Grievances and Unit Issues

• NYPNU successfully mediated three outstanding grievances with the Hospital.
  
  1. The Hospital committed to adding monitor nurses on all telemetry floors that do not already have them. There is no change in the nurse/patient ratios; it remains 1:4 for intermediate patients and 1:6 for telemetry patients. A monitor nurse will be added on 9 Lachman after money from the capital budget has been secured to install a monitor bank.
  2. The Union recovered nearly $40,000 in additional float pay for ICU RNs who served as ade facto SWAT team float pool from the time that MICU and SICU merged in May 2004 until July 14, 2005.
  3. To address ER understaffingand decrease floating to the ER, we obtained a commitment from the Hospital to make the unit’s schedule available to NYPNU 30 days in advance of the time block and to discuss with the Union the plan of action for filling “holes” in the schedule.
• As a result of an arbitration postponement agreement, the Hospital hired 3 additional RNs and introduced 12-hour shifts in the EPS Lab. This has substantially reduced the amount of mandatory overtime that nurses must work when procedures run late at the end of the day. The Union and the Hospital agreed to postpone another arbitration scheduled for January 24th to give the parties time to iron out the remaining issues.

Layoff Update

As you know the closure of 7 Wollman and more recently 3 Wollman has resulted in the elimination of all positions on those units. Fortunately, all RNs

have either accepted vacancies or exercised their bumping rights under the contract and are now working on other units. In addition, those RNs who were bumped have been relocated to other areas in the Hospital.

The Union is doing everything in its power to avoid the elimination of more positions, which would most likely result in layoffs. To that end, we have agreed to allow the Hospital to offer an incentive package to nurses 65 and over. The Hospital will provide 4 weeks of severance pay and will pay health insurance premiums for 4 months to ease the transition to Medicare. A similar package may be offered to nurses 62 or older who are eligible for early retirement.

Know Your Contract

Commencing on January 25th, NYPNU will offer monthly know-your-contract breakfasts and luncheons on the last Wednesdayof every month. The breakfastswill be from 8:45 – 9:45am, and the luncheons will be from2:00pm – 3:00pm. This is an opportunity to have all your questions answered. If you plan to attend on January 25th, please RSVP to the Union office at 212-988-5565.

Changes in Nursing Management

The following management employees resigned or retired at the end of 2005 although a few of them are continuing to work per diem: Christine Sheppard, Vice-President of Nursing
Joanne Martin, Director
Elaine Gibbons, Director
Linda Bell, Assistant Director
Marge Kilfeather, Assistant Director 
Jacqueline Megiel-Grassi, Admin. Sys. Coord.

Phyllis Yezzo has been appointed the Acting Director of the Nursing Department.