Membership Ratifies New Contract

On October 27th, the NYPNU membership overwhelming voted to ratify our new contract by a 98% margin averting a strike scheduled for November 1st at 7:00am. Despite the Hospital’s financial difficulties, we achieved important improvements in many areas of our contract and fought off major concessions that the Hospital was demanding.

The three-year agreement provides:

Staffing

• No mandatory overtime;
• Improved enforceability of the ratio language;
• Ratios of 1:6 for general medical/surgical floors to be phased in during 2008;
• Ratios of 1:4 for all intermediate/telemetry floors to be phased in during 2008;
• Monitor techs for all intermediate/telemetry units effective immediately;
• Effective upon opening of the new ER, 14 RNs at peak hours;
• Case Managers: 1:25
• Charge RN for all critical care units (days and nights);
• No more “fax and dump”; the ER nurse must speak to a nurse on the receiving unit before sending a patient.

Wages and Benefits

• Base salary increases of $2,000/year; $66,000 in 2007, $68,000 in 2008 and $70,000 in 2009;
• Competitive annual percentage increases and maintenance of unlimited longevity increases;
• Maintenance of current health benefits with no employee contribution to the premium;
• Maintenance of the current defined benefit plan;

• Daily overtime, cancellation pay, and a 15% rate increase over the life of the contract for per diems;
• Night differential increases from $5,200 to $6,000 Orientation pay for SNAP students;
• Easier access to conference days.

This contract is a tremendous victory! The Hospital’s proposals included eliminating the defined benefit plan, reducing long-term disability and life insurance coverage, improving ratios only on the day shift and not until 2009, eliminating emergency days, eliminating the payout of banked vacation time upon resignation, and weakening the mandatory overtime language. By presenting a strong united front, the Union was able to successfully fight all these take backs.

In the General Election, Vote Row E

NYPNU is one of many unions affiliated with the Working Families Party (WFP). The WFP is the fastest growing, most dynamic political party in New York, and it is using its growing power to improve the lives of union members, their families and other low, moderate and middle-income families around the state.

Your vote for Governor this November can make a real difference for New York’s working families. Voting is a personal decision, but NYPNU would like you to consider our recommendation.

We recommend that you vote for Eliot Spitzer for Governor on the Working Families Party line (Row E). By voting for Eliot Spitzer on Row E we can make sure he knows we’re voting for good jobs, workers’ rights, fairer taxes and health care for all.

Please sign a Count on Me pledge online at this link if we can count on you to cast a pro-worker vote this Nov. 7th: http://www.workingfamiliesparty.
org/countonme/union.html.