It takes a communityPage 7

Putting booksin children’s handsPage 6

AFT welcomes National Federation of NursesPage 3

VOL. 35, NO. 4 | MARCH - MAY 2013

THE NATIONAL PUBLICATION OF AFT HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALSTHE NATIONAL PUBLICATION OF AFT HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALSTHE NATIONAL PUBLICATION OF AFT HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

BraveworldNewWisconsin chapter reinvents itself in the face of major collective bargaining changes Page 4

From left, healthcare professionals Jeff weber, Janice Hansen and James effenheim are navigating the new world of collective bargaining in wisconsin.

2 HEALTHWIRE | MARCH - MAY 2013 MARCH - MAY 2013 | HEALTHWIRE 32 HEALTHWIRE | MARCH - MAY 2013

wHere we sTANd

Uniting our voicesRANDI WEINGARTEN, AFT President

RANDI WEINGARTENPresidentLORRETTA JOHNSONSecretary-TreasurerFRANCINE LAWRENCEExecutive Vice President

KRIS HAvENSCommunications Director

© 2013 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, AFL-CIO

Cover photo: jOHN SALLER

ROGER S. GLASSEditor

ADRIENNE COLES Managing Editor

DANIEL GuRSKyANNETTE LICITRABARBARA mcKENNAmIKE ROSEContributing Editors

LAuRA BAKERJANE FELLERCopy Editors

JENNIFER CHANGProduction Manager

mICHELLE FuRmANPAmELA WOLFEGraphic Designers

SHARON WRIGHTProduction Specialist

SHARON FRANCOuRProduction Coordinator

SHAWNITRA HAWKINSALICIA NICKProduction Staff

HEALTHWIRE (ISSN 0199-8552, USPS 011536) is published five times a year: Dec./jan., March-May, june/july, Aug./Sept., Oct./Nov. by the Ameri-can Federation of Teachers, 555 New jersey Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20001-2079. Phone: 202-879-4400www.aft.org

Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices.

POSTmASTER: Send address changes to HealthWire, 555 New jersey Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20001-2079.

mEmBERS: To change your address or subscription, notify your local union treasurer or visit www.aft.org/members.

Letters to the editor may be sent to the address above or to online@aft.org.

HEALTHWIRE is mailed to all AFT healthcare members as a benefit of membership. Subscriptions represent $2.25 of annual dues and are available only as a part of membership.

Although advertisements are screened as carefully as possible, acceptance of an advertisement does not imply AFT endorsement of the product or service.

NURSES AND EDUCATORS work from the heart as much as the head. The compassion with which they exercise their expertise makes their work much more than “just a job.” As the president of a union of both healthcare provid-ers and educators, I often see the special bond between those who nurture body and mind—those who heal our communities and those who educate our children. These profession-als also need muscle to effectively advocate on behalf of the students and patients they serve.

In February, the National Federation of Nurses, the largest independent union of nurses in the United States, voted to affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers. The NFN affiliation, the largest in the AFT’s history, will unite 34,000 additional registered nurses with the more than 70,000 nurses and other healthcare professionals who already belong to the AFT. Two of the NFN state labor orga-nizations, Montana and Washington, already have ratified their affiliation agreements with the AFT. At press time, the ratification process in the other two states, Oregon and Ohio, was ongoing.

It is a partnership based on mutual pri-orities, mutual respect and a mutual desire to provide our members with the tools and conditions they need to do their jobs. Health-care professionals—many of whom have been

members of the AFT for decades—need power and voice to fight for better working conditions and better patient care. They are essential voices in the quest to ensure that hospitals and healthcare facilities are safe, healing places.

And the affiliation couldn’t come at a more important time. As the Affordable Care Act is implemented, and the healthcare industry is rapidly changing, our voices must be heard. Healthcare workers on the frontlines need a strong union backing them, and that was a key

driver of this affiliation. Like teachers, nurses and health profes-

sionals continue to face the triple threat of privatization, “profitization” and de-profes-sionalization. While teachers face swelling class sizes that hamper their ability to give students the individual attention they need to succeed, nurses face unsafe staffing levels that prevent them from providing the kind of indi-vidual care their patients deserve. Both pro-fessions are challenged by shrinking budgets and top-down dictates that threaten to deny them the resources and the voice they need to do their jobs. Now, when nurses advocate for their patients in statehouses and on Capitol Hill, they’ll have the legislative and regulatory reach of the largest union of professionals in the AFL-CIO.

Our new partnership will provide a power-

ful boost to new organizing of nurses in states where NFN and AFT have members, and it offers a pathway for nurses seeking to orga-nize throughout the country. When nurses join a union, they gain greater voice, and that will improve patient care. And at a time when many are writing organized labor’s obituary, the actions of nurses are telling a very different story about the importance of collective voice.

The affiliation holds special meaning for me. As a young labor lawyer working in New York City for the United Federation of Teach-ers, one of my first assignments was work-ing with our nurses at Lutheran Hospital in Brooklyn. I have never forgotten the commit-ment they had for their work as well as their tenacity in fighting for respect and dignity in the workplace, and the battle they waged for quality patient care.

This affiliation touches me on a deeply personal level, as well. When my father was seriously ill, it was nurses who saved his life. They offered a level of compassion, focus and professionalism the likes of which I will never forget.

The NFN’s decision to choose us as a part-ner is a vote of confidence in the AFT as a voice for professionals. Our unity gives us added strength and a greater ability to navigate these challenging times.

Educators and health professionals are vi-tal to the well-being of our country, and they deserve a strong union that advances their priorities. We are delighted that the nurses of the NFN are joining the AFT family, and we’re looking forward to the excitement and synergy that this partnership will create. Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts.

Healthcare professionals need power and voice to fight for better working conditions and better patient care. They are essential voices in the quest to ensure that hospitals and healthcare facilities are safe, healing places.

2 HEALTHWIRE | MARCH - MAY 2013 MARCH - MAY 2013 | HEALTHWIRE 3MARCH - MAY 2013 | HEALTHWIRE 3

AFT, National Federation of Nurses partner for a stronger voice Affiliation brings 34,000 registered nurses to the AFT

THE LEADERS of two labor organizations representing healthcare professionals an-nounced on Feb. 14 that they have approved an affiliation agreement that will bring 34,000 registered nurses into the AFT, the largest union of professionals in the AFL-CIO.

The National Federation of Nurses, which represents nurses across the country, will af-filiate with the AFT, whose 1.5 million mem-bers include more than 48,000 nurses and thousands of other healthcare professionals.

“Both educators and nurses are nurtur-ers. This partnership solidifies the unity be-tween those who nurture body and mind—those who heal our communities with those who educate our children,” says AFT president Randi Weingarten. “But nurturers need muscle to advocate on behalf of the students and patients they serve. The affili-ation is great news for nurses, their patients and patient care. It is a partnership based on mutual interests, mutual respect, and a mu-tual desire to provide our members with the tools and conditions they need to advocate for the people they serve.”

Barbara Crane, a registered nurse and president of the NFN, says, “A strong voice for nurses is particularly important now in this time of transition when America’s healthcare system is being redesigned. Nurses are the most trusted healthcare providers, and this new partnership with the AFT will enable us to continue to be the voice for the patients we serve.”

The NFN is active in Montana, Ohio, Or-egon and Washington state. The affiliation agreement maintains the organization’s au-tonomy and structure, and provides substan-tial resources for growth and development of the NFN’s membership. NFN’s constituents will continue membership in their state and national organizations, as well as in the American Nurses Association.

“The NFN decision is a vote of confidence in the AFT as a voice for professionals,” Wein-garten says. “The NFN is the largest indepen-dent union of nurses, and we are delighted they have chosen to become part of our family of shared interests and professional values. Over the last few years, our union has been through the crucible of recession-squeezed budgets and political attacks. But we have emerged stronger, and this partner-ship only adds to our capacity to work with

the communities we serve.” The agreement—upon ratification by the

NFN’s state organizations—also means af-filiation within the AFL-CIO and represents a major development for labor relations in the healthcare professions at a time when the healthcare industry is rapidly changing and when nurses need a voice in implementing the Affordable Care Act effectively.

Both Weingarten and Crane say the new relationship will broaden the platform for bringing new members into the organiza-tion, noting that the NFN is the dominant nurses union in each of the states where it is active. Affiliation with the AFT will aug-ment the NFN’s advocacy in the workplace and with state and national policymakers as nurses play a key role in maintaining quality patient care in a changing health system.

“This affiliation is an unprecedented op-portunity for staff nurses across the country to enhance their professional influence through collective bargaining,” says Crane.

Candice Owley, a registered nurse in Mil-waukee and an AFT vice president, says the affiliation agreement “holds the potential to

create a new kind of nurses’ organization.“The state and local associations that

make up the NFN are long-established and respected professional organizations in their states and communi-ties,” Owley says. “To-gether, we will renew and strengthen our

focus on maintaining the professional stan-dards of nursing so that our members can continue to provide the highest quality care to patients.”

National Federation of Nurses CEO Lor-raine Seidel, also an RN, adds, “Collective bargaining opportunities have reached a powerful potential with this national part-nership. It presents an exciting, transforma-tional option for union representation.”

The affiliation agreement was approved in separate and unanimous votes by the NFN national executive board and by the AFT ex-ecutive council. Each of the NFN state labor organizations will conduct its own formal ratification process, which is expected to be completed in March.

Nurses with the washington state Nurses Association, pictured below, are also members of the National Federation of Nurses, which has approved an affiliation agreement with the AFT.

This partnership solidifies the unity between those who nurture body and mind—those who heal our communities with those who educate our children. But nurturers need muscle to advocate on behalf of the students and patients they serve. The affiliation is great news for nurses, their patients and patient care.

—RANDI WEINGARTEN, AFT president

NFN

PH

OTO

S

4 HEALTHWIRE | MARCH - MAY 2013 MARCH - MAY 2013 | HEALTHWIRE 5

JAmES EFFENHEIm HAD never been very involved in the work of the union, but when the events in Wisconsin surrounding Act 10—a measure that limited collective bargaining for most public employees in the state—began to boil over, he had a change of heart. “Gov. Walker tried to take away the voice of the middle class,” says Effenheim. “Someone has to speak for the middle class, and the union is that voice.”

The union, he adds, is “the counterbal-ance to the Scott Walkers of the world who create policies that favor the wealthy. It is the counterbalance to groups like ALEC [Ameri-can Legislative Exchange Council].”

Effenheim, a registered nurse who works in the emergency room of the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division and a member of the Wisconsin Federation of

Nurses and Health Professionals chapter there, protested the loss of his collective bargaining rights by playing his accordion on the back of his truck dubbed “the recall wagon,” and gathering signatures to recall Gov. Walker.

When the recall vote fell short, Effenheim decided to dig in and became a steward at large for his local. Today, he helps his chapter president, Jeff Weber, with membership or-ganizing. “When I talk to people about being part of the union, I let them know that the union is about preserving their voice in the work environment. Without the union, you have no voice.”

The benefits of belonging

Well before Act 10 went into effect, Jeff Weber began laying a foundation to strengthen his WFNHP chapter to counter what he knew could be a law with devastating consequenc-es. Weber, an acute care registered nurse with the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Di-

vision in Milwaukee, educated the members about what was going to happen after Gov. Scott Walker’s collective bargaining law was implemented.

“This is so new for everyone,” says Weber, “I wanted to let them know that the union was going to be there for them.”

Weber’s pre-emptive strike seems to have worked: Membership in his local union chap-ter is on the rise, while public sector union membership has plummeted throughout the state. In fact, Weber has managed to sign up 78 percent of the workers at the county mental health facility and other county-run facilities and agencies.

“The union had a lot of success before Act 10,” says Effenheim. “We have a very strong union that has allowed us to negotiate fair wages and fair working conditions. That voice and its strength will remain in place.”

The chapter’s membership has dwindled a bit, but Weber is quick to note that it’s not because people are dropping out of the union. “The division has lost employees to retirement, and the others have left because of the job. This is a county system plagued by budget issues, so it makes it harder to com-pete with other sectors in healthcare. The benefits we used to offer, like good pensions and healthcare, which offset the lower wages, aren’t there anymore; so it’s difficult to retain people,” Weber adds.

“This can be a difficult place to work especially when dealing with the mentally ill,” Weber says of the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division. The division is home to programs for the care and treat-ment of developmentally, emotionally and mentally ill adults, children and adolescents in Milwaukee.

It is also home to many of the roughly 280 unionized registered nurses, advanced practice nurse prescribers, occupational therapists and music therapists.

To bring more members into the fold, We-ber focuses on the positive. He speaks from the heart about the union. And Weber can be very persuasive.

“It’s the personal conversations. It’s not reading a script or leaving a phone message,” he says. “It’s truly a face-to-face talk about the benefits of being a union member.”

Janice Hansen was persuaded. Hansen, an occupational therapist, started working at the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health

BraveworldNewWisconsin chapter reinvents itself in the face of major collective bargaining changes

” It’s the personal conversations. It’s not reading a script or leaving a phone message. It’s truly a face-to-face talk about the benefits of being a union member.”

—JEFF WEBER, RN, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division

4 HEALTHWIRE | MARCH - MAY 2013 MARCH - MAY 2013 | HEALTHWIRE 5

Division at the end of last year. When We-ber approached Hansen about joining, she asked him to tell her why she should become a member.

“Basically, what persuaded me to join was knowing I would have the ‘backing’ of the union,” says Hansen. Hansen used to work for the county but left to work in the private sector for nearly a decade. “I have never been in a union and never gave being a part of a union any thought. So this is all new to me,” she says. Hansen wants to feel protected and is convinced that the union gives her that protection. “It’s hard out there for everyone. I wish other people had some of the protec-tions I have. I feel blessed and thankful.”

The power of the union

“It’s a bit of an anomaly to be bringing in members voluntarily,” says Effenheim. But the chapter continues to grow. “The members who have decided to sign up or stay with the union know the power of the union.”

Effenheim has been with the county for 24 years, working with psychiatrists in the facility to evaluate patients for the next step in their mental health care. “I see people in their most acute stage,” he says. Because the facility is a county facility, it is often targeted around budget time even though it provides care for some of the most vulnerable popu-lations in Milwaukee: the working poor, people without insurance, the homeless and those with acute mental illness.

“The community needs this facility,” says Effenheim. “The people—especially the homeless and those without insurance—need it too. Without it, there’s no place for them to go. This is the only place in the city where they can get treatment.”

“We see people who are acutely ill and potentially dangerous, and it’s the union that insists on safe staffing levels and safe working conditions. The union is proactive about these things,” says Effenheim. “By staying organized, we can influence things for the better. As a union, we are so much stronger when we address the county board or any other lawmakers about policies or budget items that affect our patients.”

And the local is building community coalitions with groups such as MICAH (Mil-waukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for

Hope), Voces de la Fron-tera and other unions, to save programs im-portant to the county and its residents. “We have built relationships with these groups since Act 10,” Weber says. “The greatest thing that Walker did was unite us in a common cause. People recognize the nurses, and that gives us a certain cachet within the community.”

The good fight

Candice Owley, president of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Profession-als and an AFT vice president, believes that union locals must begin to redefine them-selves. It’s time to see the bigger picture, she says. “The decline in union members is not just a problem for labor unions, it’s also a problem for workers in our country. Fewer people are recognizing the importance of having a labor movement in our country,” says Owley. “The union is not about the con-tract. The contract is a tool, but it doesn’t define us in our entirety. As members, we pay our dues so we can stand together and fight back.”

And Weber’s chapter, it would seem, likes a good fight. The union recently was successful in quashing an attempt by the county executive to take health benefits away from employees working fewer than 30 hours a week. A few months later, union members mobilized again to stop an effort to privatize health services in the county corrections department.

The union also is advocating on behalf of patients and workers by pressing for safer working conditions. Short staffing was chronic in the division a few years ago.We-ber encouraged members to fill out unsafe staffing forms and turn them over to man-agement and to the county executive. The action caused the county board to include an increase in the number of certified nurs-ing assistant positions in its budget.

“Our solidarity on this issue changed staffing ratios. Today, staffing levels are much improved because of this effort,” says Weber.

The solutions pro-vided by the union have enhanced its relationship with county board mem-bers. “Being able to work with the county board —our ultimate bosses—makes all the di f ference in the world,” explains Weber. “We stand together to get a resolution with the behav-ioral health division on our issues, but if that doesn’t work, we know we can take it a step further and go to the board.”

For example, last year, when a commu-nity support program that provides services for the mentally ill was on the chopping block, chapter members mobilized and reached out to county board members who put the program back into the budget.

In 2011, the chapter negotiated a one-year contract with the county for 2012. “It may not seem like much, but the fact that we were able to get a contract meant a lot,” Weber says. “It solidified our strength as a union. We were able to get an agreement when others couldn’t get it done. We are strong, and we are going to stay that way.”

—ADRIENNE COLESjO

HN

SA

LLER

PH

OTO

S

JANICE HANSEN

Are nurses in your facility stepping into new roles created by the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, such as patient care coordinators or patient navigators?

IT’S yOuR vOICE We want to hear from you on issues throughout the year! Visit www.aft.org/voices today, where you can respond to this and other questions.

“ We have a very strong union that has allowed us to negotiate fair wages and fair working conditions. That voice and its strength will remain in place.”

—JAmES EFFENHEIm, RN, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division

6 HEALTHWIRE | MARCH - MAY 2013

sTATe LINes

CT Healthcare workers at Com-munity Health Services Inc.

in Hartford voted on Feb. 1 to join AFT Connecticut. “As the largest representative of acute care hospital workers in Con-necticut, we believe that the healthcare workers at CHS fit perfectly within our union,” says Melodie Peters, president of AFT Connecticut. The new local has 37 employees with a variety of titles, including diabetes coordinator, registered dietitian, physician assistant, registered nurse, psychiatrist, dentist, pediatrician, licensed professional counselor, dental hygienist and licensed practical nurse.

“The courage and determination of the providers at CHS Hartford to provide care and access for the impoverished and af-flicted of our community will be enhanced through our union empowerment,” says podiatrist Irving Buchbinder.” I appreciate having a union now because it strengthens our voice,” says Phyllis Schling, an ad-vanced practice registered nurse. “Having a stronger voice means we will be better able to advocate for our patients.” “The healthcare services provided by CHS are invaluable to the North End of Hartford,” Peters says. “We look forward to working with them as they continue to provide the best care possible for the community.”

NY Nurses employed by GuildNet, a long-term managed care plan

that coordinates services for seniors who want to remain in their homes as long as possible, have won their first union contract as members of the Federation of Nurses/UFT. The 160 registered nurses at GuildNet had no union representation until they voted to join the federation in May 2011. At the time, their wages were frozen and they were losing sick days, vacation days and affordable medical care.

This past December, the nurses ratified their first contract by an overwhelming margin. “Nurses are coming up and hug-ging me,” says Donna Lee, a nurse and a member of the bargaining team. “And it’s not just about the money. We often weren’t able to give good patient care.” The ability to speak out for patient care without fear of reprisal was vital too. “Now we feel like we have a voice and won’t get penalized for voicing our concerns,” says Dominique De La Cruz, another RN on the union bargaining team. “We now have a process for working out differences with manage-ment. Speaking our minds won’t bring on threats.” The new four-year contract includes an 11.5 percent pay raise over the course of the agreement, employer-paid retirement and health benefits, a 35-hour workweek with overtime pay in place of comp time, increased vacation days and a labor-management com-mittee to discuss mutual concerns.

WI In an effort to get bilingual books into the hands of Milwaukee’s

Latino children, members from the AFT’s higher education and healthcare locals partnered with a low-wage workers and immigrants rights organization to launch its own First Book campaign. AFT Local 212 at the Milwaukee Area Technical Col-lege, the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, and Voces de la

Frontera kicked off their campaign in Janu-ary, with an event at St. Hyacinth Church in Milwaukee. After morning mass at the church, children were treated to a read-ing of a Curious George story in English and Spanish. One hundred gift-wrapped books, provided through AFT’s partner-ship with First Book, then were distributed to the children. A nonprofit organization, First Book has distributed more than 90 million new, high-quality books to kids across the country who otherwise could not afford them. “We understand that investing in early childhood education is really the most important investment any community can make. We want to give every child in Milwaukee the opportunity to succeed,” says Michael Rosen, presi-dent of AFT Local 212. “This is a positive project that will put the children on a path to a better future,” notes Candice Owley, WFNHP president and an AFT vice president. The organizations held a virtual book drive to raise funds to buy more books for children in the Milwaukee area. The groups hope to raise enough money to distribute at least 1,000 bilingual books at an Edufest that will be held in the spring.

SUSA

N R

UG

GLE

S/SL

R IM

AG

ES

Stand for safe schools and communitiesAMERICA’S DUTY is to provide secure schools and communities for everyone. Now that the president and vice president have pro-posed commonsense proposals to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer, the AFT is pledging to do everything in our power to make sure schools and communities are safe.

The tragic events in Tucson, Ariz., Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., and the countless acts of gun violence that occur every day, must serve as a call to action. We all have a role to play. join the movement at http://go.aft.org/safeschools.

Latino children in Mil-waukee get bilingual books thanks to a First Book partner-ship with AFT locals and the community.

MARCH - MAY 2013 | HEALTHWIRE 7

To get the word out about healthcare cutbacks, UUP members attended com-munity events like the west Indian day Carnival parade.

At left, dianne Brown says her daughter, Jewel, is alive today thanks to the staff at downstate.

THE

VO

ICE/

UN

ITED

UN

IVER

SITY

PR

OFE

SSIO

NS

PHO

TO

It takes a communityNew York unions marshal broad coalition to save hospital that serves 2.5 million

WHEN BROOKLYN, N.Y., resident Simuel Ste-venson collapsed while playing basketball, he was taken to a nearby hospital that diagnosed a heart problem. As his family absorbed the news that the 19-year-old needed open-heart surgery, his mother, Deborah Stevenson, started thinking, “second opinion.”

“I took him straight to SUNY Downstate,” she says.

Turned out, Simuel was dehydrated and his heart was fine. Six years later, his grateful mother still says the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center saved her son’s life—or at least the needless pain and anxiety associated with unnecessary surgery.

Downstate was a lifesaver for Dianne Brown, too. Her daughter, Jewel, was born at Downstate 15 years ago with “congenital abnormalities,” as the doctors said. She was missing crucial internal organs. Brown was told her baby would not survive, but never-theless, the hospital doctors, nurses and med-ical staff did everything within their power to save her—multiple surgeries, dialysis in the specialized pediatric dialysis center, then a kidney transplant.

Today, Jewel is a lovely young teenager with a radiant smile. And her mother is do-ing her part to save the hospital that saved her daughter.

SUNY Downstate has been targeted for downsizing, privatization or possible clo-sure. On Dec. 6, 2012, Brown stood up at a community forum in Brooklyn organized by a coalition of labor, faith-based and commu-nity groups to save jobs and medical services at Downstate. She testified to the role of the hospital in her and her daughter’s lives: “I’m here because I had nowhere else to go with Jewel,” she said. “There’s a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Well I say, it takes a hospital to save a child.” And, Brooklyn resi-dents might add, it takes a community to save a hospital.

“We are facing the fight of our lives,” says Phillip H. Smith, an AFT vice president and president of the United University Profes-sions of SUNY, an affiliate of the New York State United Teachers, that represents 35,000 SUNY faculty and staff—3,300 of them at SUNY Downstate.

A hospital put on life support

Downstate and the other SUNY health science cen-ters reflect the pressures on all healthcare systems in the United States faced with soaring costs. There have been hints of politi-cal interest in privatizing public health services for decades. But Downstate was managing to keep its head above water until the SUNY board made “the really bad managerial decisions to take over two hospitals in distress,” says Rowena Blackman-Stroud, an associate director of nuclear medicine and UUP Downstate chapter president.

In 2011, a report of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Team Work Group came out with a call for Downstate to eliminate in-patient services and transfer inpatient care to one of those hospitals, Long Island College Hospital. The same year, the governor’s budget proposed cutting in half the budgets for all four of SUNY’s health centers.

Because of the patients they serve, the im-pact on the Downstate community would be especially dire. Central Brooklyn is a diverse area with high levels of poverty. Two-thirds of the population is African-American or from the Caribbean. According to the U.S. census, one-half of families there live below the pov-erty line.

“Other area hospitals would simply be unable to handle the influx of patients if the emergency room at University Hospital [Downstate] were to close,” Blackman-Stroud told lawmakers at the time.

Bringing in the community

Blackman-Stroud began organizing her union and reached out to others represent-ing hospital workers, including the New York State Public Employees Federation, an AFT affiliate that represents nearly 800 nurses at the hospital, and the Civil Service Employees Association. Their coalition persuaded the

entire Brooklyn delegation of legislators to support keeping the hospital open, and the state Legislature reinstated some of the funds.

Last year, talk of “restructuring”—down-sizing—began anew. This time, pink slips and nonrenewal notices went out. Potentially, the impact of hundreds, even thousands, of lost jobs on Brooklyn’s fragile economy would be severe. But the word was not out in the community.

“Very few people could take a 50 percent cut in their income and survive,” says NYSUT executive vice president Andrew Pallotta, who is an AFT vice president. “Our SUNY hospitals have suffered just that, but I doubt anyone who has been a patient in these hospitals in the last two years would know how much funding they have lost, because staff members are meeting this challenge through heroic efforts.”

UUP started broadening its organizing efforts, escalating actions in the community. The chapter organized marches monthly, demonstrated, and attended huge community gatherings, such as the West Indian Day Carni-val parade, which attracts a million people. It blanketed neighborhoods with fliers.

“We spoke at health fairs, tenant associa-tion meetings, at community board meetings,” says Blackman-Stroud. “To apprise a huge population is a lot of work, but people were stunned” when they learned what was afoot.

Continued on page 8

sPeCIAL rePorT

To keep up with the fight, go to

savejobsatsunydownstate.org and

sign a petition to save jobs.

8 HEALTHWIRE | MARCH - MAY 2013 MARCH - MAY 2013 | HEALTHWIRE PB

Nurses help hospital reduce its carbon footprintNURSES AT HACKENSACK (N.J.) Universi-ty Medical Center took some environmen-tally friendly steps after reading a study that found a large proportion of operating room products could be recycled.

For two months last year, the nurses collected data on the medical center’s re-cycling practices and how they could be improved; then the nurses established an action plan. First, they focused on recycling the blue packaging in which operating room instruments are wrapped, but found that other packaging items, such as card-board, paper, rigid plastic and sterile water bottles, also could be recycled.

The nurses’ efforts resulted in a 34 percent reduction in solid waste from the hospital’s operating rooms. Another posi-tive outcome of the nurse-led recycling program was a 50 percent reduction in biohazardous “red bag” medical waste that costs, on average, 10 times more to dispose of than other waste.

Be a CDC disease detectiveDO YOU WANT to be a disease detective? Apparently, there’s an app for that. The Centers for Disease Control and Preven-

tion has created Solve the Outbreak, an app that lets you play the role of an Epidemic Intelligence Service agent. The app uses fictional outbreaks based on real-life cases and lets you sort through the evidence about outbreaks.

As a player, you will make tough deci-sions about what to do next: Do you quar-

antine the village? Talk to people who are sick? Ask for more lab results? The better your answers, the higher your score—and the more quickly you’ll save lives. The agen-cy says it is using social media to educate the public about diseases and to promote an appreciation for public health work. The app is available at www.cdc.gov/features/solvetheoutbreak.

MA

RC

H - M

AY

2013 | The affi

liation

agreem

ent “h

old

s the p

oten

tial to create a n

ew kin

d o

f nu

rses’ org

anizatio

n.” —

CA

ND

ICE O

WLE

y, W

iscon

sin Fed

eration

of N

urses an

d H

ealth Pro

fession

als PAG

E 3

Continued from page 7

Another year, another budget battle

In January, Gov. Cuomo submitted his budget to the state Legislature. Again, he proposed cuts to the SUNY hospitals—this time, cuts of 32 percent. Again, the commu-nity coalitions, led by UUP members and leaders, are rallying to defend the health-care services and save jobs.

UUP president Smith provided tes-timony to the New York State Assembly Committee on Health on Feb. 8, reporting that the restructuring plan at Downstate has already put hundreds of workers there on notice that they will be losing their jobs by the end of the summer. He warned the community could not withstand another blow to its economy.

Also delivering testimony to the legis-lators was Karen Benker, a UUP member, physician, and associate professor of health policy and management in the Downstate

School of Public Health, who explained the severe need of Central Brooklyn residents for access to primary care. Lacking access to care, people don’t manage their health and end up seeking help in emergency rooms. The toll is great—more chronic diseases, shorter life spans, higher infant mortality, greater need for highly specialized services and more suffering. Downstate is there for them.

Blackman-Stroud notes that the health professionals at Downstate are a medical brain trust that can address the problems at the medical center and set the stage for implementation of the Patient Protec-tion and Affordable Care Act. Closing the hospital now would be a terrible missed opportunity, she says, when the union has repeatedly offered a solution based on collaboration.

“It makes no sense for the state to take an action that will so negatively affect a community that needs more—not less—state assistance,” says Smith.

PULse PoINTs READY TO BUY

OR REFI?EXCLUSIVE benefits available with

AFT Union Plus® Mortgage.

02/13

UnionPlus.org/AFTmortgageor call 1-800-848-6466

Whether you’re looking to buy your first home, your next home, or refinance your current one — we’re committed to helping you achieve your homeownership goals and stay comfortably in your home for years to come.

• knOwlEDgEABlE HElP• UnIOn PlUs FIRsT-TImE

HOmE AwARD• $500 mY mORTgAgE gIFTsm

AwARD • UnIqUE HARDsHIP

AssIsTAncE

Get cluesabout outbreaks,analyze the caseand save lives

in a fun, engaging iPad app