Union to St. E's management: "Listen to your nurses"
Story Created:
Aug 28, 2009 at 11:39 AM EST
Story Updated:
Aug 28, 2009 at 11:39 AM EST
UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Hospitals are where we go to heal but a very public wound between one local hospital and its nurses seems to be growing.
The contract between Saint Elizabeth Medical Center and more than 500 nurses expired in January. Negotiations have not gone well, so the New York State Nurses Association, which represents the nurses, has launched a public awareness campaign. Signs reading, "St. E's, listen to your nurses!" dot lawns throughout the Utica area. The NYSNA also took out a half-page ad in the Utica Observer Dispatch conveying the same sentiments.
Among the sticking points in negotiations:
- Freezing the defined-benefit pension plan, which NYSNA says draws new nurses and helps retain experienced RNs.
- Doing away with daily calculation overtime.
- Denying wage increases for the first year of the contract.
"...during this difficult time of decreased state and federal health care reimbursement, we must remain fiscally responsible to the communities we serve.," says hospital Human Resources Spokesperson Patrick Buckley.
Union officials say that, by continuing to demand these sticking points, the hospital runs the risk of losing qualified nurses.
"Many registered nurses from St. Elizabeth's are telling us they're considering leaving because they believe that without a quality pension plan, there's nothing special to keep them there," says Spokesperson Mark Genovese.
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