Nurse/Patient Ratio Enforcement Campaign
Members are reminded that in order to enforce our contractual nurse/patient ratios, we must have complete and accurate data from each nursing unit. Please continue to complete the monthly staffing forms provided by NYPNU and submit the forms to the Union office at the end of the month.
Grievances and Unit Issues
Charge/resource Issues: Despite clear contract language limiting the responsibilities of the resource nurse, several nurse managers continue to ask staff RNs to perform additional responsibilities (i.e., bed assignments, taking report for the whole unit, etc.) If a nurse has a patient assignment or watches a monitor, s/he is a resource nurse, not a charge nurse, and cannot be expected to do more than the following:
1) Assure that all staff have reported for duty,
2) Assure that patient assignments are made according to patient acuity and staff competency,
3) Assign breaks and notify the supervisor if nurses are unable to take breaks,
4) Assure that narcotics count and equipment checks are done, and
5) Communicate urgent problems to the supervisor.
On some units where the resource nurse has a reduced patient assignment, managers have questioned whether this language applies. In an exemplary display of solidarity and the power of direct action, the nurses on 9 Uris took matters into their own hands and reassigned the beds so that they are equally distributed among the districts. They then stood firm in insisting on compliance with the contract. Their grievance on ratio violations will be heard on March 24th.
A class action grievance was heard on March 10th regarding a corrective action plan for tardiness that required a nurse to sign in at the NRO at the beginning of each shift. Management's response was due on March 17th.
Staff/Management Committee
The committee continues to seek additional representatives from the NYPNU membership. Meetings are currently held on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 12:00pm. Please contact the Union if you are interested in serving on the committee. The issue of charge nurse responsibilities has been addressed. The committee is now turning its attention to nurse/patient ratios and floating.
Political Action Committee
Edna Igoe, Michelle Kern and Naomi Zauderer represented NYPNU in a meeting with Assemblyman Gottfried, the Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, on February 23rd. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss nurse/patient ratios and health care policy. At this point, the biggest obstacles to nurse/patient ratio legislation in New York State are: 1) the inability of unions representing nurses to agree on a single bill, and 2) the staunch opposition of the hospital industry. Gottfried's staff has offered to work with the nurses' unions to hammer out a consensus bill. In the meantime, the most promising possibility is a bill that requires hospitals to publish their existing nurse/patient ratios. This would enable patients to make informed decisions and illustrate the chronic understaffing problems within the State.
The next meeting of the Political Action Committee will be Wednesday, March 30th at 9:30am. Membership on the committee is open to all NYPNU members. Please join us. Starting in May, committee meetings will be at 9:30am on the first Wednesday of each month. If you are interested in participating, please call the NYPNU office at 212-988-5565 or send an e-mail to nypnu@nypnu.org.
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An 8 Uris class action grievance regarding charge/resource issues, failure to receive breaks, and the performance of non-nursing
functions was heard on 2/23/05. The Hospital has not responded in a timely fashion. The delegates voted to take the matter to arbitration.
A class action grievance on behalf of 4 Lachman/4 East nurses regarding breaks, staffing, and performance of non-nursing was filed on 2/18/05.
In settlement of a class action grievance, the Union and the Hospital reached agreement on the conditions under which nurses may be paid a sick day when 2-hour advance notice is not possible. In unusual circumstances, when a nurse has an accident or becomes ill suddenly, the individual must notify the Nursing Resource Office (NRO) as soon as the problem becomes evident. Documentation that the nurse received medical attention, (i.e., a properly dated doctor's note) will be necessary in order for the member to be paid.
Housing
A. The Hospital is refusing to provide available apartments to nurses claiming that such units will only be provided to Residents. Arbitration on this issue is scheduled for May 10th. In addition, the Hospital refused a nurse's request to move from one LHH apartment to another that had become available. A grievance was filed on 2/10/05.
B. The Hospital has been advised that they have lost the lease on the East 65th Street Building. Nurses affected by this will be offered assistance in finding alternative housing. Apartments must be vacated by 12/31/05.
Diane Greenfeld and Pauline Flaherty represented NYPNU at the California Nurses Association protest against Schwarzenegger at the 21 Club on March 7, 2005.
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