FEBRUARY 2019
A NEWSLETTER FOR NYSNA RNs AT NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS
Community Says: The Nurses’ Fight is Our Fight! Nurses from NYC H+H facilities throughout the city came together in Harlem on February 5 to launch our contract campaign, Healthcare Justice for the Other New York. Judith Cutchin, RN, President NYSNA NYC H+H/Mayorals Executive Council and NYSNA Board Member led the rally and press conference at the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, across from Harlem Hospital. “We are proud to care for one in five New Yorkers,” said Judith. “Healthcare justice for the other New York means making sure that all New Yorkers get the care they need and deserve.” H+H nurse leaders Alizia McMyers, RN, Jovana Woodley, RN and Marion Perkins, RN also spoke about the urgent need for a fair contract that delivers the respect and resources that nurses and our patients deserve. We were joined by many community, labor, and elected leaders, who offered words of solidarity and their own heartfelt pleas for more resources for the nurses and patients in our public health system. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer got a standing ovation after relaying his personal story of a skilled ER nurse who cared for his young son during a late-night hospital visit. He told H+H nurses, “We leave our families in your hands. Safe staffing is saving lives. A livable wage is saving lives!”
We also heard commitments to support nurses for as long as it takes from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., New York City Councilman and Chair of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor Committee and Co-chair of the Black, Latino/a, and Asian Caucus, I. Daneek Miller, New York City Councilman, and Chair of the Health Committee Mark Levine. Labor leaders showed solidarity and recognition of the important role that nurses play, including the New York City Central Labor Council, AFSCME DC 37 Local 420, and the Doctors Council SEIU. “The working people of New York need a working healthcare system. The CLC stands with our brothers and sisters in NYSNA to support quality care for all,” said NYC CLC President Vinny Alvarez. Leaders from community groups Community Voices Heard, the Dominican Women’s Development Center, Metro NY Health Care for All and the Commission on the Public’s Health System also came out to support nurses and describe how important our city’s public hospitals are to New York’s communities, particularly low-income communities and communities of color. Facilities throughout the H+H system are launching rallies in February and March to build more unity and power to win our demands. Get involved by joining a Contract Action Team today—email Henry.Rose@nysna.org.