We all pay sales tax – on everything from school supplies to SUVs. But missing in this revenue raising routine is a sales tax on financial transactions – trading in stocks, bonds, and derivatives. As both a matter of fairness to all taxpayers and to raise funds critical to support our communities, this void needs to be filled.
More than a dozen states have laws to varying degrees covering safe staffing. But only California requires minimum nurse-to-patient ratios be maintained at all times by unit as a matter of law. It’s been a resounding success.
A dangerous last-minute budget proposal from the governor's office would amend the Nurse Practice Act to deregulate the practice of nursing — and open the door wider to corporate-driven healthcare institutions who want to replace skilled nurses with underpaid and untrained workers. This is a direct assault on quality care and access to care.
Yesterday, more than 1,000 nurses got on buses to Albany for our Safe Staffing Lobby Day. We quickly moved into action and expanded our lobby visits so that we could respond to this attack on patient safety and nursing practice.
We doubled our planned lobby visits and met with more than 170 lawmakers and their staffers. We asked our lawmakers to support the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act and also asked for them to stand with us against any changes to the Nurse Practice Act.
NYSNA has never endorsed a candidate for Mayor in the NYC primaries — until now. For the first time in our history, the NYSNA Board of Directors unanimously voted to endorse Bill de Blasio to be New York City’s next mayor.
After more than a year of rallies, marches, court hearings, and even arrests, we have reached an agreement with SUNY on a new process that has the best chance of LICH remaining a hospital and which we hope will lead to the best possible outcome for the patients served by LICH.
This groundbreaking agreement requires SUNY to engage in a new open and transparent process for determining who will take over LICH, a process which prioritizes operators committed to running a full-service hospital and which gives the community significant decision-making power. Never before has the community had a voice in determining the future of a hospital.
LICH nurses continue to put community needs first. At an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday night, with more than fifty people in attendance, NYSNA RNs, along with doctors, 1199SEIU caregivers, and community members pledged to stay united, to move forward with one voice, and to stick together no matter what. Our coalition has kept the hospital open for more than a year, and our united coalition is the best hope for meeting the healthcare needs of the community.
