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Spring 2004

Albany Lobbying Demands
“No Forced Overtime"

May 6 saw Federation of Nurses/UFT members active on the Albany lobbying front as they joined with the NYSUT Health Care Professional Council in bringing the message home to state elected officials: mandatory overtime — which threatens quality health care — must stop. Key to making it stop is instituting safe staffing levels. May 6 saw Federation of Nurses/UFT members active on the Albany lobbying front as they joined with the NYSUT Health Care Professional Council in bringing the message home to state elected officials: mandatory overtime — which threatens quality health care — must stop. Key to making it stop is instituting safe staffing levels.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (inset top) was one of a dozen state officials joining the UFT’s Anne Goldman (inset, below) and thousands of nurses at State Capital rally.

Nurses also pressed lawmakers to mandate lower and safer workloads — another measure that would end the nurses shortage by attracting and retaining qualified professionals as well as guarantee excellent patient care.

After visiting with legislators, the RNs joined brother and sister unionists in a noontime rally. Banners included “Patients Need Nurses” and “Some Cuts Don’t Heal.” Chants, in a call-and-response, asked, “What’s this about,” and boomed back, “Safe staffing” and “Patient care.”

Queens Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan told the assembled nurses that hospitals managers victimize them “making the assumption you will not leave your patients. Yet if an error occurs, it’s the nurses who are in jeopardy of losing their licenses.”