News from New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF)

For more information contact: Darcy Wells, (518) 785-1900 Ext. 277 or (518) 859-1274

PEF Applauds State Leaders for Putting Patient Safety First, Ending Mandatory OT for Nurses

ALBANY, NY (06/19/2008; 1259)(readMedia)-- Leaders of the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) commended action by the governor and legislative leaders that will finally set limits on mandatory overtime for nurses.

"This is an important step toward ensuring quality patient care and alleviating the nursing crisis in New York state," said PEF President Ken Brynien. "Mandatory overtime has made recruiting and retaining nurses nearly impossible in several state agencies. Now, with a ban on mandatory overtime, we are confident nurses will once again return to the profession."

PEF has been fighting for an end to mandatory overtime for nearly a decade. Nurses from all across the state have rallied, lobbied legislators and shared their stories of being forced to work double shifts.

"No one wants to be the patient being cared for by a nurse, exhausted after being forced to work overtime," Brynien said. "This is long over due and will go a long way toward fixing a broken health care system. Mandatory overtime forced far too many nurses to leave their calling. At least 14 other states have passed laws or adopted new regulations to protect the public by limiting the number of hours caregivers can work. Now, New York can be added to the list of state's committed to protecting patient safety," Brynien added.

"Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno have been strong advocates for action to improve quality of care by eliminating mandatory overtime. Gov. Paterson's leadership has been crucial in bringing all of the interested parties together to achieve this agreement.

"We would also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of Assembly Member Aileen Gunther and Senator Thomas Morahan. They kept this issue front and center and would not allow it to be set aside. This is the kind of leadership that every citizen can respect," Brynien said.

PEF is the state's second-largest state-employee union, representing 58,000 professional, scientific and technical employees including about 9,000 nurses. For more information contact Darcy Wells at (518) 785-1900 ext. 277 or (518) 859-1274.

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