SEPTEMBER 2018
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS The settlement is a victory for all nurses and a testament to the hard, physically demanding work that nurses do every day for those in need of care in the public hospitals. It is an acknowledgement of the injustice done to our sister and brother nurses who were denied recognition of the difficult nature of our work, all based on the discriminatory perception that nurses are mostly women and women’s work isn’t physically strenuous.” - Anne Bové, RN, NYSNA Board of Directors and former President of NYCH+H/Mayorals Executive Committee
NYC H+H Nurses Get LongOverdue Recognition Nursing is a rewarding profession—but it is also physically taxing. Between the hours on our feet, the strain of lifting and transporting patients and equipment, the exposure to communicable diseases, and environmental hazards and workplace violence, nursing is one of the most physically strenuous professions there is. Now the City of New York is recognizing what nurses have known all along—all thanks to the perseverance of NYSNA nurses! From 1968 to 2012, the City recognized several professions as “physically taxing,” allowing workers in certain city pension plans, including bricklayers, mechanics, EMTs and others—notably in male-dominated professions—to contribute more money to their pensions and retire as early as age 50 with a full pension. Nurses were excluded from this list of professions—until now. Starting in 2004, Anne Bové, RN and NYSNA Board Member, spearheaded the effort to recognize nursing as a physically taxing profession. Along with a group of H+H nurses, she appealed directly to the City, yet was denied by the Bloomberg administration. Anne then brought the issue to the NYSNA Delegate As-
sembly Committee for Legislation to lobby the City Council and the State Legislature. When those efforts stalled, NYSNA nurses collected more than 1,000 individual gender discrimination complaints that were filed simultaneously with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC agreed with NYSNA nurses that the City’s decision to exclude nurses—a female-dominated profession—from the list of physically taxing professions violated workplace discrimination rules, and it referred the matter to the Department of Justice. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, based in Brooklyn, conducted it own investigation, sided with the nurses again, and pursued a settlement with the City. Now, more than 1,600 NYSNA nurses who could have qualified for physically taxing pension rights—but were denied by the City—will receive monetary damages from a $20.8 million settlement! Soon, affected nurses will receive notices about the case and their proposed settlement payments. Thanks to NYC H+H nurses for once again proving that anything is possible through our unity, persistence, and courage of our convictions! Do You Qualify to Receive Settlement Money? Find out more here: http://bit.ly/phystax
WE ARE NURSES, WE ARE NYSNA!
NYSNA Wins Retro Pay for More Nurses NYSNA nurses were thrilled when the de Blasio Administration negotiated a new contract and began paying nurses our “retro” raises that we should have received under the previous administration. Unfortunately, nurses who were out on leave in December 2015 or December 2017 did not receive their retro payments when they returned to work. Instead of paying RNs promptly when they returned from leave, the City and NYC H+H sought to: (1) delay the payment until the next retroactive payment date—if and only if—a member was on active duty at the time of the next retro payment date, and (2) delay all subsequent payments so that RNs would never receive more than one payment on any given retro payment date. As a result, RNs on unpaid maternity/ paternity leave, child care leave, FMLA and workers’ compensation would have had their retroactive payments delayed for years. Delaying retro payments has had a real financial impact on our members. Getting injured on the job, having children, or using FMLA for a medical condition or to care for a loved one should not mean that RNs are punished with years-long delay of pay! Other unions had agreed to delayed payments and NYSNA was told we had no chance to win this. These missed and delayed retro payments only affected a small portion of our members—approximately 200 in 2015 and 250 in 2017. Nonetheless, we fought for two years through arbitration to win justice—and fair pay— for all of our members. Bellevue nurse Marie Paris-Wilson, BSN, RN explained, “I felt really upset because I was banking on that payment while I was on maternity leave. I have three small children now, the transmission had just gone out on my car, and I had expenses.” At our final arbitration hearing in mid-July, ten RNs came out and cheered after hearing that they would now receive their retro pay in a timely manner. “That meeting was inspiring,” said Gyladem Quinto, RN, from Jacobi, who was out on maternity leave during the 2017 payment. “We know that it’s technically
The fact that nurses came to speak out at this meeting made me very proud. I’m glad we took on this fight. It showed that nurses aren’t just going to take whatever comes to them. We’re going to speak out, protest, and get results from doing that.” - Rosemarie Mason, RN Jacobi ER trauma nurse who missed the 2015 and 2017 retro payments after hurting her back at work our money, but it’s also theirs to give. It’s a matter of H+H honoring the contract, but it can be hard to fight the system. I’m looking forward to my check. With a new baby, getting this money will be a great help.” Now, nurses who were on leave during the 12/21/15 or 12/21/17 retro payments will receive their retro payments in a more timely manner. Currently, NYSNA is working closely with the City to ensure these long overdue payments are made as soon as possible. Moving forward, RNs who take unpaid leave during any scheduled retro payment date (12/21/18, 12/21/19, or 12/21/20) should notify NYC H+H Payroll and the Office of Labor Relations as soon as they return to work, so they can receive the payment(s) owed no later than 90 days following their return to active status. Also as part of the settlement, RNs who resign but return to their position within 31 days of such separation do not forfeit their retroactive payments. RNs who resign but are re-hired after 31 days shall be treated as a new hire and have their lump sums, if any, calculated from the date of re-employment. If you were on leave during a scheduled retro payment, or are returning after resigning and have questions about retro payments, please contact your NYSNA Representative. Impacted nurses can look forward to more status updates soon!
SEPTEMBER 2018
A Newsletter for NYSNA RNs at NYC Health + Hospitals
“I’m happy to see my fellow union members out here rallying against racism and sexism and for respect from management,” said Marsha Wilson, RN and Lincoln LBU President. “This is what nurses are all about, and this is what our union is all about.” Lincoln nurses were joined by dozens more nurses and supporters, picketing and chanting for more than an hour outside Lincoln.
Lincoln Nurses Battle Discrimination Everyone deserves equal opportunity. That’s why nurses at NYC H+H/Lincoln were outraged about what they allege is racial and gender discrimination in promotions at the hospital. Recently, several women of color were overlooked for promotion for three new unadvertised positions, which were handed to white male colleagues. When these nurses spoke up, Lincoln managers posted the positions publicly, but then “lost” their applications, ultimately hiring the same hand-picked candidates. Lincoln nurses were joined by their colleagues throughout the H+H system, and by NYSNA’s leadership, including President Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, RN, to speak out against discrimination at a rally in front of Lincoln on August 1. “There is no place for this kind of discrimination and disparate treatment—at Lincoln, in NYC H+H, or anywhere!” said Judith Cutchin, RN and President of NYSNA’s NYC H+H Executive Council, as she spoke out at the lively rally. Lorraine Pierre, RN, a Lincoln ER nurse, explained to the crowd, “The leadership at Lincoln does not yet reflect the staff or the patients we care for. We want a level playing field so everyone has a fair and equal chance to grow into their career. Management should give the nurses who do the hard work and show up every day the respect and dignity that we deserve.” Dozens of nurses from practically every unit in the hospital streamed out on break to join the protest.
ER nurse Barbara Alaby, RN, traveled from Queens Hospital to show her support, saying “I don’t think discrimination has any place in society or in the workforce. I think people should be promoted based on their ability, not their color. We are here to support Lincoln nurses because we don’t want that treatment at any hospital.” Since the rally, nurses have been pressing NYC H+H to hold management at Lincoln accountable. NYSNA leadership has met with Lincoln and H+H management in the downtown office, which sparked an investigation into discriminatory practices at Lincoln. Nurses are also planning a broad campaign to educate our colleagues, community and elected officials about what is happening in our hospital and to demand an end to discrimination. Like the rally signs say, we won’t stop until we win justice and civil rights for all! To learn more about how you can show your solidarity with Lincoln nurses, please contact henry.rose@nysna. org.
UPCOMING EVENTS
(For more information or to register, ask your NYSNA Rep or visit www.nysna.org/events)
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CHARTING WITH A JURY IN MIND PT. 1
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PEDIATRIC NURSING CERT. REVIEW
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PEDIATRIC CCRN CERT. REVIEW
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NYSNA DELEGATE TRAINING
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PACU NURSING CERT. REVIEW
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PED. HEMATOLOGY/ONCOLOGY REVIEW
September 12, NYSNA NYC Office September 24-25, NYSNA NYC Office September 27-28, NYSNA NYC Office October 3, 4-6 PM NYSNA NYC Office October 4-5, NYSNA NYC Office October 10, NYSNA NYC Office
NEW: Must-have FREE course in September and October for Psych Nurses looking to become certified. Visit http://bit.ly/psychcourse Register with your Rep for a fall Inter-regional meeting! • October 11: Brooklyn • October 16: Bronx and Queens
NYSNA nurses in the Bronx were excited to participate in the Bronx Celebrates Breastfeeding event at Borough Hall on 8/23.
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
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