NYSNA Update: November 15, 2024
Albany Med Nurses Win Arbitration
While management at Albany Med Center continues to drag its feet in delivering a fair contract, nurses are taking action to hold the hospital accountable. This week, nurses won an arbitration case! NYSNA nurses were able to settle a long-standing dispute with management and enforce the existing contract. As part of the contract, Albany Med was supposed to provide uniforms to all nurses. When this didn’t happen, union nurses took action to enforce our contract.
The highlights include:
- Albany Med will pay all nurses who did not receive uniforms.
- Each nurse will receive a payment of either $250 or $150 based on full-time-equivalent status before Christmas.
- Albany Med will provide new uniforms to employees.
- And all employees will be able to obtain additional uniforms in July 2025.
Congratulations are also in order for Albany Med nurses who continue to speak out for safe staffing and a fair contract in the face of boss intimidation. Albany Med’s unlawful behavior and nurses’ brave fight was featured in several press outlets over the weekend, including in the Albany Times Union, CBS 6, and WNYT.
NYP Nurses and Doctors Rally to Keep Rehab Open
On Wednesday, NYSNA nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) Columbia joined with occupational therapists, doctors, patients and community members to rally and spoke out against the proposed closure of NYP’s acute rehab facility. NYP has been pushing forward with a plan to close the rehab unit and permanently convert its 16 beds to medical-surgical unit beds to relieve pressure on the Emergency Department (ED). Healthcare professionals and patients know that relieving pressure at the ED shouldn’t be on the backs of Washington Heights and Inwood rehab patients. State Senator Robert Jackson and Assembly Member Al Taylor spoke out in solidarity, saying, “Community over closures.”
St. Catherine’s Agrees to Hire Additional Nurses After Mediation Win
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, mediation was held for the understaffing in the ED at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center. Nurses spoke about the unsafe staffing issues they’re experiencing, and as a result, the hospital agreed to hire 12 more nurses to fill the staggered shifts in the staffing grid.
Management also agreed to additional language that includes monthly updates on recruitment efforts, release of ED staff to attend these meeting, use of travel nurses, agency and current staff to fill vacancies until proper staff is hired, and agreement on the total number of full-time nurses to staff the ED as per the contract grid. Congratulations, St. Catherine’s ED nurses!