Contract Updates – Mount Sinai South Nassau Nurses | New York State Nurses Association

Our bargaining platform:

We, the undersigned NYSNA members at Mount Sinai South Nassau, are committed to bargaining and winning a great first contract that benefits our patients, our community, our profession, and ourselves! We are in support of the Bargaining Committee and we are united in gaining these core demands:

Enforceable Safe Staffing Ratios.
Economic Incentives and Wage Increases that retain and recruit nurses.
Improved Benefits that protect & uphold the dignity of our nurses, now and in the future.
Improved Working Conditions and Enhanced Quality of Life: health & safety protections, professional development, just & equitable professional practices, and vacation and benefit time

Latest Contract Updates

November 12
For weeks management has not made any economic proposals or responded to our economic proposals on some of the most important issues for our contract: wages, differentials, benefits, and staffing.

Instead, hospital management has said they are not ready (yet) because the staffing proposals for each unit are too big for them to know where to start. This argument appears to be a stall tactic, but in the interest of moving bargaining forward, in our November 6 negotiations, we modified our staffing proposals. We expected management would be ready to give their economic proposals, but they said they still need more time. We expect to hear their economic proposals at this week's bargaining session on Thursday, November 14.

Additionally, management brought forward that they plan to continue giving annual increases on schedule in December. Not only is continuing this practice of annual raises the right thing to do but also required while we bargain the contract.

October 15
Progress Made at the Table on the Following:

Clinical Advancement Program (CAP): We are proposing to keep CAP and make it more accessible. Management is considering our proposal to change reapplication to every two years instead of annually, making CAP easier to keep after initial application. We proposed maintaining the current rates but management is not agreeing to the rates at this time.
Sick Leave: The union is trying to expand protection for sick leave use, we are in discussions and are close to an agreement.
Association Business: Both parties revisited and discussed local and general representative’s access to conduct union business in the hospital

Victory! We won our case proving nurses have the right to form, join, and assist the union! Mount Sinai South Nassau is now required to publicly post they broke labor law and must reinstate Marylene Teopengco-Merritt.

October 1
On October 1, 2024, the NYSNA Executive Committee put forward a proposal to management to maintain the Clinical Advancement Program (CAP). Our proposal seeks to:

PROTEST the Clinical Advancement Program in a legally binding contract, so management. cannot eliminate CAP or make arbitrary changes to CAP requirements.

STANDARDIZE the approval process so management cannot unreasonably withhold approval or advancement.

EXTEND the evaluation period for maintaining CAP level from one year to three years, so nurses can maintain their level for longer without reapplying - while still protecting our ability to apply for advancement annually.

SECURE the CAP level of nurses who transfer between units, so that nurses are not discourage from or penalized for

For years, management has made arbitrary decisions about CAP without nurse input: using favoritism and personal opinion to decide who advances, and making unexpected changes that force nurses into taking pay cuts.

We deserve a Clinical Advancement Program that is fair and secured in our contract!

Sept 27, 2024
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER- NYSNA nurses from Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, West and other NYSNA facilities in Long Island banded together to meet and greet NYSNA members at Mount Sinai South Nassau on September 20th. Nurses spoke to other nurses and affirmed that when we stay together in a for dignity, respect, safe staffing and better working conditions, we win. Join us at the next negotiation date is on October 1 at 10:00 a.m. at 1000 S Oyster Bay Rd. Hicksville, NY.

Sept 20, 2024
ONE NYSNA FAMILY – Management canceled the last 2 negotiation sessions, how disrespectful! Quit stalling- we demand our NYSNA Contract Now! We expose and oppose Management’s refusal to treat South Nassau as a full and equal part of the Mount Sinai health system. NYSNA and its over 42,000 strong NYSNA members are committed to resist and fight back against this big bad boss. Our year-long fight to a fair contract and for meaningful change is a fight for dignity and respect, it is a fight for justice and most of all, it is a battle to achieve quality care for our patients and our community. We are steadfast in this fight, in solidarity we fight and stand - and when we fight, we win!

SHOW YOUR POWER AND WEAR YOUR NYSNA BUTTON:
It is against the law for a supervisor to tell you that you cannot join a protected union activity or wear a sticker/button or to threaten you with discipline for doing so.
Step 1 – Put the button on when your shift begins and wear it all day.
Step 2 – Take a photo with a friend in a non-patient care area and share on social media using #RespectNYSNAMSSN #Safestaffingsaveslives
and tag @nynurses
Step 3 – Know your rights and immediately inform a union representative or delegate if management tells you to take your button off.
Ask “Will I be disciplined if I don’t take it off?”
Step 4 - Complete this form to report https://forms.office.com/r/CzWvB0bVwh

Send a Message to Mount Sinai Leadership: South Nassau Nurses Deserve a Fair Contract!

Upcoming Bargaining Dates

Next Contract Negotiations are on Wednesday, Nov. 6, Thursday, Nov. 14, and Thursday, Nov. 21.

10:00 a.m., 1000 S Oyster Bay Rd. Hicksville, NY

CONTACT INFORMATION:

If you have any questions or wish to be involved in contract negotiations, please contact your Mount Sinai staff reps or members of the Executive Committee at mssnec@nysna.org.

Staff Representatives:
Anne Naguit (646) 491-1419, anne.naguit@nysna.org
Elizabeth Eisenberg, (917) 854-4570, elizabeth.eisenberg@nysna.org

MSSN Executive Committee Members:
Marianne Gale (Interventional Radiology) ext. 3047
Kathy Harrington (Ambulatory Surgery) ext. 3985
Christine Moran (Maternity)
Kim Puccio (Cath lab)
William Campanella (ED)
Nancy Garcia (Labor and Delivery) ext. 3970

BACKGROUND

In January 2022, approximately 800 nurses at Mount Sinai South Nassau on Long Island successfully won union recognition and unionized with NYSNA. As the last non-union facility in the entire Mount Sinai health system, nurses were ready to have a seat at the table to win a fair contract that improves care and uplifts standards at the hospital.

The victory came on the heels of a massive nurse strike, where NYSNA nurses at New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital went on strike for three days to achieve groundbreaking tentative agreements that improved safe staffing levels and enforcement, increased wages by 19% over the three-year contract period, protected healthcare benefits, and improved pandemic health and safety and community benefits.

Mount Sinai South Nassau nurses have been fighting for a fair contract ever since. Management at Mount Sinai South Nassau continues to stall and pushback against the efforts of nurses to have a voice at every step of the way. Today, they have still failed to respond to the biggest and most important contract proposals made by the nurses. South Nassau nurses deserve a fair contract now, and will not stop fighting for change.

WEINGARTEN RIGHTS

If a supervisor or the boss asks questions that could lead to disciplinary action, NYSNA members have the right to ask for a NYSNA steward or other union officer.