NEW YORK NURSE: July/August 2007
by Mark Genovese
NYSNA will celebrate its 50th anniversary of representing registered nurses for collective bargaining during the annual Delegate Assembly brunch at the 2007 Convention.
Through photos and special speakers, the Sept. 27 event will feature historical moments from the past half-century. The event will also honor the “Sentosa 27” nurses, who are struggling for justice after facing considerable abuse and hardship from their employer after immigrating to this country.
There is no charge for the event, which is open to bargaining unit members only. Convention attendees are required to indicate whether they plan to attend the brunch in the “Special Events” section of the convention registration form.
On Oct. 15, 1957, the NYSNA House of Delegates, as the association’s governing body was called at the time, authorized an “Economic Security Program” that would offer collective bargaining services to nurses. It was seen as a way to solve long-standing workplace problems such as deplorable salaries, personnel shortages, and a culture of paternalism in the healthcare industry.
The program’s first achievement was winning a fair pay scale for RNs who worked for the New York City Department of Hospitals. Momentum from this victory caused the number of NYSNA bargaining units to increase rapidly throughout the state in the 1960s and 1970s.
The nation’s first contractual safe staffing guidelines were negotiated by NYSNA members in the 1980s. Breakthroughs were reached in following years in salaries, benefits, and practice conditions. NYSNA established its first bargaining unit outside of the state in New Jersey in 2001.
“Our celebration at Convention will be an exciting and emotional event,” said Lorraine Seidel, director of NYSNA’s Economic & General Welfare Program. “We hope that many of our bargaining unit members will attend to show their pride in what they and their predecessors have accomplished.”