Adirondack Medical Center Nurses Speak Out for a Fair Contract
For months, NYSNA nurses at Adirondack Medical Center have been bargaining for a fair contract that ensures safe, quality care for their community, protects nurse and patient safety, and includes a real plan to recruit and retain experienced nurses. On Wednesday, July 29, after seeing little movement from management at the table, nurses held a speak-out to amplify their demands for a fair contract. Their action was covered by WAMC, the Press Republican and the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.
Frontline Nurses Need Care, Too
Nurses’ top priority during this contract campaign is securing entrance to the NYSNA Benefit Fund, which would deliver affordable healthcare benefits to nurses and their families. Currently, nurses’ only option is an expensive, employer-provided health plan. But nurses have reported being denied medically necessary procedures and high co-pays for services not offered at Adirondack.
Denise Velez, RN, an Adirondack nurse who lives with a progressive auto-immune condition that may lead to a liver transplant in the future, said: “If we stay on Adirondack’s medical plan, I will have to make a decision between putting my family into debt to get the medical care I need or, very frankly, dying. I wouldn’t have to make that decision if our health insurance was provided by the NYSNA Benefit Fund.” Unfortunately, Velez is not the only NYSNA member at Adirondack whose health is being put at risk because of the limited benefits the hospital offers.
Toby Ringland, RN, was diagnosed with cancer six months ago. To treat her cancer, she was forced to travel to Plattsburgh, over an hour away, and pay out-of-pocket for a treatment not offered at Adirondack. At the speak-out, Ringland said: “Frontline nurses deserve affordable health benefits. We’re the people taking care of our community day in and day out. We’re the people that folks rely on when they get sick. So why should we spend a fortune to keep ourselves healthy – especially when that money goes right back into our employer’s pocket?” Ringland also noted that, in her 39 years as a nurse, the benefits at Adirondack are the worst she’s seen.
Protecting Their Community
Adirondack nurses are fighting for affordable benefits, not just for themselves, but for future generations of nurses and Saranac Lake residents. As a small community hospital in the Adirondack Park, Adirondack Medical Center has faced challenges recruiting and retaining nurses. NYSNA members say that, in part, that’s because of the benefit package the hospital offers. Adirondack is the only NYSNA-represented facility left in the North Country without access to the NYSNA Benefit Fund. For prospective nurses, who may have a family or be looking to start one, that can be a deal breaker. As the cost-of-living crisis in this country worsens and healthcare premiums continue to rise, an unaffordable benefit package could be a non-starter when comparing offers from similar hospitals in the region.
At the speak-out, Bill Schneider, BSN, RN, CCRN, PACU nurse at Adirondack and NYSNA Second Vice President, said: “Our hospital must work harder to draw nurses into our community and keep them here. Saranac Lake is beautiful and the people are welcoming, but other hospitals in the region provide more generous packages. Adirondack can change that by settling a fair contract that includes an affordable benefits package and respectful wages, especially in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.”
What’s Next?
Adirondack nurses will continue to bargain for the fair contract that they, their community, and future generations of nurses deserve. Over the last few months, they’ve marched on the boss, shared their healthcare stories on social media and launched an email action targeting hospital CEO Aaron Kramer.
Following the speak-out, nurses are already back at the table with hospital administrators; but they will do whatever it takes to secure a contract that ensures safe patient care for their community. Keep up the great work, Adirondack nurses!