NEW YORK NURSE: September 2008
by Nancy Webber
On Aug. 14, Gov. David Paterson signed the new state law that will prohibit employers from forcing nurses to work beyond their normally scheduled hours.
With this stroke of the pen, New York joins ten other states with similar legislation. An additional three states have regulations that ban mandatory overtime.
“This is a victory for both nurses and patients,” said Tina Gerardi, NYSNA chief executive officer. “For years, our members and registered nurses in general have described cases where they were forced to work beyond the point where they believed they could provide safe care. Patients will be safer because of this law.”
The law goes into effect on July 1, 2009. For the full text of the new law, visit “Legislative Advocacy” at www.nysna.org.