AlbanyMed and nurses union still at odds

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Albany Medical Center management and the union representing its nursing staff continue to be at odds over contract negotiations. With negotiations ongoing, elected officials weighed in.

Albany Medical Center CEO and a nurse on the union’s negotiating committee discussed sticking points that have held up contract negotiations. But ultimately, both sides said they have the same goal — safely staffing the hospital.

CEO Dennis McKenna thanked Mayor Kathy Sheehan, State Senator Neil Breslin, and Assembly Members Patricia Fahy and John McDonald for signing a letter that urged the nurses union, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), to ‘consider the proposal on the table’.

“My deep appreciation to the local elected officials for that letter. I think, obviously, that was something that was very courageous of them and something that affirms their support of our mission. And I certainly hope it will go a long ways towards making the message clear that this is something that not only Albany Med wants but our elected leaders want to get done,” said McKenna.

That proposal offered retroactive pay, but that was contingent on NYSNA accepting the offer by December 9. The union denied it.

“Dr. McKenna actually said it was an ultimatum, and again I feel like that’s bullying to me. It didn’t feel like a conversation or a negotiation really. It was like take this or… I don’t know…Some of the stuff went away,” said Registered Nurse Jaimie Alaxanian.

She is a member of several committees – including the staffing committee, the executive committee and the negotiating committee – fighting for a contract with enforceable staffing ratios, she said. 

They want enough experienced nurses to safely care for patients. She said a big part of staffing is recruiting nurses who live locally and want to build their careers here but oftentimes nurses leave to make more money at other nearby hospitals.

“The salary cap issue is a very small issue. This pertains, really, to a very small number of our nurses. And what we’re talking about is when you have a schedule of maximums and minimums of what you pay individuals, you know, there are some nurses who have been here a long period of time and they may be at the higher range of the nursing salary here,” said McKenna.

Alaxaninan said nurses, at all levels on the clinical ladder, have their salaries capped. She believes taking those caps away makes the contract better for nurses. 

“It’s not just about the money, it’s about the quality of the care we are able to provide. We’re held to very high standards, and that’s part of why we do what we do. We want to be able to do it to the best of our ability and when we don’t have enough nurses, we can’t do that,” said Alaxanian.

She said the ‘last, best and final’ proposal from the hospital was denied by the union because there are ongoing investigations into unfair labor practices and accepting the proposal would have required them to drop the charges.

Albany Med is the healthcare provider in the region that many surrounding communities also rely on. That’s why, Alaxanian said, they insist on safe staffing and not just getting by with the bare minimum.

“People come to us on their worst day and we want them to leave feeling better and feel like they were cared for and I also want to go home at the end of the day and feel like I did the best I could. And if we have enough nurses we can do that. That’s the goal. I’m confident that once we iron out a few details, we’ll be able to reach that goal going forward,” said Alaxanian.

Other unions and community allies signed a letter supporting NYSNA, including elected officials like Assembly Member Angelo Santabarabra and Albany Common Council Member Gabriella Romero.

McKenna wants the nurses to vote on the contract that’s in front of them right now. 

“Probably 80 percent of the nurses here on this campus want this contract. That’s based on conversations that I’ve had walking the halls, talking to the nurses on the units. Let’s get this done. Let’s bring it forward for a vote. Let the nurses speak,” said McKenna.

Alaxanian said they want to go back to the table and make movement so they can deliver the best care to patients.

McKenna said they have another negotiation meeting scheduled for early next month. However, NYSNA said they’re waiting to hear back on exact dates.