OCTOBER 2018
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER
ECMC Nurses Get Ready to Bargain!
Committee and our union. Murnita Bennett, RN, an Executive Committee member and long-time union activist reflected on the change.
With our contract set to expire at the end of the year, ECMC nurses have been hard at work getting ready to bargain.
“Our union is over 1,000 nurses strong—we’re stronger than we’ve ever been before,” explained Murnita. “It’s exciting that more people are taking on leadership roles, especially the younger members who are coming in and learning really quickly what the union is all about. Everyone will have a task to do in bargaining, and we expect to be able to circulate updated information to members very quickly.”
We launched a bargaining survey on October 10, and Delegates and NYSNA Reps have been collecting surveys on each unit. In order to know what our bargaining priorities are, we need to get as broad a sample of surveys as possible. Please do your part by completing a survey and turning it in as soon as possible. On October 10, our Executive Committee met and began discussing how to involve committee members, floor delegates and members in bargaining a new contact. We discussed the need for a strong set of demands and good communication on each unit to keep members informed and engaged in the process. In the last few years, ECMC nurses elected new leaders, who have brought a new energy to our Executive
In addition to turning in surveys, members should stay tuned for information about upcoming membership meetings and negotiation dates. Murnita Bennet, RN concluded, “My hope for bargaining is that we’re treated fairly, and that we’re treated like the professionals we are. Our Executive Committee is ready to go. Some of management’s team is also new and bargaining for the first time—we hope that they’re getting trained and ready to bargain, too.”