Seachange Bulletin #123December 8, 2003Seachange Bulletin ArchivesEmail the editorEditorial Comment: Following a computer crash, with hard drive wiped clean, Boston - Responding to mounting evidence that inadequate RN staffing in hospitals threatens patient safety, the state’s Joint Committee on Health Care today favorably reported out legislation to better protect patients by regulating RN-to-patient ratios in Massachusetts hospitals. The legislation has won broad public support and the endorsement of 64 of the state’s most influential health care and consumer advocacy groups, including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Health Care for All, League of Women Voters, Massachusetts Senior Action Council, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Similar bills have been brought before the legislature in past sessions, but never made it out of the Health Care Committee. It has gained ground in the legislature following the release of numerous scientific studies and prestigious reports that clearly demonstrate the link between poor staffing and harm to patients - including a shocking report from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that said errors in Massachusetts hospitals had increased by one-third in the last three years and were up 76 percent from 1996. Calling this "a great day for Massachusetts patients," Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian (D-Waltham), House Chair of the Health Care Committee said, "This legislation will not only protect patients and save lives, it will also save money - as dollars will no longer need to be added to the cost of healthcare each year because of deaths, complications, and medical errors caused by nurses having too many patients to care for at once." ... Affordable Health Insurance for All Massachusetts Residents Constitutional Amendment Passes Major Hurdle The Committee for Health Care for Massachusetts, December 5, 2003 <http://www.healthcareformass.org/press/release-12-05-03.shtml> Cambridge - Today, members of the Committee for Health Care for Massachusetts filed the certified signatures needed to move their initiative petition amending the state constitution to the next stage of consideration. "We are delighted to have passed this milestone," said Dr. John Goodson, committee co-chair. "The collection of over 71,000 certified signatures is a tribute to the hard work of many individuals and organizations across the state. It also reflects the powerful consensus in the Commonwealth that every Massachusetts resident should have access to high quality health care. The ballot question amends the Massachusetts Constitution to make it the Legislature's duty to find a way to make sure no Massachusetts resident lacks affordable, comprehensive and equitably financed health insurance covering all medically necessary health and mental health care services, prescription drugs and devices. If the voters approve this measure in 2006, Massachusetts would be the first state in the nation to make this fundamental principle a part of the state constitution." ... Massachusetts: Nurses Mobilize Join the Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center Nurses <http://www.massnurses.org/Events/2003/11/AA_ST_E.htm> Candlelight Vigil for Safe Staffing and a Fair Contract Monday, December 8, 2003, 4:30 - 6 pm Caritas Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center 736 Cambridge Street, Boston Nurses and their supporters will gather on the corner of Cambridge and Washington Streets. Candles will be provided. The registered nurses represented by the MNA at SEMC have held fifteen negotiating sessions with Caritas management over a new contract, with a number of key issues in dispute, including: * Safe Staffing * Mandatory Overtime * Pension Benefit Protection * Competitive Wages Support the St. E's Nurses as they Fight to Protect Patients and Their Union Rights Directions to SEMC <http://www.massnurses.org/Events/2003/11/AA_ST_E.htm#dir> Workers’ Rights Are Human Rights <http://www.massnurses.org/Events/2003/12/AA_human_rights.htm> National Day of Action: Demand the Freedom to Choose a Union & Bargain Collectively New England Region Event in Boston Wednesday, December 10th 2:00 PM, Workers' Rights Board Hearing State House, Hearing Room B2 Join prominent members of the community as they listen to testimony of workers who were wronged, harassed, threatened, and fired for trying to bring rights to their workplace 3:30 PM, Meet on the Boston Common, Charles and Beacon Streets The Workers’ Rights Board will meet and report their findings to thousands of activists, union members, clergy, and community members 4:00 PM March to the National Labor Relations Board, 10 Causeway Street, Boston We will march to the National Labor Relations Board and deliver our message loud and clear! For more information contact Jobs with Justice @ 617.524.8778 or the Massachusetts AFL-CIO @ 781.324.8230. Organized labor leaders plan day of protest for next week Diane E. Lewis, Boston Globe, December 3, 2003 <http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2003/12/03/organized_labor_lead ers_plan_day_of_protest_for_next_week> Labor leaders around the country will hold a day of protest next week in response to US employers' increased resistance to union organizing efforts, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney said yesterday. The 13-million-member union federation is also supporting proposed legislation to make it easier for workers to join unions. ... Thousands of unionized workers are expected to participate next week, including 5,000 in Massachusetts who will march from the State House to the Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Building downtown before rallying on Boston Common Wednesday afternoon. The AFL-CIO intends to use the protests as a springboard for efforts to educate workers and force political candidates to pay closer attention to workers' needs ... MNA Joins Overtime Pay National Action Plan MNA Position on the Bush Administration’s Proposed Changes to Overtime Laws <http://www.massnurses.org/News/2003/12/overtime.htm> In 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requiring employers to pay workers over time (time and one-half rate) for work beyond 40 hours in a week. But now, the Department of Labor (DOL), directed by the Bush administration, is prepared to implement changes to regulations governing eligibility for overtime pay that will result in over one million workers - including many senior nurses - losing the right to overtime pay. Although some modifications to FLSA may be needed in order to address the issue of rising wages, the MNA believes that the proposed changes go too far. ... These proposed changes highlight the true intent of the Bush administration: to weaken the laws and regulations that protect workers. ... Alberta Nurses union doubts settlement can be reached Susan Ruttan, The Edmonton Journal, November 27, 2003 <http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=357760a8-f857-476a-905c-a2f47d32ab b4> Edmonton - After another tough bargaining session, the United Nurses of Alberta is worried about reaching a negotiated settlement with its employers. The nine health regions' latest proposal, tabled Monday, has increased the number of contract rollbacks sought, David Harrigan, the union's chief negotiator, said on Wednesday. "It's difficult to have a lot of optimism that there's not going to be a crisis. What they did was provide us with a proposal that absolutely was intended to send a message to the members that they're looking for confrontation," he said. While the two sides are scheduled to talk again on Dec. 10, plans for compulsory arbitration are proceeding. ... Harrigan said the union's position remains that binding arbitration isn't an acceptable way to settle the contract dispute. The union appointed its arbitrators only to avoid the government stepping in and appointing one - or ones - on its behalf, he said. ... California Safety on hold Toni Winter, RN, Sebastopol, The Press Democrat, November 27, 2003 <http://www.pressdemocrat.com/opinion/letters/27letts.html> Our new governor has placed a hold on 85 new regulations while he reviews them for "their effect on businesses." One such regulation is the Safe Staffing law, mandating hospital nurse-patient ratios. The California Healthcare Association, a hospital trade group, is concerned about the increased cost when the regulations take effect. Citizens should be concerned about the risks if the law is not implemented. The Department of Health Services conducted detailed hearings before determining the ratios. Other compelling medical research studies released during the past two years have reaffirmed the critical need for safe registered nurse staffing. An Institute of Medicine study, released this month, recognizes "the importance of nurses in creating a safe environment for patients through the care they give and the defense they provide against errors by others." This study follows the devastating 1999 Institute of Medicine report that as many as 98,000 patients die each year as a result of medical errors. Poor working conditions and too few registered nurses increases the risk of patient deaths and injuries. Urge Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to implement the Safe Staffing law. Your life may depend on it. Minimums for nurses necessary Deborah Burger, RN, Los Angeles Daily News, December 1, 2003 <http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~24781~1802567,00.html> For the first time in years, California patients and their families have a reason to look beyond the doom-and-gloom stories that have dominated reports about the decline in the quality of hospital care and a seemingly intractable nursing shortage. As of Jan. 1, all hospitals will be required to maintain safe staffing levels - minimum ratios of registered nurses to patients - as a result of a law sponsored by the California Nurses Association, and the advent of the ratios is helping spur significant growth in the state's RN work force. In recent weeks, some in the hospital industry, who have never liked the new law, have fanned fears of closures or ambulance diversions by hospitals unwilling to comply with the law by claiming a lack of available nurses. It's their hope that public alarm will encourage Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to delay or weaken the ratios. Any such moves would be shortsighted, could abort the progress California has made in tackling the nursing shortage and put patients at risk. Recent data show the landscape for nurses has changed in California. Since the Safe Staffing Law was signed in 1999, there has been a dramatic influx of RNs into the state. Coupled with the 5,100 new RNs graduated every year by state nursing schools, the number of active RNs is growing by 10,000 a year. And the numbers will rise even more in the next few years due to increased millions the Davis administration allocated for expanded capacity in our nursing education programs, as well as initiatives to train other health-care workers to become RNs and promote retention. ... Work to fill nurses void Editorial, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, December 1, 2003 <http://www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205%257E12238%257E1802527,00.html> Today we conclude our series on keeping our hospitals healthy with a look at staffing and how hospitals can begin to bridge the gap in trained personnel. Health officials have warned of a nursing shortage over the past decade. Little has been done to undo the damage that resulted from the '80s push to downsize nursing staffs and mandate overtime to fill the gaps created. Those working conditions sent thousands of nurses streaming out of hospitals and the state. Now that state-imposed nurse-patient ratios are about to take effect (Jan. 1), hospital administrators are saying they simply can't meet the mandate. Los Angeles County officials are seeking a delay from the state. That ought not to happen, even if it means recruiting registered nurses from overseas, perhaps the only lifeline available short-term. That and state grants and other incentives similar to those offered beginning teachers. Long-term, the state must be a pivotal player in increasing the number of licensed RNs by encouraging education programs. Because while the need for registered nurses is critical across the country, it is acute in California, the nation's most populous state. ... Protesting nurses support ratios Picketers from union enter L.B. hotel hosting health industry conclave Neda Raouf, Long Beach Press Telegram, December 3, 2003 <http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204%257E21474%257E1807116,00.html > Long Beach - Nurses and union organizers rushed into a meeting of the hospital industry Wednesday and accused officials of trying to undermine a state-mandated law for new nurse-to-patient ratios that becomes effective Jan. 1. About 50 people with the California Nurses Association who had been protesting outside the Hilton Long Beach rushed through the lobby and up an escalator about 9:30 a.m., waving picket signs on their way to the door of the meeting of the California Healthcare Association. There, they chanted for a couple minutes in a call for ratios to be implemented, then left. Long Beach police arrived at the scene, but the protesters were already quietly exiting the hotel's lobby by then. At the heart of the protest was a state mandate, effective Jan. 1, requiring hospitals to provide a minimum number of nurses per patient. For example, there must be one nurse for every four patients in an emergency room and one nurse for every two patients in delivery rooms. The ratio varies depending on the unit. Several nurses marching with CNA and a CNA official said the ratios are an important part of quality care for patients. They said there are nurses available to meet the ratios but that hospitals are trying to find a way to get around the law. "I think they ought to be arrested for what they're doing today conspiring to break the law," said Jill Furillo, a registered nurse with CNA who spoke over a small bullhorn to the crowd. ... Fiji Fiji nurses threatens industrial action over COLA payment Radio New Zealand International, December 4, 2003 <http://www.rnzi.com/cgi-bin/shownews.cgi?storyid=20cebc12&day=all&display=4&s howtime=0&showday=1> The Fiji Nurses Association has threatened nationwide industrial action if its members are not paid their annual Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA. The threat follows the Minister of Finance Ratu Jone Kubuabola’s statement that the COLA would be scrapped from January the 1st. The Association’s secretary, Kuini Lutua, says it is upset about the plans to scrap COLA because in the current public service salary structure, there is no mechanism in place to take into account the cost of inflation. She says scrapping COLA will further reduce the purchasing power of the low wages that nurses earn. "For us, we still think it is going to create problem. We have nurses who opt to leave nursing services in our country and we can't afford that. I think the health of the people of Fiji depends a lot on nursing services that is provided throughout the country." ... Hawaii Hawaii nurses decide feuding arms should stay attached Kristen Sawada, Pacific Business News (Honolulu), November 3, 2003 <http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2003/11/03/story6.html> Hawaii nurses, who are being sued by their own collective bargaining arm, have decided that it and their professional association should be one and the same. Nurses representing the bargaining unit disagree and are suing their own professional association in an attempt to be separate. The lawsuit also alleges mismanagement of funds and violations of federal labor laws and remains active despite the vote by Hawaii Nurses Association members last week. In a turn of events, the same collective bargaining unit that represented thousands of nurses in bitter strikes against Hawaii's largest hospitals over the past year is pushing to break away from the professional association, which it claims isn't adequately and fairly representing nurses. Both the association and the Collective Bargaining Organization, held separate House of Delegates meetings last week where members were asked to vote to unify or separate the two groups. Both groups favored keeping them together, although they voted on separate proposals. More than 100 association members voted to keep the collective bargaining unit and HNA together. Members of the Collective Bargaining Organization also voted against a proposal to break off from the association. HNA represents 3,400 nurses in its professional association while the Collective Bargaining Organization - which has a separate board of directors and executive director - negotiates salaries and benefits with employers for about 3,600 nurses. The votes followed a long-standing struggle over union dues and control that led the Collective Bargaining Organization to sue HNA in US District Court. In response, HNA filed a motion in 1st Circuit Court seeking arbitration, which it says is required under the association's articles of incorporation. The two groups have not worked together for months. A special master was appointed to handle day-to-day functions including incoming dues and expenses to keep the status quo until a court hearing in January. ... Editorial Comment: The full account is found in Seachange Bulletin #121. Nurses file against Kapiolani Medical Center Pacific Business News (Honolulu), November 7, 2003 <http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2003/11/03/daily65.html> The Hawaii Nurses Association has filed charges against Kapiolani Women's and Children's Medical Center alleging "bad faith bargaining and undermining union recognition." HNA says the hospital intends to reassign bargaining unit work from licensed practical nurses to unlicensed assisting personnel. The hierarchy of hospital care includes registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and others. Kapiolani management indicated during meetings with the union, the union said, that it intends to use more RNs and others, and fewer LPNs. "Where does management believe it will get these additional, highly specialized RNs in a nursing shortage that is becoming more acute every day," asked LPN Erica Tai'hook. She said the hospital already controls costs by assigning more overtime to LPNs because they're paid less than RNs. Massachusetts: Nurses Lead Fight to Keep Health Care Available MNA Points to Pending Closure of Waltham Hospital as Evidence of the Failure of the Market Driven Health Care System in Massachusetts Calls for Legislative Action to Prevent Future Closings of Needed Hospitals To Guarantee Life-Saving Care to those in Need Massachusetts Nurses Association, May 20, 2003 <http://www.capeannweb.com/AGH/mna.htm> Canton - The recent decision by the Waltham Hospital Board of Trustees to close the 117-year-old community hospital represents a failure of the market-driven health care system in Massachusetts, according the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents more than 22,000 registered nurses, including more than 200 working at Waltham Hospital. The closure will leave the citizens of Greater Waltham without access to a health care safety net and will surely result in the needless death of many residents because of a lack of access to appropriate life-saving acute care services. The crisis in Waltham is not an isolated one. The state’s attorney general is reported to be tracking six other hospitals on the verge of closure. In recent weeks, Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester has been the focus of intense debate in that community as its parent company, Northeast Health Systems of Beverly, is moving towards closing beds and removing vital services from the facility which serves more than 40,000 residents. In both cases, the state has little power under current law to do anything to protect the vital health care resources provided by these community hospitals. If a hospital is to close, all the Department of Public Health can do is call a hearing and determine if the facility provides an essential service, without the power or authority or funding to do anything about it. ... Petition circulated by Partners for Addison Gilbert Hospital <http://www.capeannweb.com/AGH/petition.htm> Please return signed petitions to: Partners for Addison Gilbert Hospital 56 Washington Street Gloucester, MA 01930 Whereas, The value of assets transferred from Addison Gilbert Hospital to Beverly Hospital in 1995 was in excess of $56 million, the result of 100 years of charitable donations by the people of Cape Ann, In exchange for approval of the merger between AGH and Beverly Hospital, the people of Cape Ann were promised that the merger would make AGH stronger and provide greater access to medical and nursing care in Gloucester, Since 1995, Northeast Health Systems has steadily reduced beds, acute services, and sources of revenue at AGH, transferring these to Northeast's other "affiliates", Cape Ann is a geographically isolated community with conditions which regularly impede free travel on and off Cape Ann, and The closure of more beds and services at AGH poses an immediate threat to the survival of AGH and to our health and safety, We, the people of Cape Ann hereby PETITION the Massachusetts COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC HEALTH and the ATTORNEY GENERAL of Massachusetts to take all necessary actions to protect the charitable assets and essential acute care services at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester. Merger Could Force Doors To Close At Gloucester Hospital Merger Has Forced One Hospital To Downsize While Others Flourish TheBostonChannel.com, June 18, 2003 <http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2278467/detail.html> Gloucester - For more than 100 years, the 45,000 year-round residents of Gloucester and Cape Ann have relied on Addison Gilbert Hospital to take care of all their medical needs. ... The story about what is really happening is very different, depending on whom you talk to. "The people who are really running Addison Gilbert into the ground are Northeast Health Systems," said Peg O'Malley, a nurse and member of Partners of the Addison Gilbert. For years, O'Malley has been leading a citizen fight to undo the merger, gathering more than 4,000 petition signatures to support her cause. O'Malley alleges since the transfer of Addison Gilbert's assets to the new parent corporation, Beverly Hospital has used the money to expand itself. "That money being taken away from Addison Gilbert and being used to make Beverly Hospital stronger is just plain wrong," said O'Malley. ... Editorial Comment: Peg O’Malley, a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, also chairs the Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care. Hospital trustees support changes Karl Muench, Gloucester Daily Times, October 17, 2003 <http://www.capeannweb.com/AGH/GDTOctober17.html> Beverly - The volunteer boards of trustees overseeing Addison Gilbert Hospital's parent company voted yesterday to declare change at the Gloucester hospital inevitable. And without it, they said, they will close the place. The boards for Northeast Health System and Northeast Hospital Corporation met in the morning at Beverly Hospital and voted unanimously to support changes that have been mentioned in the past by hospital management as the means of ensuring local health care survives. "The primary mission of NHS has not changed - we are committed to maintaining a health care presence on Cape Ann," reads a statement issued by the boards yesterday. "This can only be accomplished, however, if these essential steps are implemented." The boards said by "health care presence," they mean maintaining "a level of in-patient care and emergency department services at AGH, for the residents of Cape Ann." Addison Gilbert operated as an independent community hospital from 1897 - when it took in its first patient, a fishermen hit by a train as he walked home to Manchester - to 1994, when hospital trustees bowed to health care trends and intense competition. The merger with the larger Beverly Hospital that year created Northeast Health System. ... Distance fuels Addison Gilbert dissent Cuts could endanger lives, residents say Steven Rosenberg, Boston Globe, November 9, 2003 <http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2003/11/09/distance_fuels_addison_g ilbert_dissent> As Northeast Health System's medical executive committee prepared to discuss the possibility of eliminating 24-hour surgical and emergency services at Addison Gilbert Hospital at its Nov. 11 meeting, 100 Cape Ann residents stood at the edge of one of the two roads that exit this city last week and rallied to keep the hospital open. The rally, sponsored by the Cape Ann citizen's group Partners for Addison Gilbert Hospital, ratcheted up the level of emotions that have swirled around the Gloucester hospital since its owner, Northeast Health System, announced earlier this year that it planned to make numerous changes at the 113-year-old hospital. Northeast Health System also includes Beverly Hospital. Besides creating plans to increase laboratory and radiological services, reduce inpatient capacity from 58 to 30, and sell or rent a portion of the 59 percent of the hospital that is unused, the health organization is continuing to review the option of reducing its surgical and emergency services, according to Pauline Pike, vice president of business development for Northeast Health System. ... Michigan Teamsters: Arbitration could end the strike NMH administrators unimpressed with idea Keith Matheny, The Traverse City Record-Eagle, November 20, 2003 <http://www.record-eagle.com/2003/nov/20strike.htm> Petoskey - Teamsters representatives offered Wednesday to end a more than year-long nurses strike if Northern Michigan Hospital management agrees to binding arbitration. "(Striking nurses) are not going to go back without a contract, and this enables us to get a contract, in the fairest way possible," said Teamsters Local 406 attorney Ted Iorio, the striking nurses' representative. Under the union's plan, the two sides would appoint a mutually agreed upon, neutral third party to arbitrate. After presenting their respective cases, the two sides would then agree to accept the arbitrator's determinations on all outstanding contract points. "We're challenging them," Iorio said of hospital management. "We're saying, 'Let's stand on the merits of our respective positions.'" Hospital administrators were immediately cool to the overture. "We have a responsibility to our patients and to our community to provide quality patient care. We have no intentions of giving that up to a third-party arbitrator," said hospital spokesman Thomas Spencer. The two sides haven't negotiated a contract since about half of the hospital's then-470 nurses went on strike on Nov. 14, 2002. The work stoppage is one of the longest uninterrupted nursing strikes in US history. Some area residents expressed support for arbitrating the impasse. ... Striking Nurses Offer Chance to End Strike Arbitration Could Be Key to Fair Contract International Brotherhood of Teamsters, November 25, 2003 <http://www.teamster.org/03news/hn_031125_1.htm> Representatives for Local 406 in Petoskey, Michigan offered to end a more than one-year-long nurses' strike if management at Northern Michigan Hospital will agree to binding arbitration. "The nurses are not going back without a contract," said Ted Iorio, attorney for Local 406. "This enables us to get a contract in the fairest way possible." Under the Teamsters' plan, the two sides would agree on a neutral third party to arbitrate and, after presenting their cases, would agree to accept the arbitrator’s decision on all outstanding contract points. Hospital administrators showed little interest in the plan. A spokesman for the hospital told the Traverse City Record Eagle they feel their priority is to patient care and are uncomfortable turning any part of that responsibility over to a third party arbitrator. However, a number of area residents are expressing support for the Teamster plan. "The residents are becoming increasing frustrated with the lack of movement in this situation," said Sharon Norton, business agent at Local 406. "They understand that an arbitrator could help break the impasse and support any action that will end the strike. This situation has definitely disrupted the community. Residents are saying to the hospital, 'Enough is enough; take this chance to move forward.'" In the first six weeks of the strike, the hospital spent more than $5 million dollars on replacement nurses, according to figures in a recently released financial statement. This does not cover any of the costs for replacement nurses in 2003, which is currently estimated at more than $12 million dollars. ... New South Wales NSW nurses to fight Medicare changes NSW nurses to fight Medicare changes This time the devil’s in the "idea" not the "detail" "Means testing" and "safety net" - Howard finally gets his way NSW Nurses Association, November 19, 2003 <http://www.nswnurses.asn.au/news_media/media_031119.html> John Howard will have achieved his political goal of destroying Medicare as a universal, taxpayer-funded health care system if the Federal Parliament agrees to key features of his so-called MedicarePlus changes, the NSW Nurses Association (NSWNA) said today. Last night (18 November) nursing delegates from public hospitals, public health services, private hospitals and aged care facilities across NSW unanimously voted to fight most of the MedicarePlus changes. In response to yesterday’s MedicarePlus announcement, last night’s meeting of NSWNA workplace delegates passed the following resolution: "Committee of Delegates condemns the Howard Government for today introducing a means test for certain Medicare benefits and for linking Medicare with the idea of a safety net. Committee of Delegates notes that Medicare was not established as a safety net, but as a universal, taxpayer-funded health system in which people are cared for on the basis of clinical need irrespective of their income or assets. We request the NSWNA General Secretary to step up the Association's current campaign in defence of a universal Medicare system and for Association spokespeople to publicly oppose ideas such as ‘means testing’ and ‘safety net’ being incorporated into the Australian Medicare system." ... New York Survey tracks frustrations of nurses Eric Durr, The Business Review (Albany), November 13, 2003 <http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2003/11/10/daily43.html> New York is short 15,420 registered nurses, according to a report released Nov. 13 by the state Education Department and the New York State Nurses Association. The gap in the number of RNs working in the state, and the need for more of them, was documented in a survey of 14,000 registered nurses conducted by the Education Department in the fall of 2002. There are currently 165,640 registered nurses working in New York, said Barbara Zittel, executive secretary of the State Board for Nursing. But that is only about half the number of RNs who are registered to practice, she said. Nurses are leaving the profession because of elevated levels of stress and inadequate pay, according to survey responses. The 2002 survey is important because it's the first time that such an in-depth look at the nursing profession in New York was attempted, said Diane O'Neill McGivern, chairwoman of the Board of Regents Committee on Higher Education and Professional Practice. The survey was sent to 31,000 RNs and getting 14,000 people to respond was impressive, she said. ... Nurses use Web to choose shifts and pay Alicia Chang, Associated Press, December 7, 2003 <http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2003/12/07/nurses_use _web_to_choose_shifts_and_pay> Albany - Registered nurse Julie Hill picks her own hours and pay by bidding on work shifts over the Internet - a kind of employment eBay that some hospitals are using to ease a growing nursing shortage. Hill, who works with heart patients at St. Peter's Hospital here, always bids on the early shift so she can take her 11-year-old autistic son to therapy in the afternoon. Her asking price is $30 an hour and she has yet to be rejected. "It works really well for me as far as keeping my flexibility," she says. Shift bidding is among the newest tools hospitals are using to attract nurses. Already, hospitals are hiring more foreign nurses and offering ever-larger signing bonuses and other incentives. Traditionally, hospitals have trouble filling overnight and weekend slots and rely on traveling nurses or those from temporary agencies to fill the gap. Through bidding, hospitals save labor costs by using fewer outside nurses while letting their own nurses control when they work and how much they earn. ... New Zealand Second strike at Rotorua resthome Mathew Dearnaley, The New Zealand Herald, November 26, 2003 <http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3536016&thesection=news&th esubsection=general> Workers held their second 24-hour strike at a Rotorua resthome and hospital yesterday, and intend walking out again tomorrow unless a pay and staffing dispute is resolved. But New Zealand Lifecare said several staff who went on strike last week at Redwood Lodge stayed at work yesterday, meaning it had to hire only a handful of replacements from outside sources to look after its 70 or so residents and patients. Nurses Organisation advocate Shane Vugler acknowledged that about five of his 70 Redwood members had quit the cause, but said the rest remained determined to achieve staffing levels which would not compromise standards. They were joined on a picket by some residents in wheelchairs and their relatives, although the company had other family members working in the kitchen and elsewhere as volunteers. ... Ohio Nurses Strike WTOV9.com, December 1, 2003 <http://www.wtov9.com/news/2673158/detail.html> Steubenville - Nurses at Trinity Medical Center East hit the picket lines this morning in day one of their strike. They say sticking points between the parties are wage increases and better healthcare. The members of Local 97 of the Ohio Nurses Association filed a 10 day strike notice late last week and Friday night an overwhelming majority voted to begin striking at 7am this morning. The nurses argue that they are the lowest paid nurses in the state and many area hospitals are offering wages that range from $2 to $5 more per hour. They say these wages also come with better benefits while Trinity's health insurance premiums, co-pays and drug costs are increasing. Union president, Becky Salvino, says, "We're hoping for a good contract not only to retain the nurses we have to care for the public but to recruit new nurses and with what we've been offered that may be very hard to do in the future." ... Oregon Providence Milwaukie nurses OK contract Robin J. Moody, The Business Journal of Portland, November 17, 2003 <http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2003/11/17/daily8.html> Providence Milwaukie Hospital nurses, represented by Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), voted Nov. 14, to ratify their first contract with the hospital. The 75-1 vote comes after 19 months of sometimes-tense negotiations. On July 11, the nurses went on a 24-hour strike to draw attention to labor problems, and in the last month they rejected a hospital contract offer. "We agreed that we are ready to move on to the next phase of working together," said Jackie Gaines, Providence Milwaukie Hospital administrator, in a prepared statement. "We have caring, dedicated nurses and we are looking forward to collaboratively doing what we do best as we care for our community." Among the details of the agreement are a cap of 144 hours placed on "mandatory days off," in which nurses report to work but are sent home because of a low hospital census and a change from a merit-based to a step-based pay scale, which will boost nurse's salaries significantly, according to OFNHP internal organizer Alan Moore. ... Pennsylvania Nurses Gather to Talk About Changing Pennsylvania Law Proponents of Staffing Ratios Bill and Ban on Forced Overtime Say They Are Gaining Momentum Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals, March 7, 2003 <http://www.pennanurses.org/Press%20Releases_advisories/3-7%20release.pdf> Philadelphia - Over 125 registered nurses, concerned that patients are suffering because of unsafe staffing and the forced overtime of nurses in Pennsylvania’s Hospitals, met Thursday night at the Adams Mark Hotel in Philadelphia to discuss legislative solutions. Speaking at the event were author Suzanne Gordon, Rep. Ron Raymond (R-Delaware), and Rep. Ron Waters (D-Philadelphia). The event was organized by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP), the professional union for staff nurses in Pennsylvania. The bills discussed by the nurses and legislators were HB 489, a bill which would set minimum nurse-to-patient ratios that all Pennsylvania hospitals would be mandated to follow, and a bill to ban forced overtime for nurses. ... Temple Nurses Win Breakthrough Contract Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals, Update, October 2003 <http://www.pennanurses.org/update.pdf> "We took it to the doors of the Hospital, and to the street, and we got what we came for - the best overall compensation package in Philadelphia, and real improvements in working conditions." That’s how Temple University Hospital Nurses Association president Patty Eakin summed up the contract her local had just won. TUHNA challenged its members to get involved - "we are the Union, and we’ll get what we fight for." The fight included two rallies in front of the Hospital, with the second culminating in a march up Broad Street, but much of what was most important happened outside the public eye. A membership campaign in this open shop recruited over 85% of the nurses into the Union before the expiration of the contract, setting the stage to win "Fair Share" at the bargaining table after 30 years. Strong challenges to the abuse of mandatory overtime forced the Hospital to reduce its use of mandation over the last three years, and led to winning very solid language which bans mandation except in real emergencies. ... Beaver nurses reach tentative agreement Lynne Glover, Pittsburgh Business Times, December 3, 2003 <http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2003/12/01/daily28.html> Union nurses at The Medical Center in Beaver reached a tentative contract agreement around midnight Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Service Employees International Union, District 1199P. "We can't disclose any of the settlement until after it is ratified by the nurses," said Tammy Previc, an administrative organizer with SEIU. The union represents nearly 600 registered nurses at the Beaver County, Pa., hospital, which is part of Heritage Valley Health System. All told, The Medical Center employs nearly 4,000 people. A vote is scheduled for Friday, Ms. Previc said. She would not disclose the location for the ratification meeting stating that additional people on site would be disruptive to the voting process. While Ms. Previc would not go into any details of the contract to be voted on, she previously told the Business Times that staffing ratios were the key sticking point. "We're fighting for better (patient-to-nurse) ratios or at least what we currently have," said Ms. Previc before the tentative agreement was reached. The union previously said that the hospital was proposing staffing ratios that are worse than what it currently has. "Why they want to go worse now is beyond us," Ms. Previc said on Monday. ... Queensland Qld Nurses Vote On Stop-Work LaborNET, December 4, 2003 <http://www.labor.net.au/news/1070507944_12930.html> Queensland Nurses Union members at central Queensland's four Mater Private Hospitals - Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton and Yeppoon - will vote this week on whether to stop work next Tuesday (9 December) as part of their campaign for equal pay with public hospital nurses. Nurses at the four Mater hospitals already have a uniform ban in place as part of their wages campaign and a teleconference of workplace delegates has recommended industrial action be escalated next week. The uniform ban involves the nurses swapping their uniforms for plain clothes and QNU campaign t-shirts. The vast majority of general ward nurses - Registered Nurses Level 1 Year 8 - at the four Mater hospitals are currently earning up to 7.75 per cent less (nearly $70.00 per week or $3500.00 per year) than their counterparts at nearby public hospitals who are doing the same job. ... Tasmania Win for strike-threat nurses Luke Sayer, The Mercury News, December 6, 2003 <http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,8076217%255E3462,0 0.html> Health Minister David Llewellyn caved in at the death-knock yesterday to avoid strike action by emergency department nurses at the North-West Regional Hospital. Mr Llewellyn phoned Australian Nursing Federation members just minutes before nurses were due to stop work over staffing levels. ANF branch secretary Neroli Ellis said she had a call from Mr Llewellyn just before the meeting, which was positive. "The minister has agreed to the extra nurse on the afternoon shift," she said. "This will allow nurses to go back to work, which is where they want to be. We also got a commitment to benchmarking, which we wanted, so nurses are very happy with the outcome. Industrial action for any nurse is an absolute last resort. It is disappointing we had to threaten to take this action. It is very heart-wrenching for any nurse to consider walking out." ... United States Poll Analyses: Public Rates Nursing as Most Honest and Ethical Profession Image of the clergy recovers to late 1990s level, is still lower than in 2000 and 2001 Joseph Carroll, Gallup News Service, December 1, 2003 <http://www.massnurses.org/News/2003/11/gallup_poll.htm> Princeton, NJ - Nurses top Gallup's annual survey on the honesty and ethics of various professions, followed by other medical professionals like doctors, veterinarians, pharmacists, and dentists. Car salesmen, HMO managers, insurance salesmen, and advertising practitioners are rated as the least honest and ethical. Overall, there has been little change in the public's rating of the honesty and ethics of professions over the past year. The public's image of the clergy has partially recovered from last year's child sexual abuse scandals, while the images of business executives and stockbrokers remain slightly lower than they were before the recent wave of business scandals. ... Zimbabwe Nurses' strike deepens health crisis UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, IRIN, November 25, 2003 <http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38092&SelectRegion=Southern_Afric a&SelectCountry=ZIMBABWE> Johannesburg - Public hospitals in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, were on Tuesday discharging patients and closing wards as a result of a nationwide nurses' strike. The nurses joined doctors at the weekend in a strike for higher wages, deepening the crisis of Zimbabwe's underfunded public health system. A visit by IRIN on Tuesday to the city's two largest public hospitals - Harare and Parirenyetwa - found that new patients were being turned away and outpatient departments had been closed. Some wards at the hospitals were empty and only the maternity wings remained open. A few senior nurses and student nurses were still on duty at both hospitals, but patients who could afford the fees were being referred to private clinics. Doctors who earn between Zim $263,305 and Zim $807,735 per month (about US $330 and US $1,000 at the official rate, US $48 and US $147 at parallel market rates) want their salaries hiked by 8,000 percent, while nurses say they will not return to work until the government responds to their pay proposals from last year. Nurses want their new salaries pegged at Zim $1.6 million (US $2,000 at the official rate, US $290 at the parallel rate) in the face of hyperflation, now standing at close to 600 percent. Zimbabwe's nurses last month joined the doctors' strike but returned to work after they were promised an 800 percent pay rise. However, when the nurses received their November salaries, they discovered that there had been no increase. "When we went to the bank to collect our salaries, we were disgusted to find that we had been tricked into going back to work because the salaries had not been adjusted," a nurse at Harare Hospital told IRIN. The Zimbabwe Nurses Association, the union representing nurses, held a meeting on Friday in Harare and decided to rejoin the striking doctors. ... Web Directory: AARN <http://www.aarn.org> Australian Nursing Federation <http://www.anf.org.au> California Nurses Association <http://www.calnurse.org> Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions <http://www.nursesunions.ca> CCDS <http://www.cofc.org> Committee for Health Care for Massachusetts <http://www.healthcareformass.org> Irish Nurses Organisation <http://www.ino.ie> Labor Party <http://www.thelaborparty.org> LabourStart <http://www.labourstart.org> Maine State Nurses Association <http://www.mainenurse.org> Massachusetts Ad Hoc Committee <http://www.massadhoc.org> Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party <http://www.green-rainbow.org> Massachusetts Nurses Association <http://www.massnurses.org> MASS-CARE <http://www.masscare.org> New York Professional Nurses Union <http://www.nypnu.org> New Zealand Nurses Organisation <http://www.nzno.org.nz> PASNAP <http://www.pennanurses.org> PNHP <http://www.pnhp.org> Québec Nurses’ Federation <http://www.fiiq.qc.ca> Revolution Magazine <http://www.revolutionmag.com> Saint Louis Area Nurses Coalition <http://www.slanc.org> Seachange Bulletin <http://www.seachangebulletin.org> Southern Arizona Nurses Coalition <http://SAZNC.homestead.com> Union Web Services <http://www.unionwebservices.com> Women’s Universal Health Initiative <http://www.WUHI.org> FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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