NEW YORK NURSE: July/August 2007
by Nancy Webber
It came close – closer than it ever had in the 10 years since legislation banning mandatory overtime for nurses was first introduced in the New York State Legislature.
In the end, however, the bill was not brought forward for a vote in the State Senate as the official legislative session ended on June 21. The measure had been passed by the State Assembly, so only Senate approval was needed to send the bill on to Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
“The Senate’s inaction on this bill is inexplicable,” said Shaun Flynn, director of the NYSNA Governmental Affairs Department. “After several discussions with Senate staff, the bill appeared to be ready for a vote. Perhaps the Senators have underestimated their nurse constituents’ strong feelings on this issue.”
NYSNA lobbyist Tracy Tress reported that in the closing hours of the legislative session, the Senate proposed weaker legislation that was acceptable to the hospital industry but not to NYSNA. Tress thanked Sen. Thomas Morahan (R-Rockland County), who has sponsored and supported the bill for years, after speaking to nurses on the strike line at Nyack Hospital.
NYSNA staff members praised the members of the State Assembly, who first passed the bill in May in response to the multi-union nurses’ rally held on the steps of the State Capitol. They credited much of this success to Aileen Gunther, a registered nurse who worked at Catskill Regional Medical Center before her election to the Assembly in 2005.
“Aileen has been tireless in promoting this bill, getting it through committee, and making it a priority for her colleagues,” Flynn said. The Assembly approved an amended version of the bill in June, after Senate staff members indicated the new language would improve its chances for passage in that house.
Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Capital Region Republican, called the Senate back into session for one day on July 16 to address unfinished business.
NYSNA and three other unions (the Public Employees Federation, the New York State United Teachers, and the 1199SEIU Nurse Alliance) collaborated to air television ads before and during that week urging Senators to take action on the bill.
The bill did not come up for a vote during the brief session. The Senators’ one major action was to pass a bill to increase property tax rebates for seniors. This measure has not been passed by the State Assembly, which did not return to Albany in July.
It is possible that the State Senate will reconvene for another brief session before the end of the year. “Usually, when the official session ends in June, lobbyists assume that any bills left on the table are dead until next year,” Flynn said.
“With the Senate possibly returning for one-day sessions in the late summer or early fall, however, we have to keep up the pressure.”
The Governmental Affairs staff sent Action Alerts on the status of the mandatory overtime bill via e-mail to NYSNA members who have registered for this service. In addition to the updated information, the alerts included contact information for members’ State Senators and directed them to NYSNA’s Legislative Action Center for further grassroots activities.
Send an e-mail request to legislative@ nysna.org to sign up for the Action Alert service, which is free to NYSNA members.