By Michael Yun, President, The Central Avenue SID and Ann Twomey, President, Health Professionals and Allied Employees
For nearly 140 years the residents of Jersey City and surrounding communities have been relying on Christ Hospital and its dedicated staff for safe and effective health care. Each year, the staff helps deliver more than 1200 babies; cares for over 8000 hospitalized adults and nearly 600 hospitalized children; treats more than 45,000 residents in the Emergency Room; and provides the largest inpatient pediatric service in Hudson County.
Christ Hospital belongs to the community it protects, and its future should not be decided by a handful of people behind closed doors. That is why community, civic and religious leaders have teamed up with healthcare providers and elected officials to protect our community hospital and its mission to provide care to all who need it.
Every one is aware of the work the American Red Cross (ARC) does on disaster relief operations around the world. However, this is just a fraction of what they do. What many don't know is their blood services division brings in more than $2 billion a year, amounting to over two-thirds of their national revenue.
We appreciate the role they are playing in our communities and around the world, but that does not mean they get a free pass when it comes to ensuring the safety of blood donors and complying with fair employment practices. In fact, the real disaster is how the American Red Cross Blood Services Division treats its blood donation collection staff, and how that affects the safety of our blood donors and blood supply.
ARC's record speaks for itself. Since 1993, over $37 million in fines have been levied by the Food and Drug Administration because of significant violations of blood safety rules. As recently as last summer $16 million in fines were paid to the FDA - money HPAE believes would be better spent on safe staffing and other improved safety practices. Red Cross has also been cited over and over for labor law violations, violating terms of their collective bargaining agreements with many of the 3000 blood service workers across the country.
By now everyone knows of the massive rallies in Wisconsin protesting the attacks on the middle class. The middle class represented by firefighters, police, those who plow our streets and keep our neighborhoods safe and clean. They are our neighbors, our children's teachers, EMTs and nurses who come to our aid when we need them. They are also members of HPAE, 4000 nurses, health professionals and medical researchers at UMDNJ and Runnells.
While Wisconsin Governor Walkers' assault on the right to bargain for decent working conditions is severe, it is also part of a national trend to make middle class workers pay for the economic crisis. So I traveled to Wisconsin, along with other HPAE members and staff, to show our support for nurses and other public service workers. By the time we got there, the Governor had shut down the Capitol, locking out hundreds if not thousands of protesters. A few hundred are still in the Capitol Building, because police refused to arrest them, and some even joined in the protest. In fact, firefighters and police are the clear heroes around here, leading many of the parades and photographed by nearly everyone.
That's because even though Governor Walker exempted police and firefighters from the elimination of negotiating rights, they joined the protest - in huge numbers. Noone said it better than firefighter leaders: "We are the ones who run into the burning houses when everyone else is running out," said one firefighter. "Well, the house of labor is on fire, and we are here."
Well, the house of labor is under assault and so is the middle class that is represented by so many teachers, nurses, firefighters and police - from New Jersey to Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Indiana and Florida. In scores of states, new Republican legislators and Governors have proposed the elimination of bargaining rights, wage freezes and pension deductions. The budget crisis facing our states is a very direct result of Wall Street greed, its collapse and the subsequent loss of tax revenues due to high unemployment and business failings.
Over the past two weeks, the goals of Governor Walker have become clear to many here in Wisconsin, and around the country. And it is not about saving money in this year's budget. Not only would the Governor's legislative proposal take away democratic negotiating rights, but it would also allow his Cabinet to sell public utilities without bid, and reduce Medicaid services without legislation or public hearing or notice. It is drastic, and will undo years of democratic progress. Republican Governors and legislators blame the high salaries and benefits for public employees. This is simply false. Various studies have shown that employees in the public sector actually earn less than their counterparts in the private sector, and the shortfall in pension plans is due to the downtown in the stock market, and the failure by states like New Jersey to pay into the system even while borrowing against the funds. Throughout these bad economic times, public workers continued to pay their share into the pension plan.
For-profit companies "turn around" hospitals, not with a magic bullet but with by, cutting corners, services, and staff. They do it with our tax dollars. And they do it in the dark. The New Jersey State Senate has an important opportunity on January 6 to bring the financial operations of these companies into the public light and out of secret boardrooms.
These for-profit hospitals use the same increasingly scarce public sources of funding - Medicare, Medicaid, Charity Care, and Family Care, as our non-profit hospitals. Yet the current financial reporting requirements are very weak. For-profit hospitals must be held to the same standards of financial transparency and accountability as our non-profit hospitals. Shouldn't the communities they serve know how much is being spent on compensation for top executives or on supplies and services provided by the owners' affiliates and subsidiaries-particuarly when much of the revenue is the result of our tax dollars? Maybe, but they are not.
As National Nurses' Week winds down, many nurses and healthcare workers are disheartened by the disconnect between nice ceremonies recognizing the importance of our work and the attacks on our working conditions and on the patient care we provide.
Nurses and health care workers fight to get healthcare right 365 days of the year. While lunches and ceremonies are nice, what we really want are the tools, the staff and the support we need to provide safe and effective care every day for our patients.
When our new Governor plays politics with our health care by recklessly slashing funding for programs like Family Care, family planning clinics, and prescription drug supports for seniors, he is making it harder for our patients to get the care they need, when they need it. That results in more uninsured patients in our crowded emergency rooms, or with patients sicker when they get to their doctor or hospital, because they couldn't afford their necessary medications.
Those of us in the medical field know that without the right diagnosis, you can't cure the real problem.
Right now, New Jersey is facing trying economic times. Our deficits are running high and most of our citizens feel overtaxed. Governor Christie was elected on this wave of economic anxiety. But this doesn't mean reducing or eliminating vital services and the people who provide those services is the right fix. In fact, it's the wrong fix for our communities and for our economy.
Ann Twomey is President of HPAE - Health Professionals and Allied Employees, the union representing more than 12,000 nurses, social workers, therapists, technicians, medical researchers and other health care professionals in hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, blood banks and university research facilities in both New Jersey and the Philadelphia area. Twomey represents the largest health care union in New Jersey. And her message is also posted on the HPAE website, for all her members to read. Thank you, Ann- - Promoted from the diaries by Rosi
The NJ State legislature is considering the Marriage Equality bill. I hope they pass it. There are strong views that support marriage equality and strong views that oppose it. Some say - stay out of it - it's too controversial. But controversy should not be the reason for inaction.
In our workplaces we would never allow our colleagues to be subjected to unfair treatment from our employers. As union members, we bargain contracts to make sure everyone is treated fairly without discrimination- and we take that mission seriously, backing it up with our collective strength. It;s a matter of fairness and equal treatment. Unions like ours have always been at the forefront of battles to expand civil rights and equal rights for all Americans.
That's why I think it is important for me, as president of HPAE to speak out in favor of marriage equality. It is both personal and political to me. Below is a description of what happened to one of our members.
Thanks for giving us a better understanding of how your union sees this election. You're right; there are challenges ahead of us. - promoted from the diaries by Rosi.
Everyone knows that Governor Corzine and Loretta Weinberg lost the race for Governor and Lt. Governor on Tuesday. Ultimately, it is the residents of New Jersey who were losers, too. Because, we may have also lost any opportunity to advance health care in this state, and to challenge the narrow, false choices that too many politicians make between taxes and services.
This Spring at eight hospitals throughout New Jersey, HPAE's health care workers fought to get our state's medical centers to focus our scarce resources on maintaining quality patient care and safe working conditions, rather than CEO salaries, perks and fancy lobbies. As I'm sure you know by now, at two sites Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Bergen County and Bayonne Medical Center in Hudson County- these fights were particularly longer, more difficult and even involved lock-outs of our members. Throughout this fight, the support from the progressive community has been inspirational to our members. So today, I wanted to thank you and make sure you were among the first to know that we've reached agreements which have been ratified by our members at both of these locations.
We've been following the lockout at Bayonne Medical Center, and I thought I should share this statement just put out by the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union:
The announcement by owners of Bayonne Medical Center that they would end the lock-out Friday morning at 7:00am is their admission that they were unable to run the hospital without the real healthcare workers; that the lockout was illegal at every level; and that replacing dedicated healthcare workers with replacement workers was a terrible idea from the very inception.. This is a victory for the strength of the healthcare workers, who stood together against an enormous onslaught against their rights; a victory for patients who will now receive quality health care. It is also a testament to the support we received from our Mayor, Mark Smith, from our Congressman Albio Sires, and from our County Executive Tom DeGis, and our County Freeholders.
Under the law, our workers will be working under the original contract, and any attempt to impose the hospital's last offer during bargaining is illegal, and we will challenge them every day, in the hospital, in the public and in the courts if they attempt to strip our members of their rights and working conditions. We are ready to get back to our patients' bedsides, and ready to get back to bargaining.
Update: Here are the remarks from Representative Albio Sires:
"I was happy to hear that the members of HPAE staff would be returning to work tomorrow at 7am.". "Once again it is imperative that both sides return to the negotiating table and continue negotiations until a successful conclusion of this bargaining process is reached.," said Congressman Sires. Congressman Sires further added, "I will continue to work with Mayor Smith to ensure quality health care for the residents of the City of Bayonne and Hudson County."
Promoted by Jason Springer: I posted about the Hospital planning to lock out out last night along with the Union's response. Here is Ann's update today.
In Bayonne, scab workers were shuttled-in early Tuesday morning. But even as most workers were locked out, some were locked in. It became clear that the hospital had not considered the needs of the patients and were ill prepared for the lockout. The lockout became a lock-in for some HPAE nurses and techs were not allowed to leave the hospital, because there were not enough temporary staff hired to replace them.
Statement in response to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center's 9PM deadline
Englewood, NJ
On June 5, 2009 Englewood Hospital and Medical Center notified Michele McLaughlin, President HPAE Local 5004, of the Medical Center's intent to spend additional millions of dollars for temporary replacement nurses unless the nurses "....are prepared to ratify a new contract by June 8th at 9:00PM." Englewood Medical Center ended negotiations on Saturday June 6th at 5PM due to personal schedules and left the bargaining table with no viable settlement offered.
"The medical center is not bargaining they're making sound bites for the press which is exactly what this is." Stephanie Orrico R.N. lead spokesperson for the negotiating team continues, "We have addressed the Medical Center's critical issues of length of the contract and the extension of the work day but they refuse to address the issues that are necessary to retain and recruit nurses, safe staffing and flexible shifts."
The hiring of the US Nursing Corporation to replace those nurses 'locked out' is more than the cost to EHMC to settle the nurse's contract.
"We are deeply disappointed by the medical Center's actions", says Michele McLaughlin, "we are ready to go back to the bargaining table and we are ready to go back to work."
Bayonne Medical Center nurses and healthcare workers who belong to the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union will be locked out tomorrow, a BMC spokeswoman said today.
BMC spokeswoman Allyson Miller said that temporary workers have been hired and will be on the job today. HPAE spokeswoman Jeanne Oterson confirmed that union members were told about the decision. She said that her nurses would show up to work tomorrow anyway.
The article says that talks broke down last night. The nurses last gave us an update with their side of the story last Thursday. For now, it appears the nurses are showing up tomorrow and the hospital plans to lock them out. Stay tuned.
As of this morning, the union is still trying to get a contract. - promoted by Rosi
To those of you who have been following our contract negations, I just wanted to say thank you. Especially to those of you who have written in expressing support and who have attended our patient care rallies.
First, here's the good news: HPAE members have ratified new contracts at many of our hospitals - including Christ Hospital in Jersey City, Meadowlands Hospital, Palisades Medical Center, Virtua Hospital in Mt. Holly, Cooper University Hospital and Southern Ocean County Hospital. We bargained contracts that protect patient care, keep our experienced staff at the bedside, and help our hospitals. There still remain two major roadblocks in our Back 2 Basics campaign for patient care and fair wages: Bayonne and Englewood.
We're not the problem at Englewood or Bayonne. Management is.
I'm Ann Twomey, President of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE). We just launched our new Back 2 Basics website, and I wanted to post here on Blue Jersey to share it with you. With this campaign, we have a simple goal: to get the message out on the importance of putting patients first to ensure that quality health care is given to patients in need.
HPAE is the largest union of registered nurses and health care professionals in New Jersey. We represent 12,000 hard working caregivers, and we're the largest and fastest growing health care union in the state. Right now, we're entering into negotiations with 8 hospitals across New Jersey. We're fighting to make sure patient care is at the forefront of the agenda and to make sure that precious health dollars are invested the right way in these difficult financial times. You might have seen this article in today's Jersey Journal regarding a strike authorization vote today at Bayonne Medical Center.
This Thursday, I hope you can join us for a rally for patient care at Bayonne Hospital. Since this is a grassroots effort, the help of our allies, both online and off, is vital to our success. Click here for more information about the rally, or just join us on Thursday afternoon:
Thursday, May 21st, 3:30 pm
Bayonne Medical Center
29th St. & Ave. E, Bayonne, NJ
