Contact Jennifer.Valentin@nysna.org

Stay connected: join our Facebook group!

www.facebook.com/ groups/eriecountynysna/

Executive Committee

Kevin Donovan, Vice Co-Chair, 7 Zone 4

Karen Green, Terrace View Vice Co-Chair, Supervisor

Heather Scott, Secretary, Behavioral Health Clinics

Cathy Bystrak, Grievance Chair, MLK & Cazenovia

Lisa Nowak, Terrace View Grievance Chair, Canal

Ray Rebmann, Membership Chair, 7 Zone 1

Rachel Larkin, Behavioral Health Specialty 1, 5 South

Sarah Ott, Behavioral Health Specialty 2, 5 South

Tamara Barr, Critical Care Specialty Rep , TICU

Chiqkena “Kena” Collins, Critical Care Specialty Rep, MICU & Western NY Regional Director

Loretta Palermo, Emergency Dept. Specialty, ED

Dana Bellido-Clark, Med/Surg Specialty

Shawntres Currin, Med/Surg Specialty, 7 Zone 2

Sherry Thomas, OR/Recovery Specialty, PACU

Elizabeth McRae, TV Specialty 1, Naval Park

Steve Bailey, Terrace View Specialty 2, Kensington

Murnita Bennett, At-Large, Care Management

Floor Delegates

Dana Brown, Anesthesiology

Dionna Vasquez, Care Management

Deanna McCray, Outpatient Dialysis

Shawn Mitchell, 5 North

Alicia Geiss

Shannon Mahar

Matt Botticelli, 6 North

Tara Hill, 9 Zone 3

Jennifer Greene, 9 Zone 4

Katrina Reynolds, 9 Zone 4

Cynthia Dwyer, 7 Zone 1

Mackenzie DeCarlo, CPEP

Ykeeta Henderson, CPEP

Amina Shaibi, CPEP

Ben Stanford, Unit Manager Delegate

Colleen Casali, ASU

Valeta Dunn, 8 Zone 1

Alexandra Vasquez, 8 Zone 1

Christa Poteat, 8 Zone 2

Lee Barnett, OR

Liam Morrissey, OR

Jennifer Brinkworth, 4 Zone 4

Avneet Jacob, 12 Zone 2

Dylan Deabold, 12 Zone 2

Khadija Hatten, 12 Zone 3

If you’d like to join our leadership team, speak to a Delegate, or contact your Rep.