https://themilitant.com/2019/10/12/albany-nurses-fight-for-union-contract-against-short-staffing/
Albany nurses fight for union contract, against short staffing
??By Jacob Perasso
Vol. 83/No. 38
October 21, 2019
ALBANY, N.Y. ??? ???What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now!???
chanted hundreds of nurses and their supporters outside Albany Medical
Center here Sept. 25.
???We nurses love to take care of our patients but, at this point we have
a crisis in the hospital, most significantly staffing,??? Jennifer Bejo, a
nurse at the hospital, told the rally.
In addition to demanding a reduction in the nurse-to-patient ratio in
order to provide safe care, nurses are fighting for adequate on-the-job
training and against high medical insurance premiums, which nurses
reported were $350 per paycheck for a family.
The two-part action, one held around morning shift change and the other
during lunch time, was the largest protest the nurses have organized so
far in this fight. Members of the Laborers Union, United Union of
Roofers, SMART rail union Local 83, nurses from the nearby Veterans
Administration hospital and some nursing students joined the action.
Last year, nurses at Albany Medical Center voted 1,161-582 to be
represented by the New York State Nurses Association. Albany Med tried
to intimidate nurses from the Philippines working at the hospital but
failed. ???They told some nurses they would lose their green card if the
union won,??? said Maria Bartolome, a nurse at the rally. That hasn???t
happened.
Negotiations have stalled since the union vote. ???They are not taking us
seriously. We are short staffed. We want a voice on staffing. They will
not even look at us,??? said Karen Gerstenberger, a nurse of 35 years.
Abby Tilsner, Socialist Workers Party candidate for Albany County
Executive, joined the picket line on her lunch break from nearby St.
Peters Hospital, where she works as a nurse. ???Health care should be a
right, not a profit-making insurance business,??? she said in discussions
with nurses there.
On the Picket Line
Are you involved in a union organizing drive or strike? Brought
solidarity to fellow workers on the picket line? Let us know! Send
articles, photos and letters to themilitant@xxxxxxx or through our
website, or mail them to 306 W. 37th St., 13th floor, New York, NY 10018.
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???Halt Ankara???s assault against the Kurds in north Syria!
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???Join 9-week drive to win readers to ???Militant,??? revolutionary books
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???SWP: Working people can make gains ???when we stand and fight???
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Also In This Issue ???Titles by SWP leaders attract interest at Paris Fete
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???Iraqi protests demand jobs, end to Tehran intervention
???African conference advances solidarity with Cuba
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???Albany nurses fight for union contract, against short staffing
Books of the Month ???In Teamster battles, ???Workers learned to fight as a
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25, 50 and 75 years ago
Letters
?? Copyright 2019 The Militant?? -?? 306 W. 37th Street, 13th floor -?? New
York, NY 10018?? -?? themilitant@xxxxxxx
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Albert Einstein
???Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.???
??? Albert Einstein
