ALBANY — Albany Medical Center nurses will hold a news conference outside the hospital Friday morning to announce they are ready to strike over patient care concerns and working conditions they claim are unsafe.þþAccording to a news release issued Thursday night by the New York State Nurses Association, nurses at the hospital are “extremely concerned” about their ability to safely care for patients during the coronavirus pandemic. They will be outside the hospital's pillars entrance at 8:30 a.m. Friday, and are planning a one-day walkout for Dec. 1.þþ“We are not walking out. We are being forced out,” said Lenore Granich, a nurse who serves on the hospital negotiating committee. “AMC is not and has not listened to us. COVID-19 is back with a vengeance and our staffing is at critical mass, PPE – especially N95s are being reused multiple times and now our staff members are becoming infected. These conditions put us and our patients at risk.”þþHospital leaders have said they are reusing the masks in an effort to conserve on supplies as COVID-19 cases rise worldwide and threaten supply lines. The masks are disinfected using either an aerosolized hydrogen peroxide solution or ultraviolet light — processes that have been approved by both the state and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the pandemic, they say.þþNurses feel the process is “ineffective and dangerous,” according to the NYSNA release.þþOver 200 nurses have allegedly left Albany Med due to working conditions, the release says.þþThe release was issued just hours after nurses rejected a contract proposal from management. Nurses unionized over two and a half years ago and have been negotiating with management on a first contract on and off ever since. Negotiations were put on pause at the beginning of the pandemic, but have since resumed.þþOn Wednesday, Albany Med president and CEO Dennis McKenna said in a YouTube video that the contract proposal from management “reflects the fundamental principles of safety, fairness, fiscal responsibility and quality.”þþMcKenna said the hospital’s proposal included a merit plan allowing 3 percent pay raises for the next three years, a competitive contract for “our market,” staffing to national benchmarks, and “your choice” in union membership. A “no” vote, he said, would mean a strike.þþ“As you are acutely aware we are seeing an increase in Covid-19 cases as we enter the holiday season,” he said. “I ask that you join me in continuing to care for our community. Albany Med will not abandon its mission.”þþNYSNA says hospital management has “unilaterally changed terms and conditions of work” and intimidated nurses from communicating with co-workers about the union. They have filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.þþAlbany Med spokesman Matt Markham said in an email Thursday night that the union's statements are false, unfounded, alarmist and ÿcompletely irresponsible.ÿþþÿAlbany Med presented a fair contract to the union, and that contract was rejected,ÿ he said. ÿNurses who choose to strike will have made the choice to abandon their patients. But Albany Med will not. Albany Med is prepared for a strike and will continue caring for our community without interruption. We will not abandon our mission.”þþ
Source: timesunion.com
