Grievances and Unit Issues
A class action grievance was heard regarding the floating of ICU RNs outside of their clinical division without their consent. The Hospital acknowledged the contract violation but failed to provide a remedy. There was also no commitment to adhere to the contract should the situation arise again. NYPNU notified the Hospital that this is an inadequate response and demanded that the Hospital provide appropriate remedies, such as posting Level IV float positions and hiring critical care per diems.
NYPNU has filed a class action grievance over the Hospital's failure to properly orient RNs who float to the ER. The grievance hearing will include NYPNU members from units that regularly float to the ER as well as members on the ER staff.
A separate class action grievance was filed on behalf of ER staff nurses who were unable to take their full breaks because it would have resulted in leaving the unit entirely in the hands of float nurses and supplemental staff. There have been times when only 3 of the 10 people working in the ER were regular ER staff. This is a hardship for the nurses who float to the ER and the ER staff RNs as well as for the ER patients. The ER's excessive reliance on supplementation has been necessitated by management's failure to fill 5 vacancies on each shift.
A number of Beth Israel North Orthopedic surgeons have joined the LHH staff. The nurses on 9 Uris and PACU have raised concerns regarding the inability to achieve optimal delivery of care for their patients due to interrupted resident coverage during the evening and night shift as well as the difficulty in maneuvering patients in Ortho beds through the 3rd floor PACU. The Union
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has addressed these concerns with the administration, and we are awaiting their response.
A grievance filed in June regarding the staffing and mandatory overtime in the ASC was heard. Management agreed that the ASC staff was being inappropriately utilized to cover an area that had its own staff.
Staff/Management Committee
Nurses interested in serving on this Committee in 2005 should contact the NYPNU office. The Committee is comprised of an equal number of Union and management representatives who meet once a month for one hour to recommend policies on contract implementation and consider problems that can be better addressed outside the formal grievance procedure. Currently the committee is defining appropriate charge responsibilities.
New NYPNU Web Site
We have redesigned the NYPNU web site to give it a sleeker more professional appearance while maintaining all the great content you have come to expect. Remember that you can take the infection control test in the members' only section of the website. Log on and check it out at www.nypnu.org.
Ask for a Delegate
The Supreme Court's Weingarten decision gives all union members a legal right to have a delegate present at any meeting with management that could lead to discipline. However this right cannot be enforced if you fail to request a delegate. Don't go into a meeting with a supervisor without asking what will be discussed in advance, and be sure to exercise your rights.
REMINDER
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
OCTOBER 27, 2004
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