Unionized nurses rallied Thursday outside Albany Medical Center, continuing to vent their frustrations about what they see as short-staffing and inadequate pay.
The nurses say the ongoing shortage of skilled staff continues, and although the hospital has hired additional nurses, it has failed to address the issue. Kathryn Dupuis is a registered nurse with nearly 30 years of experience.
“We see the most complex cases from all over the Capital Region and all over New York, but unfortunately, the most experienced nurses who are most suitable to care for the sickest patients, are leaving Albany Med in droves because they can get better pay down the road and care for less acute patients, and yet those sick patients keep coming here," said Dupuis. "So what happens now? Those patients come to Albany Med and they sit in our emergency department, sometimes for days on end, sometimes in the hallway. How on God's green earth is this safe?”
The New York State Nurses Association's current contract with Albany Med, which has been under negotiation since April, expired on July 31st. Registered nurse Tonia Bazel says the contract now being negotiated is about patient care.
“We were assured that we would get a contract that reflects the care they have for their staff and the care they have for the community within our deadline on the 31st and of course, we have not achieved that. Our ask at the table has been for safe staffing ratios that is required by law. That the hospital is supposed to adhere to and be in compliance with in order to give us safe staffing. As we sat at the negotiating table and before we left, what they had placed and wanted us to sign onto in our contract was that they not be held accountable for the state law,” said Bazel.
According to NYSNA, approximately 50 percent of Albany Med nurses have less than 5 years of bedside experience at the facility. With nearly 600 vacant nursing positions, Albany Med’s nurse vacancy rate is nearly 25%, while the average national vacancy rate is 10%.
Labor and delivery nurse Jennifer Kiehle concluded the press conference by expressing frustration with the hospital's priorities.
“The hospital's number one priority, every week since we have been in negotiations, every week, sometimes twice a week, they put out a letter for the staff to see. And numero uno, always ever present is an open hospital. We don't believe you need to pay dues. They simply want to bust the union so that we can't announce to the world all the egregious things that are going on the other side of those walls, those doors, that has been primo, primo for them, get rid of and we can do what we want,” Kiehle said.
Albany Med issued a statement in response, which says in part "Albany Med presented more than 20 proposals over 14 negotiating sessions." "Our negotiating team made a robust final proposal Wednesday that strongly supports not only our nurses, but our entire workforce, our patients, and the communities we serve. The union rejected our proposal. Since we were unable to reach an agreement that is right for Albany Med, our work continues."
