Maimonides nurses protest over stalled contract talks

BROOKLYN, Sept. 9, 2011 – “So this is the thanks we get?”

This is what registered nurses at Maimonides Medical Center are thinking as they prepare for informational picketing on Monday, Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of facility at 4802 Tenth Ave in Borough Park.

The 1,300 RNs are represented for collective bargaining by the New York State Nurses Association. Their most recent three-year contract expired on Jan. 1, 2011, and they are currently trying to negotiate a new a contract.

Registered nurses work on the front lines of healthcare. The nature of their work exposes them to risk each day of neck, back and knee injuries; contracting contagious diseases; and even workplace violence. If RNs can’t protect their own health, they won’t be around to care for their patients.

Yet Maimonides management thinks RNs are no longer worth the investment. In their contract talks, management is refusing to listen to the RNs’ concerns about difficult working conditions and the need for comprehensive and affordable health insurance. Instead, management is demanding contract givebacks.

“Maimonides management should be concerned about recruiting and retaining good nurses,” said Michael Chacon, RN, Nurses Association representative. “Yet they don’t appear to care. It’s not a good plan for the future to discourage experienced RNs from staying here and new nurses from applying.”

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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