Nurses have long deserved better staffing, benefits

Coverage of the Albany Medical Center nurses’ contract negotiations and the strike brings back to me related memories over my 40-year nursing career.

Though it is now 2020, things have not changed that much in relation to hospitals employing tactics to incite fear in the minds of these unionized workers.

As time passes and negotiations drag on, some staff members become increasingly discouraged and are thus more vulnerable to this intimidation.

I recall having personally experienced similar rhetoric as a staff nurse working in two area hospitals in my earlier years when a union was attempting to come into those hospitals. Years later, as a manager, I was schooled to “encourage to discourage” staff who wished to speak with me regarding their desire to unionize.

Though not familiar with Albany Med's specific issues, areas of concern for medical personnel are often related to inadequate staffing, low contributions toward employee health insurance plans and inadequate compensation toward retirement.

It is ironic that workers caring for the sickest of the sick, particularly during our COVID-19 crisis need to worry about such things as they often end a long shift exhausted and discouraged. Some CEOS report taking minimal pay cuts during these tough times, but it is often just lip service by comparison to overall circumstances.

I encourage these unionized nurses to persevere in working with the New York State Nurses Association to reach their goal of receiving deserved benefits. Kathleen Mccabe Register nurse Guilderland