NEW YORK NURSE: September 2009
by Mark Genovese
At its meeting in July, the National Executive Board of the National Federation of Nurses (NFN) approved position statements on two issues confronting union nurses throughout the nation.
The board voiced its support for the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow employees to choose between majority signup and an NLRB election when they want to organize. The difference will be that workers will decide, instead of management. The act will impose stiffer financial penalties on employers who engage in illegal activity and will guarantee that new bargaining units have a smoother road to negotiating a first contract.
The NFN board also advocated for an amendment to the Pension Protection Act in order to prevent losses in retirement benefits for nurses who are enrolled in employer-funded defined benefit pension plans. NYSNA nurses participated in a “go green” campaign last spring to prevent disruption of their benefits due to the downturn in the economy.
Each member of the NFN has two seats on the National Executive Board. NYSNA’s representatives are Winifred Kennedy (Maimonides Medical Center) and Eileen Dunn (St. Vincents Medical Center – Manhattan).
Check the NFN website (www.nfn.org) soon for these position statements and other NFN news.