Albany Medical Center Nurses walk the picket line in one-day ULP strike

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2020
Contact: Carl Ginsburg | carl.ginsburg@nysna.org | 917-405-1060

**ADVISORY FOR TOMORROW, TUESDAY DECEMBER 1ST**

Albany — Members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) will walk the picket line at Albany Medical Center tomorrow, December 1, in a one-day ULP and safety strike.

WHAT
NYSNA nurses walk the picket lines at Albany Medical Center.

WHEN
TOMORROW, Tuesday, December 1st at 7AM- Wednesday December 2nd at 7AM.

WHERE
Albany Medical Center, 43 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY

Masking and social distancing will be strictly observed.

Nurses have been working under abysmal conditions, without a contract for 2 years.

Hundreds of hospital staff – including almost 500 nurses – have left AMC due to hospital conditions in what one nurse called a “hospital coming apart at the seams.”

Members continue to raise the red flag on three COVID-19 issues in particular.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) calls for masks to be re-used only if there is NOT a 90-day supply of equipment. The state says all hospitals have a 90-day supply. Albany Medical Center says it has a 90-day supply. Why are hospital executives forcing nurses to re-use masks up to 20 times on many different people?

Albany Medical Center must stop moving patients from floor to floor without getting the results of a COVID test back. Why is Albany Medical Center mixing patient populations in a way that could easily spread the virus?

Albany Medical Center created a nurse-to-patient crisis staffing ratio that they are now actively violating. It was essential in the spring for proper patient care and it remains essential for the fall surge.

NYSNA has already filed an OSHA complaint against Albany Medical Center for not protecting its nurses from COVID by neglecting to provide suitable personal protection equipment (PPE).

A copy of the complaint can be found here.

Here are letters from city, county, and state elected leaders asking Albany Medical Center to come back to the negotiating to discuss solutions to the problems.

We believe that these practices create an immediate threat of harm to nurses and patients and should be immediately remedied. Albany Med must address their health and safety concerns and settle a fair contract that protects patients and nurses.

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The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. For more information, please visit nysna.org.