NYC Nurses Vote To Ratify Contract For Increased Pay, Safe Staffing Ratios
A majority of union nurses that work at NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals voted Thursday to ratify a four-year contract with the hospital that includes the establishment of minimum staffing ratios among other provisions, according to a Facebook post from the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). About 91 percent of the nurses at the hospital voted to ratify the contract agreement, according to the post. NYSNA members and representatives from some of the state’s largest hospitals reached the tentative contract agreement last Tuesday, ending a months-long feud and preventing a major nurse strike. The four-year contract includes a $100 million agreement to hire nearly 1,000 additional staff members at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Montefiore, and Mount Sinai hospitals, a minimum wage increase of three percent annually and an extended window for nurse retiree health benefits. The provision of the contract praised the most by supporters on social media—and that was often the source of escalating tension between union members and the hospitals—was the agreement to create unit-specific staffing grids that would establish minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. This is the first time minimum staffing levels have been “spelled out in the contract with a meaningful enforcement mechanism,” according to a press release from NYSNA. Once both parties agree on the minimum staffing levels, a third-party arbitrator will be responsible for enforcing those levels and changing them based on patient census and acuity changes, according to the contract. Anthony Ciampa, first vice president of the New York State Nurses Association told the New York Times this agreement marks a groundbreaking achievement in addressing staffing issues statewide. “This is going to have a very positive impact, and it will be the trendsetter of the industry,” Ciampa told New York Times. “What we decide in these major city hospitals tends to set the framework for other hospitals.” Details of the full agreement can be view below:
New York Nurses Set April Strike Date At 3 Hospital Systems
Registered nurses at three New York healthcare systems issued a 10-day strike notice on Monday, amid claims of unsafe working conditions caused by inadequate staffing, according to a recent union press release. New York State Nurses Association members delivered the strike notice to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Montefiore, and Mount Sinai hospitals and set the strike date for April 2. The strike could affect more than 10,000 nurses at the three hospitals, according to the union, which have been in contract negotiations for several months with the New York City Hospital Alliance. More than 8,000 members of the nurses union voted earlier this month to authorize a strike if necessary. Union contracts at the facilities ended on December 31, but both parties have met about 30 times at barganing sessions with limited progress, according to an ABC 7 NY report. “Now is the time that all New Yorkers must have what they need and deserve,” Robin Krinsky, RN, NYSNA Board Member and negotiating committee member at Mount Sinai, said in a NYSNA Facebook post. “Safe patient care by educated professional nurses who know how to provide excellent care each and every time a patient requires it.” The union claims nurses are working with anywhere from 9 to 10 patients at at once, and has protested in support of legislation that would establish mandated nurse-to-patient ratios. A “Safe Staffing For Quality Care Act” bill that would establish mandated ratios statewide was reintroduced during this year’s legislative session, and is currently in committee for review. Advocates have pushed for mandated ratios since 2009, when a version of the bill was first introduced.
Michigan Medicine, Nurses Union Members Reach Tentative Agreement
Michigan Medicine and nurses with the University of Michigan Professional Nurses Council (UMPNC) reached a tentative three-year contract agreement last Friday, according to a UMPNC press release. “Details of the tentative agreement will be discussed at membership meetings, and nurses will have the final say through a ratification vote,” Katie Oppenheim, nurse and chair of the Michigan Nurses Association, said in the press release. “Our bargaining team is recommending this agreement because it will allow nurses to continue to provide world-class care. We are proud of our nurses and their ongoing dedication to patients.” UMPNC is an affiliate of the Michigan Nurses Association and represents more than 5,700 nurses at University of Michigan Health System facilities. More than 4,000 of those members voted in September to authorize their bargaining team to implement a three-day hospital strike if an agreement could not be made. David Spahlinger, M.D., president of the University of Michigan Health System and executive vice dean for clinical affairs of the University of Michigan Medical School, said the system is pleased they could reach this agreement. “Reaching a resolution is the best possible outcome for our hospital employees, our patients and our community,” Spahlinger said in a press release. “We all care deeply about our patients and our top priority is to ensure our patients receive the highest quality of care. We know families and patients choose Michigan Medicine because of our devoted teams of faculty and staff, including our excellent nurses. We are eager to move forward together.” Full details of the agreement will be discussed at UMPNC member meetings, and a ratification vote is scheduled from October 7-10, according to the UMPNC website.