Westchester Med nurses to announce lawsuit against county for canceling bus ad

WHITE PLAINS, Aug. 31, 2007 – Registered nurses from Westchester Medical Center will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, to announce that they have filed a lawsuit against the county for canceling their bus advertisement. The press conference will be held in front of the State Court House at 111 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in White Plains.

The medical center’s 1,300 RNs, represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), have been working without a contract since April 1, 2006. This past June, NYSNA arranged to purchase advertising in support of the nurses on several county-owned Bee-Line buses. But prior to the ad’s appearance, NYSNA received word that the county had rejected the ad because “it was too controversial.”

The RNs are also planning to hold a rally at the site to coincide with the press conference.

With more than 34,000 members, NYSNA is the oldest and largest state nurses’ association in the nation. It is an influential union for RNs, representing nurses in New York and New Jersey. Offering a wide range of services to its members, NYSNA fosters high standards of nursing education and practice and works to advance the profession through legislative activity. It is a constituent of the American Nurses Association and of the United American Nurses, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.

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