Mount Vernon nurses to protest on April 18

Angry about management’s demands, deception, and delays

MOUNT VERNON, April 11, 2012 – Even though Mount Vernon Hospital is making a surplus, management claims it can’t afford quality health insurance, a decent pension, or a competitive wage for its registered nurses.

With all of the hospital’s demands for givebacks, deception about its financial status, and continued delays at the negotiating table, Mount Vernon nurses are wondering if management wants to keep them around at all.

The RNs – represented by the New York State Nurses Association – are currently negotiating a new contract to replace a four-year agreement that expired on Aug. 15, 2010.

The nurses say that management’s attempts to wear them down are futile. Nurses will conduct an informational picket on Wednesday, April 18, from noon to 1:30 p.m., in front of the hospital at 12 North 7th Ave.

Because of management’s dodging, negotiations scheduled for April 18 and 27 will be the first sessions since Jan. 23. These are the only two sessions scheduled.

Its corporate parent, the Sound Shore Health System, is insisting on concessions from the RNs on the cost and coverage of health insurance and an “undefined” salary increase – which the nurses know will be close to zero. It also wants to freeze the nurses’ experience scales.

Nurses will be available at the event to discuss the issues in detail.

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

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