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 Nurses Picket Buffalo Psychiatric Center

BUFFALO, NY (09/30/2008; 1600)(readMedia)-- Nurses who are members of the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) picketed out in front of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center this afternoon, demanding the option of weekends off for senior nurses who have dedicated their careers to patient care.

Nurses carried signs that read ‘respect nurses', 'dedicated' and 'unappreciated' to call attention to a new forced schedule change that will require every nurse to work at least one weekend day, no matter their seniority.

"There are nurses who have dedicated the past 20 years of their lives caring for patients at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center who are now being told, they can't have a weekend off," said PEF Council Leader Barb Rock. "This facility, like so many others operated by the state Office of Mental Health, is battling a nursing shortage. Denying senior nurses hard-earned weekend time with their families is not the way to attract new people to the profession," she added.

Rock pointed out that nurses can earn a better hourly wage working at the nearby Veterans Administration Medical Center. "Offering nurses a more competitive salary and allowing the nurses to professionally share weekends off is a much better way to recruit new nurses, rather than punishing your most senior staff," Rock said.

"PEF nurses were already sharing weekends off among themselves in order to lower overtime and create a more balanced schedule," said PEF Buffalo Regional Coordinator Kevin Hintz. "Management's decision to take that option away from all nurses is lowering moral, will lead to more overtime which could ultimately jeopardize patient safety," Hintz said.

PEF nurses remain hopeful they will be able to work with management to resolve the scheduling issue.

PEF is the state's second-largest state-employee union, representing 59,000 professional, scientific and technical employees including more than 8,500 registered nurses.

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