St. Elizabeth nurses fighting giveback demands

Press Relese: St. Elizabeth nurses to protest Sept. 16

UTICA, July 28, 2009 – Registered nurses at St. Elizabeth Medical Center are saying “No!” to givebacks.

The RNs are currently negotiating a new contract, but management is demanding they give up benefits that are vital to recruiting and retaining highly skilled nurses during a severe nursing shortage.

Nurses are concerned these cuts will drive RNs away from “St E’s” and jeopardize the quality of care provided by the medical center. As a result, the nurses will start a public outreach campaign to expose management’s aggressive tactics and pressure the hospital to negotiate a contract that retains skilled nurses and protects patient care.

The 550 RNs are represented for collective bargaining by the New York State Nurses Association. Their most recent three-year contract expired June 30. During negotiations on Monday, management continued to insist on:

Freezing the defined-benefit pension plan. This is a benefit that draws new nurses to the medical center and helps St E’s keep many experienced RNs.
Doing away with daily calculation for overtime. This means RNs would have to work more than 40 hours in a week to be eligible for overtime, instead of earning overtime for working beyond the end of their shifts. RNs are concerned that experienced nurses would leave St E’s to work at one of the many area hospitals that pay overtime on a daily basis.
Denying wage increases for the first year of the contract, which includes preventing eligible RNs from moving up to the next step on the salary scale.

“The financial givebacks sought by St E’s are misguided and unacceptable,” said Vicky Longo, RN, Nurses Association representative. “Management’s negotiators have already indicated the medical center is not experiencing financial difficulties.”

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is the state's largest union and professional association for registered nurses. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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