National Nurses United

NewsBriefs.REV_June REV 7/30/10 6:07 PM Page 7 President Donna Kelly-Williams, RN.  "In fact, nurses are assaulted on the job to the same degree as police officers and prison guards, and the Joint Commission, which provides accreditation to health care providers, has issued an alert to the healthcare community specifically highlighting a dramatic rise in the level of violence in our healthcare system." Massachusetts law already treats any assault on an emergency medical technician while the technician is providing care as a separate crime with its own set of penalties. The new law extends those same protections to nurses. Kelly-Williams called the law an important first step in a broad-based effort to make healthcare settings safer for nurses and for patients. She said nurses will continue to urge legislators to pass bills requiring healthcare providers to put in place procedures to prevent workplace violence, and mandating minimum RN staffing levels. "The lack of staff to adequately respond to patients' and families' concerns is a major factor leading to these types of incidents," Kelly-Williams said. —David Schildmeier Governor Signs Workplace-Violence Bill MASSACHUSETTS assachusetts nurses achieved a victory in their campaign against workplace violence July 2 when Governor Deval Patrick signed a law that will stiffen penalties for those who physically attack nurses and other health care workers. One of a series of measures the Massachusetts Nurses Association has proposed to address the growing problem of assaults in healthcare settings, the bill was M passed by unanimous votes in both houses of the legislature after a determined campaign by MNA members.  "This law gives us the tools to further protect the many healthcare professionals who work tirelessly to ensure the care of all Commonwealth residents," said Gov. Patrick at a signing ceremony where he was surrounded by scrub-clad MNA members. "We applaud the Governor and the legislature's support of this measure, as it recognizes the increasing levels of violence that nurses are facing on the job," said MNA State Labor Board Cites Cambridge Health Alliance for Bad Faith Bargaining MASSACHUSETTS assachusetts' State Labor Relations Commission issued a complaint against Cambridge Health Alliance July 13 after the hospital system broke off contract negotiations with its registered nurses after only five sessions, declared impasse and unilaterally cut nurses' retiree health benefits. The commission was acting on an unfair labor practice charge filed by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents nearly 400 nurses at the health system's Cambridge Hospital campus. M JUNE 2010 Nurses say the hospital's decision not only breaks the law, but also harms experienced nurses who have worked for years at the public facility, forgoing higher wages at nearby private-sector hospitals in exchange for more generous retiree health and pension benefits. "The hospital's action means that hundreds of our members, including 60 of our most senior nurses who have never paid into Medicare, could see their health benefits slashed and their retirement security severely compromised," said Donna Mondeau, RN, co-chair of the nurses' bargaining unit. "It's time they showed respect, not only for the nurses, but for the law." Negotiations on a new contract for the RNs began in May. On June 24, about a week before the old contract was set to expire, W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G management abruptly cut off talks and issued its "last and final" offer, which included a 40 percent cut to the retiree health benefit. State labor law requires parties to go through a mediation and fact-finding process before declaring impasse. The next step is for the labor commission to schedule a hearing on the complaint. "We are encouraged and vindicated that the labor commission has sided with the nurses and is holding the hospital accountable for its illegal and reprehensible behavior," said Betty Kaloustian, RN, another bargaining unit co-chair. "It is our hope that our management will finally do the right thing, restore our rights, and get back to the table to negotiate a fair settlement." —Staff Report N AT I O N A L N U R S E 7

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