CVPH NYSNA members vote to authorize a strike

PLATTSBURGH | The University of Vermont Health Network at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, CVPH, has been in negotiations with New York State Nurses Association, NYSNA, for the past two years. During this time NYSNA health care professionals at CVPH have been working without a contract. On May 4, more than 90 percent of NYSNA members voted "yes" to authorize a strike if one becomes necessary. NYSNA members will only strike as a last resort if the University of Vermont, CVPH's parent company, refuses to use its $1.1 billion in cash reserves to directly improve patient care. "From draining healthcare resources to cutting essential services, to their failure to bargain in good faith, our employer is risking the health of our community," said CVPH registered nurse Cynthia Trudo. "We are fighting for a fair contract that ensures our patients get safe, quality care—with the essential services and staff needed for the long-term care of our community." Currently, staff is reporting delays in the provision of food, diagnostic tests, and medications. In the Emergency Room, it is becoming increasingly common for 15 to 20 admitted patients to wait up to 72 hours for beds upstairs. During this time, patients usually remain on stretchers in the hallways, union representatives said. Emergency Room nurses are reporting going without breaks to try to accommodate the workload and keep patients safe. There are times when one nurse is caring for eight or more patients at a time. The standard practice is one nurse for three to four patients, NYSNA said. In addition to caring for patients at the bedside, nurses are answering phones, doing clerical work, fixing and searching for needed equipment and supplies, bathing and feeding patients, doing janitorial work, and sitting with patients to keep them safe from falls and other injuries – all of which make it beyond challenging to provide quality care to patients. "None of us want to strike. We're at the point where only desperate measures will get them to listen to us. We are asking them to come in good faith to the table and invest in direct patient care and safe staffing," Trudo said. "After two years of negotiations with NYSNA, health insurance remains the biggest barrier to reaching a collective bargaining agreement that values all our employees, lays the groundwork for a strong future and finally gives our NYSNA-represented employees the wage increases that reward them for their hard work and commitment to our patients," said Michelle LeBeau, president of Alice Hyde Medical Center and CVPH. "The NYSNA team has shared the importance of health care to our people and we understand they'd prefer to remain on the NYSNA plan – which is 100 percent employer-funded – indefinitely. Our desire is that during upcoming bargaining sessions, we collectively develop a plan for the transition to the University of Vermont Health Network insurance in a manner that is meaningful to our employees and similar to the Service Employees International Union, SEIU, Local 1199 contract ratified yesterday," added LeBeau. The SEIU Local 1199 union, which has over 1,000 members approved a two-year contract extension. This extension includes a transition to the University of Vermont Health Network menu of health plans as well as an 18 percent increase in wages over two years. The wage increase will support any out-of-pocket costs of the new health care plan as well as the recruitment of more workforce. NYSNA members are demanding a stop to the draining of healthcare resources from CVPH and the creation of a real plan to recruit and retain more staff for a long-term sustainable workforce, not to backfill with temporary traveling nurses.

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CVPH NYSNA members vote to authorize a strike

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