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New York Nurse october 2018
Re-elect Governor Andrew Cuomo
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overnor Andrew M. Cuomo (D) has proven to be a tireless and uncompromising champion of laws and regulations that enhance the health and well-being of all New Yorkers. He has successfully spearheaded the fight for a living wage, the Marriage Equality Act, New York’s Safe Act, access to healthcare, and protecting women’s reproductive rights in the face of federal assault, and many others. Our 56th governor has distinguished himself through his words, principles and actions. He was unflinching in his support for working people and unions in our organizing drive at Albany Medical Center.
Union state
Advocating for patients. Advancing the profession.
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Board of Directors President Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, RN, MSN, FNP First Vice President Anthony Ciampa, RN Second Vice President Karine M. Raymond, RN, MSN Secretary Tracey Kavanagh, RN, BSN Treasurer Patricia Kane, RN Directors at Large Anne Bové, RN, MSN, BC, CCRN, ANP Judith Cutchin, RN Seth Dressekie, RN, MSN, NP Jacqueline Gilbert, RN Nancy Hagans, RN Robin Krinsky, RN Lilia V. Marquez, RN Nella Pineda-Marcon, RN, BC Verginia Stewart, RN Marva Wade, RN Regional Directors Southeastern Yasmine Beausejour, RN Southern Sean Petty, RN Central Marion Enright, RN Lower Hudson/NJ Jayne Cammisa, RN, BSN Western Chiqkena Collins, RN Eastern Martha Wilcox, RN Executive Editor Jill Furillo, RN, BSN, PHN Executive Director Editorial offices located at: 131 W 33rd St., New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-785-0157 x 159 Email: communications@nysna.org Website: www.nysna.org Subscription rate: $33 per year ISSN (Print) 1934-7588/ISSN (Online) 1934-7596 ©2018, All rights reserved
“New York is a union state,” Governor Cuomo said on April 15, 2018, “and we have zero tolerance for any attempts to illegally interfere in the fundamental right to join a union.” In June, the governor issued an executive order instructing the NYS Department of Labor to “vigorously enforce workforce protections.” With laws and executive orders he has demonstrated a profound understanding of the lives of New Yorkers and the importance of our work in hospitals, the role of unions and the need for greater economic parity. In the devastating aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton, Connecticut, Governor Cuomo signed New York’s Safe Act, the strongest gun safety legislation in America. His July 9 executive order, Protecting Women’s Access to Contraception, shored up “the full range of reproductive healthcare services” for all New York women in the face of federal attack. He is committed to enacting the protections of Roe v. Wade into state law. Major commitment to safe staffing
Governor Cuomo announced in June his intention to implement safe staffing levels for nurses and caregivers at hospitals and nursing homes throughout New York State. Toward this end, he will include a measure for safe staffing in the state budget, making it a high priority early in 2019. “We know that quality of care is directly linked to appropriate staffing levels,” he
Governor Andrew Cuomo with NYSNA members
wrote in a June 22 directive to the NYS Labor Department. In the face of the Janus decision, he signed legislation to strengthen the rights of working men and women. The legislation protects union membership in the state’s public sector. Subsequent action taken by him protects the privacy of union members. He has vowed to “vigorously enforce workforce protections,” calling for penalty pay for nurses, citing work through lunch breaks and ad-
ditional hours without fair compensation, such as mandatory overtime. Governor Cuomo knows that safety net hospitals are the backbone of care for the people and he joined forces with allies across the state, including NYSNA, to make certain that they are protected in the face of federal incursion. “Health is a critical priority and this administration will do everything we can to protect…funding and quality care,” he has said repeatedly.
Kirsten Gillibrand for U.S. Senate
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irsten Gillibrand (D) is seeking re-election to the U.S. Senate and we strongly support her. Born and raised in Albany, Gillibrand is an attorney who early in her career took on pro bono cases defending abused women and their children. She also worked to defend tenants seeking safe housing. First as a member of Congress and since entering the U.S. Senate in 2009, Gillibrand has given priority to creating and protecting jobs and she knows well the importance of unions in keeping communities strong and vital. “Our unions are key to rebuilding the middle class with good wages, safe jobs and retirement and healthcare benefits, all of which will lift up our economy. I will always speak out for good union jobs, and for our workers’ freedom to organize,” she said. Gillibrand is in favor of single payer healthcare and voted for the Medicare for All Act of 2017. “Ensuring that every American has access to quality, affordable healthcare coverage is a national priority.”
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Another national priority for Gillibrand is ensuring veterans’ care. “Too many New York veterans are not getting the quality care they have earned because the federal bureaucracy fails to reach out and let our vets know what services they are entitled to.” Gillibrand stands for the protection of women’s access to the full range of reproductive healthcare services. She has been outspoken on issues of sexual assault in the military and sexual harassment. And she supported civil unions for same-sex couples. Across the board on this range of essential issues Gillibrand has spoken out and taken action. She has earned out strong endorsement.