ELLIS NURSES TO PICKET FOR SAFE STAFFING
NYSNA nurses at Ellis Medicine are sounding the alarm on cuts to healthcare services and management’s attempt to reduce nurse staffing
Contact: Eliza Bates | press@nysna.org| 646-285-8491
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org| 646-853-4489
Schenectady, N.Y.– On Tuesday, April 16 at 11 AM, NYSNA nurses from Ellis Medicine will hold an informational picket to sound the alarm on patient care at their hospital. Nurses are fighting for a fair union contract that guarantees there are always enough nurses at the bedside to provide safe, quality care. At the bargaining table, Ellis management is asking to make safe staffing ratios less safe, adding to overworked nurses’ already high patient load. Nurses will be joined on the picket line by community and labor allies, clergy, and elected leaders.
WHO: More than a hundred NYSNA nurses at Ellis Hospital and Bellevue Woman’s Center; NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN; NYSNA nurses from Albany Medical Center and Nathan Littauer Hospital; and allies including: Mark Emanatian, Capital District Area Labor Federation; Seth Cohen, New York State United Teachers; Rashida Taylor, New York State Council of Churches; Schenectady County Legislator Michelle Ostrelich; West McNeal NYS Labor Religion Coalition.
WHAT: Picket for safe staffing
WHEN: Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 11AM-1:30PM, Speaking Program Starts at 12PM
WHERE: Ellis Hospital, 1101 Nott St, Schenectady, NY 12308
Ellis Medicine nurses are concerned that the cuts made since the merger agreement with St. Peter’s will exacerbate the chronic understaffing that is already pervasive at the hospital. NYSNA researchers analyzed staffing data across six units of the hospital from February to November 2023. They found that overall, day and night shifts on these units were understaffed over 90 percent of the time.
Since the merger agreement, Ellis has also reduced essential healthcare services like overnight emergency services in Clifton Park and inpatient adolescent mental health care at Ellis Hospital. Nurses are concerned by St. Peter’s track record on healthcare service closures. Right now, St. Peter’s is trying to permanently close the Burdett Birthing Center of Samaritan Hospital in Troy.
Meanwhile, according to 990 financial filings, Ellis Medicine CEO Paul Milton’s total compensation leaped from $679,072 to $765,742 in 2020 – the worst year of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s a 12.7 percent increase. In 2021, he made a whopping $794,474 in total compensation. Three other Ellis Medicine execs made approximately half a million dollars that year.
In March, Ellis nurses leafletted the community to ask for support. Nurses are asking community members to email the Ellis and St. Peter’s CEOs to demand that they prioritize patient care, stop service cuts, and settle a fair contract so nurses can provide the best care for their patients and the community. The email template can be found at bit.ly/ellis-medicine-letter.
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The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.
