News Briefs: November/December 2014
Victory! Arbitrator awards NYSNA and NS-LIJ Southside Labor and Delivery Staffing
This is a victory for safe patient care!
The labor and delivery unit night shift at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Southside Hospital was left without sufficient auxiliary staff for months, potentially jeopardizing patient care.
An arbitrator held that this violates the CBA regarding non-nursing functions, and the employer must provide adequate auxiliary staff to reduce assignment of non-nursing functions to the RNs.
“New York” Magazine names Bellevue caregivers a top “Reason to Love New York”
Congratulations to Bellevue Hospital nurses and caregivers, who were recognized in December by New York magazine for extraordinary efforts in caring for Dr. Craig Spencer. In November, Dr. Spencer left Bellevue Ebola-free after contracting the disease in West Africa.
The magazine acknowledged the work of 119 RNs and caregivers as number 8 in its annual “Reasons to Love New York.”
A sled full of toys
Peconic Bay Medical Center NYSNA Executive Committee members and staff deliver a sled full of toys to the Long Island Council of Churches that were donated by Long Island NYSNA members.
Capital Region nurses in candle light vigil for patient care
NYSNA members stood vigil outside Ellis and Nathan Littauer Hospitals on December 19 to call attention to staffing levels and to issue calls for improved patient care. Other issues raised by the RNs included fair wages and affordable employee health insurance. Without these improvements, hospitals will encounter problems in retaining skilled nurses.
Join NYSNA at the 2015 Black and Puerto Rican Legislators Annual Conference
The 44th Annual Legislative Conference of The New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators will be held February 14, 2015, in Albany, NY. NYSNA will provide buses; if you would like to attend, RSVP to Nina Woodsum at nina.woodsum@nysna.org. Details willl be announced soon!
Capital Region RNs compete in ‘ugly sweater’ contest at holiday Inter-Regional Meeting
It got ugly at the Holiday Inter-regional Meeting on Wed., Dec. 19 when NYSNA Capital Region RNs donned their “ugliest” holiday sweaters to celebrate a year of uniting for patients.
At Ellis Medicine, Bellevue Woman’s Center and Nathan Littauer Hospital, Capital Region members have reached their goal of achieving 80% of nurses who are committed to our quality patient care platform. Members were updated over dinner on union activity, including our push for Single Payer legislation, and were encouraged to press on for fair contracts that keep skilled nurses caring for patients.