Hundreds of nurses at Rochester General Hospital have embarked on a strike, after failed negotiations with hospital administrators.þþThe move comes after negotiations between the nurses' representatives and hospital management reached a deadlock over staffing, wages and patient care. Roughly 900 RGH nurses, members of Rochester Union of Nurses and Allied Professionals, voted last month to authorize the strike.þþThe strike is set to run from through Saturday, Aug. 5.þþHospital administrators said they are ÿdeeply disappointedÿ in the union's decision to strike, that it could hurt our nurses, the hospital and the community.þþÿRGH did not want this strike and we believe nothing we have proposed or haven’t proposed in our negotiations with RUNAP warranted this strike,ÿ a statement from Rochester Regional Health read, adding that administrators have ÿmoved substantiallyÿ on numerous issues during negotiations, including staffing and wages, which the union identified as two of its most important points.þþThe hospital increased nurse base wages by 19% in 2020.þþÿIf the union had accepted our most recent wage proposal of an average 7.8% increase for the first year of the contract, that would’ve equated to a more than 26% average increase in a little over three-and-a-half years,' they said. The union's most recent proposals ÿwould make RGH’s nurses among the highest paid in the entire country.ÿþþÿIf RGH were to agree to everything RUNAP wanted around wages, staffing and benefits, it would cost Rochester Regional Health more than $111 million for just the first year of the contract,ÿ the statement read. ÿGiven that RRH is already projecting a $150 million loss this year, and anticipates further losses into 2024, that would be irresponsible.ÿþþRochester General Hospital plans to maintain regular business hours and for the hospital's emergency department to remain open through the 48-hour strike. Hospital officials contracted an agency to hire hundreds of replacement nurses ÿwho have been carefully screened, selected and trained on RGH’s systems and protocols.ÿþþSome nurses opted not to strike and are working their regularly scheduled shifts, hospital officials said.þþNegotiations between the union and hospital administrations has been underway since October.þþÿAdministration has had many chances to address the issues we face every day - and has failed,ÿ according to the union through its website.
Source: democratandchronicle.com
