National Nurses United

buttress safe staffing in certain units. Further, the contract will expand the voice of RNs in addressing patient care concerns with management, through their elected Professional Practice Committee (PPC), including shortening the time for manage- ment to respond to concerns raised by the PPC about hospital staffing plans, and an independent review panel for resolving disputes. All EMMC RNs will receive a 6 percent increase in pay over the three years of the agreement, critical for RN retention, and fought off all takeaways. Washington, D.C. the almost 2,000 NNU nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC), Washington D.C.'s largest hospital, conclud- ed a successful contract campaign this June. Facing an aggressive employer, nurses were able to win a four-year contract with new, improved staffing language, maintenance of benefits with no cutbacks or giveaways, and pay raises for all. The fight for a contract at MWHC was challenging and lengthy. Leading up to the November 2014 expiration of the previous contract, nurses conducted actions in the facility and reached out to community allies. That was followed by a one-day strike, with a lockout by MedStar for nine additional days. After returning to work, management refused to resume bargaining. Nurses continued to raise the pressure on the employer through marches on the boss in the facility, letters to the MedStar corporate board, visits to board members office, and flyering in the community. Also in the District of Columbia, RNs applauded a 4-1 vote July 7 by the city coun- cil's Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs to approve safe hospital staffing legislation that would improve public safety and protect vulnerable hospital patients. The bill, modeled after the Califor- nia ratios law, would set specific mandatory limits on the number of patients an RN could be assigned. "Today the committee took an important step to improve safety in District hospitals by assuring our patients have safe staffing at all times," said Stephanie Sims, RN, National Nurses Unit- ed chief shop steward at MedStar Washing- ton Hospital Center. "Every day that passes without these strong mandatory standards puts more patients at risk." —Staff report J U LY | A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 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 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 9 VETERANS AFFAIRS R egistered nurses, veterans, and community members held an informational rally and press conference on June 22 at the Brooklyn VA Medical Center to protest hospital management's recent decision to close the 25-bed 12W medical-surgical unit. VA nurses say the closure of 12W will cut inpatient medical surgical beds by 35 percent, leaving only 62 remaining beds in the entire Brooklyn campus. In a medical facility already struggling with short- staffing (Brooklyn VA RNs have document- ed hundreds of cases of unsafe staffing conditions in the past few months alone), the cuts also mean a 33 percent reduction in medical-surgical nurses and a 19 percent RN reduction overall. This shortage in beds and nurse staff has decreased access to necessary care for veterans, say nurses. "As a veteran who utilizes the VA for my primary healthcare, the closure of the 12W medical-surgical unit at the Brooklyn VA is unacceptable to me," said Iraq war veteran Jeff Camp. "Not only will it create a major issue for veterans and their families who will have to travel further into Manhattan to access proper care, it will also decrease accessibility for veterans who use the Manhattan complex because it will require the same caseload with fewer nurses on the floor." VA management has said the closure is due to budgetary concerns and will save more than $2 million per year. However, RNs point out that the budget comments are coming at a time when management at the Brooklyn and Manhattan VAs cannot explain where $207 million from Congress for Hurricane Sandy was spent. Veterans and RNs maintain that management's top priority should be maintaining access to the kind of specialized care veterans receive at the Brooklyn VA, many of whom cannot easily access an alternative. "RNs are extremely concerned that clos- ing 12W will cut access to care for senior veterans who come to the Brooklyn VA," said WingYun (Michelle) Ngai, RN. "Many of our patients and their families are seniors, and the Manhattan VA is not easily accessible for them. Closing 12W is not the answer." The rally drew attention to what's happening at the medical center, and to give nurses and veteran-patients a chance to voice their concerns. As Camp pointed out, "A different solution to the budget problem must be sought, and that discussion should include direct-care providers and the veteran-patient themselves." —Staff report Veterans, VA nurses oppose Brooklyn unit closure

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