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VOLUME FOUR, ISSUE ONE • Winter 2013

Council Members Fabiano Bueno, Chair

Boston Medical Center

Ginny Ryan, Vice Chair

Faulkner Hospital

Betsy Prescott, Secretary

St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center

Dan Rec, Treasurer

Faulkner Hospital

MNA Board Rep (2011-2013)

Dan Rec

MNA Board Rep (2010-2012)

Barbara Tiller

At-Large (2011-2013)

Joan Ballantyne & Betsy Prescott

At Large (2010-2012)

Karen Coughlin & Liz Kendricken

Each of these Region 5 facilities holds

an elected voting representative at

Region 5 council meetings:

American Red Cross

Boston Medical Center

Boston VNA

Brigham & Women’s Hospital

Brigham & Women’s Faulkner Hospital

Cambridge Hospital

Carney Hospital

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Dialysis Clinic, Inc.

Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates

Medford School Nurses

Newton Public Health

Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Norwood Hospital

Quincy Medical Center

Radius—Boston

Radius—Quincy

St. Elizabeth’s Hospital

Somerville Hospital

Tufts Medical Center

Whidden Memorial Hospital

Unit 7 Representative

MNA Regional Council 5MNA Regional Council 5MNA Regional Council 5MNA Regional Council 5

340 Turnpike St, Canton 02021340 Turnpike St, Canton 02021340 Turnpike St, Canton 02021340 Turnpike St, Canton 02021

781781781781----821821821821----8255 TEL8255 TEL8255 TEL8255 TEL

781781781781----821821821821----8256 FAX8256 FAX8256 FAX8256 FAX

region5@mnarn.orgregion5@mnarn.orgregion5@mnarn.orgregion5@mnarn.org

www.massnurses.org/region5www.massnurses.org/region5www.massnurses.org/region5www.massnurses.org/region5

www.facebook.com/massnurseswww.facebook.com/massnurseswww.facebook.com/massnurseswww.facebook.com/massnurses

Harriett Duggan, Office ManagerHarriett Duggan, Office ManagerHarriett Duggan, Office ManagerHarriett Duggan, Office Manager

Brian Moloney, Comty. OrganizerBrian Moloney, Comty. OrganizerBrian Moloney, Comty. OrganizerBrian Moloney, Comty. Organizer

The hospitals in Massachusetts have changed their approach to patient care. Change is good. We have been through many changes in our professional lifetime. Each decade we experience changes with safe staffing, patient safety and quality care. I want to bring to light how all these changes have affected the nursing profession. In a snap shot nurses can evaluate the changes put in front of them and can work together to create favorable results for their patients. Nurses work toward positive outcomes. Jobs have been hard to find for nurses who are looking to change their practices. The vogue of higher education and lack of experience are playing a role on the industry choices, driving us to re-evaluate our calling. Job dissatisfaction and fear of the unknown are concerns I hear from many of you. I see many of you looking towards higher education to make career changes and trying to protect your ongoing practice and profession. The hospital industry accuses the organized labor force in our profession of greed and continues to imply that higher education is the most important value. We, the nurse, have a different take on this matter. We understand that experience in practice at the bedside is priceless and is much needed in order to continue to deliver quality care to the patients whose lives we touch each day. MNA/NNU has asked our members to make safe staffing and patient-to-nurse ratios our number one priority. Our organization has negotiated, or attempted to negotiate, ratios in many of our contracts which continues to be a

sore subject to the industry. The cost of care prevails in most facilities but we continue to battle for safe care. Studies have shown that when nurses have too many patients to care for at one time, complications are more likely. Nurses perform at their best in an environment that is free from the threat of losing one's job and is free from the use of punitive one-way communication. I can report this is a wide spread practice in the region. Many bargaining units have been negotiating for a strong comprehensive contract for over 12 months. They are unable to reach an agreement that is reasonable to both parties mostly because it involves ratios and benefits, the body of a strong contract. Sadly, we nurses are faced with the best for less theme this industry is demanding now. Change will come and we nurses will adjust to it. We learn to stay strong and united, to overcome the unfair treatment we receive and to defend the gains we have made. New and veteran nurses understand the need for representation with strong contract language and negotiated benefits. Region 5 is here at your side. We offer support for your practice and to you personally. You are always welcome to learn more about what MNA/NNU has to offer to you and to your practice. We maintain an open line of communication to our members for their every day professional needs. Region 5 welcomes every nurse to participate in our activities, discussions and the future of this organization.

NEWSLETTER OF MNA REGION 5

Reduced Dues Qualification Page 2 Haitian Orphanage Drive Page 3 MNA Email Page 3 Bargaining Unit Updates Page 4 Mandatory OT Law Page 5 Helping Hands Page 5 Labor Ed/Continuing Ed Page 6 Save the Dates Page 7 Last Laugh Page 7

In This Issue:

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for.

We are the change that we seek. ~ Barack Obama

CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Fabiano Bueno Region 5 Chair

MNA Region 5 Annual Meeting

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

6 p.m. @ MNA Headquarters, Canton

We want your input for R5 2013 activities.

RSVP right away so we can plan

for food and materials.

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MNA Region 5 Haitian Orphanage Drive MNA Region 5

Haitian Orphanage Drive

A group of Boston-based nurses have opened up a private home to run an orphanage in LaPlaine, Haiti. Currently the orphanage has 20 children, their ages range from 1-15 years old. There are five adults to help them, including one nurse and one physician. The children are enrolled in school and are provided three meals a day. The MNA R5 Council decided to facilitate a supplies drive for this orphanage. Similar drives were held by R5 for the last two years. Posters were distributed to R5 chairs to share with colleagues. On 11/29/12 the MNA mobile unit picked up donations from several R5 bargaining units. Items included children’s clothing, school/art supplies, toys/games, toiletries and personal checks for NC4HC. Thank you to the following R5 facilities for their support in this drive:

Boston Medical Center Brigham & Women’s Faulkner Hospital

Cambridge Health Alliance Dialysis Clinic, Inc. Tufts Medical Center

Whidden Memorial Hospital

Pictured: Whidden Hospital, B&W Faulkner Hospital, DCI staff, Tufts Medical Center.

Thank you for your continued support. God bless you and all that you do for the children. Sincerely, Nancy Noble Michelle Alexis-Telfort

President Vice President

*Paper copies of the R5 newsletters

will no longer be sent to members

via US mail. R5 newsletters will be

emailed to members’ MNA email

addresses and continue to be

accessible online. Contact the R5

office to request a paper copy. *

Go to www.massnurses.org/region5/newsletters

We’re

Getting Greener...

MNA Email—Activate Yours TODAY! Here’s why:Here’s why:Here’s why:Here’s why: Anywhere Email Access. Your @massnurses.org email account is accessible anywhere you have a web browser and Internet connection. Mobile devices with IMAP access are supported as well so your email can be with you wherever you go. Quick and Easy Access. Your @massnurses.org email address can be automatically forwarded to an existing account (i.e., a Hotmail, Yahoo, Comcast or home-based account) so you can check your emails in one place. Bargaining Unit Updates. Your @massnurses.org email address is assurance that your bargaining unit leadership can communicate with you when they need to be in touch with you. R5 Newsletters. In the future MNA Region 5 quarterly newsletters will be emailed to your @massnurses.org email account. No more paper copies will be mailed. Online Registration. In the future your @massnurses.org email account will be necessary to register online for MNA continuing education and other MNA programs. All Free!

Can’t find your MNA email address and password?Can’t find your MNA email address and password?

Just call MNA Headquarters at 1Just call MNA Headquarters at 1--800800--882882--2056, press 1 2056, press 1

for the MNA Membership Department.for the MNA Membership Department.

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☻Boston Medical Center submitted by Lisa

Sawtelle. In November MNA received confirmation from BMC HR that once again the MNA campus would be undergoing layoffs as part of the restructuring plan to make BMC a "smaller footprint" with the goal being down to 400 beds and the closure of the ENC in 3-5 years. During this time we also began to poll members about potentially opening the contract for negotiations and we held an open meeting with our members. HR then confirmed there would be layoffs sometime in January. We launched a "BMC, we RIF you a Merry Christmas 2012" providing members with colorful wreath stickers to wear during the holiday season. We decided to go forward and negotiate a new contract. We sent a letter to the CEO of BMC to express our disappointment with the loss of our labor liaison, a former staff nurse at BMC for over 30 years. Current layoffs are on hold due to the high volume at BMC, with specialty units and ICUs doing OT daily. Over the Christmas holidays approximately 125 calls were made by the staffing office to fill the holes left by increase volume and multiple RIFs in the past several years. We are still seeing mandatory overtime in our hospital despite the recent change by legislation. We have started a group page on Facebook; any BMC MNA nurse can be added by friending Lisa Sampson on Facebook. ☻Brigham & Women’s Faulkner Hospital submitted by Dan Rec. Like many Partner hospitals, we will prepare for negotiations this month. Our contract expires in April. On 10/30/12 we had our Nurse Appreciation Day sponsored by our MNA executive committee and Region 5. It was a great day of fun and solidarity. Every unit should have one. We were able to sign up many RNs to the MNA email system. The ED department is still having morale issues with all the time changes that were done. Management is trying to get magnet status.

Pictured below: B&W Faulkner nurses

☻Cambridge Hospital submitted by Susan Wright Thomas. The three Cambridge Health Alliance bargaining units will start negotiations with CHA on a limited agreement for wages. Negotiations for individual contracts at each campus will follow. We have held meetings with the membership to discuss the issues, primarily retiree health insurance benefits. Consultants have instituted major changes in the perioperative services area, creating concerns for nurses regarding a healthy work environment and safe patient care. Though

we have met with minimal success we continue to try to work with management to solve problems and find we are filing more and more grievances. ☻Dialysis Clinic, Inc. submitted by Peter Costello. There really is nothing to report. Newton Public Health submitted by Susan Riley. NPH nurses have been busy planning, staffing and running flu clinics throughout the schools and the city of Newton. Newton-Wellesley Hospital submitted by Betty Sparks. NWH continues to negotiate its contract that was due to expire 11/30/2012. We have extended it until 2/19/2013, the date of the next negotiations. We have made progress in keeping out harmful language in the contract that would put Care First requirements into our job descriptions. We also fought off takeaways such as limiting the amount of PET the Baylor program nurses would be allowed to take and have maintained language regarding travel nurses. The financial package continues to be less than hoped for. We are asking our nurses what our next steps will be. We have been extremely busy this flu season, as I expect many of you have been as well. Here at NWH our nurses continue to give their all and provide the most excellent care WE can give to our patients. Let's all hope 2013 brings us closer to safe staffing levels and universal health care for all. Norwood Hospital submitted by Joan Ballantyne. Norwood is, like other hospitals, bursting at the seams. The flu season has struck with a vengeance. We believe the increase in the unsafe staffing forms being generated by our hard working nurses is in direct correlation with this increased work load and the frustration at not being given the resources or the support to provide quality nursing care. Management is called upon to answer and explain each and every one of these incidences at both our labor management and staffing advisory meetings. Management has contracted with both agency and travel nurses to fill the void. They have finally taken our suggestion and offered a bonus to our own nurses who are willing to step up and care for our patients at our hospital. Our new management structure (or is it just the old one coming around again?) is the implementation of the manager and assistant manager model. Quincy Medical Center submitted by Joanne Hart. Negotiations are ongoing but moving slowly. Steward has rejected our proposal on wage and differential increases. We have expressed our dissatisfaction with their response. The RN pay scale is currently 17-20 percent below the other hospitals in our area. In addition, there are critical staffing shortages in all areas of the hospital. There are only four positions posted for RNS at this time. Our nurses have been clear in their desire for further action. Community leafleting is taking place this weekend. We

are so fortunate to have our MNA leaders and a strong committee and membership! Radius-Boston submitted by Mina Warrick. We sure miss our retired MNA AD Stephanie like crazy. All is okay and quiet in the hospital so we can concentrate to what we do best: taking very good care of our patients! We do have a new AD Andrea Fox and we look forward to working with her. I am passing on the leadership role of chairperson to Gloria Chin Jackson while we wait for an election. Somerville Hospital submitted by Diane Roberto. With a contract that expired in 2010 and negotiations stalled for over a year, SH began joint negotiations with the two other CHA campuses, Whidden and Cambridge, for a wage only contract to close out the 2010-2013 period. It has been a rocky start with CHA proposing disappointing wage increases to nurses who have not had a raise for three years. All CHA nurses are waiting to hear who will be affected by the layoffs and consolidations in services that CHA has promised will be revealed in the coming months. Tension is high at SH which was affected so severely by layoffs and closures in the past. All open positions have been frozen but management staff continues to increase. CEO Patrick Wardell has asked all employees to submit ideas for cost containment to him for consideration. Nurses can't help but feel their positions are in jeopardy. It remains a difficult time to be a nurse at CHA. ☻Tufts Medical Center submitted by Liz Kendricken. Our clinical educators have lost their positions to a new "professional development manager" position. As a result, we lost many years of clinical experience and many wonderful nurses. We will continue the fight to keep this position within the bargaining unit, but the process has been arduous. We have increased our joint labor management meetings in an attempt to increase communication in our facility. While we are in between negotiations, we continue to try to build solidarity among the nurses. ☻Whidden Memorial Hospital submitted by Carla Cerrato. Negotiations have finally resumed for Whidden whose contract ended on 6/30/10. Initially sessions were very disappointing. The committee is dedicated to obtaining a contract that supports nursing and provides for safe nursing practice. No reports were submitted by these R5 bargaining units: American Red Cross Boston VNA Brigham & Women’s Hospital Carney Hospital Dana Farber Cancer Institute Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Medford School Nurses Radius—Quincy St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Unit 7 (state facilities)

Bargaining Unit Updates

*To those units highlighted with ☻: Thank you for your support of the R5 Haitian Orphanage Drive. See page 3 for more details.*

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Mandatory Overtime Law

A Law to Ban the Dangerous Practice

of Mandatory Overtime

Went Into Effect on November 5, 2012

All hospitals are required to comply with the law effective November 5, 2012. To assist nurses in

understanding this new law and its implications, the MNA has created a web page (see link below) to

provide background on the issue, as well as a mechanism for nurses to report violations of the law.

This is a major victory for the MNA/NNU, all nurses in Massachusetts and most importantly, for our

patients.

For more information on this topic and a link to an online form to report violations, go to:

http://www.massnurses.org/region5/news/p/openItem/7878

Regional Council 5

Everyone loves a parade…Everyone loves a parade…Everyone loves a parade…Everyone loves a parade…

Join us Dorchester Day Parade

Sunday, June 2, 2013 @ 1 PM Route: Dorchester Ave. @ Lower Mills to Dorchester Ave. @ Columbia Rd.

Contact MNA Region 5 by May 24 if you would like to march with us.

Final details (meeting place, etc.) will be shared with participants.

Helping Hands

MNA Region 5 encourages its members to participate in community outreach and other MNA Region 5 encourages its members to participate in community outreach and other MNA Region 5 encourages its members to participate in community outreach and other MNA Region 5 encourages its members to participate in community outreach and other approved fundraisers. Let us know if you have an interest to join our efforts in an event approved fundraisers. Let us know if you have an interest to join our efforts in an event approved fundraisers. Let us know if you have an interest to join our efforts in an event approved fundraisers. Let us know if you have an interest to join our efforts in an event described here or if you have a suggested project for us to learn more about and share described here or if you have a suggested project for us to learn more about and share described here or if you have a suggested project for us to learn more about and share described here or if you have a suggested project for us to learn more about and share with our members.with our members.with our members.with our members.

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MNA Labor School, Mondays in Region 5

The Massachusetts Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association will provide the following continuing education programs in Region 5.

Cardiac and Pulmonary Pharmacology MNA Headquarters, 340 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA Thursday, March 28, 2013, 6-9 p.m. This program will provide the nurse with an updated knowledge and a better understanding of how cardiac and pulmonary medications work. The actions, indications and nursing considerations will be discussed for all major categories of cardiac medications.

Difficult Conversations in End of Life Care Emerald Hall, 120 Bay State Drive, Braintree, MA Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 5:30-9 p.m. Good communication is key to helping patients and families navigate care at the end of life, yet it is something that most health care providers are not taught during their training. This program will provide an outline and model for end of life communication and provide scenarios for its application. Psychological Effects of Chronic Illness MNA Headquarters, 340 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 5:30-9 p.m. This program will address the psychological effects experienced by chronically ill patients and related nursing management. Patient responses will include grieving process; body image changes; self image; self esteem; independence/powerlessness; emotional responses; effect on relationships and adaptive coping mechanisms.

MNA Continuing Education, Winter/Spring in Region 5

Track 5 – Labor Law and Special Topics

Register now for MNA Labor School! Please specify whether you will attend AM or PM tracks.

Name____________________________________ Email____________________________________

Facility___________________________________ Day Phone________________________________

�Track 5, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. �Track 5, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 .pm.*

*A light meal will be served at 5pm.

Mail/Fax this completed form to the MNA Region 5 Office, 340 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA 02021 (781-821-8256 FAX)

Week 1

February 25

Family and Medical Leave Act, Massachusetts Small Necessities Leave Act, Worker Adjustment and Retraining

Notification Act (WARN)

Week 2

March 4

Fair Labor Standards Act, Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, HIPAA (Health Insurance

Portability and Accountability Act)

Week 3

March 18

Workers Compensation, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, USERRA

(Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act)

Week 4

April 1

The Kentucky River/Oakwood Cases and the NLRB and Nurse Supervisory Issues, The National Labor Relations

Act and Chapter 150 (e)

To register: Complete a regional registration form and submit form and a placeholder check to the MNA Region 5 Office, 340 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA 02021. Regional registration form may be downloaded at www.massnurses.org/region5/forms.

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Save the Dates For more information on any of these events, contact the Region 5 office.For more information on any of these events, contact the Region 5 office.

Future Council Meetings (Tues., 6 p.m., MNA Headquarters):

March 19, 2013 R5 Annual Meeting

May 21, 2013

July 16, 2013

September 17, 2013

November 19, 2013

MNA Annual Labor Leader Summit

March 21-22, 2013/Doubletree Westboro

MNA Nursing Clinical Conference

May 10, 2013/DCU Center, Worcester

MNA Labor School: More details on page 6.

Track 5 Labor Law and Special Topics

MNA Headquarters, 340 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA

Mondays AM or PM: 2/25/13, 3/04/13, 3/18/13, 4/01/13

Winter/Spring Continuing Ed in R5: More details on page 6.

Cardiac and Pulmonary Pharmacology

MNA Headquarters, 340 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA

Thursday, March 28, 2013, 6-9 p.m.

Difficult Conversations in End of Life Care

Emerald Hall, 120 Bay State Drive, Braintree, MA

Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 5:30-9 p.m.

Psychological Effects of Chronic Illness

MNA Headquarters, 340 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA

Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 5:30-9 p.m.

MNA Reduced Dues Qualification More details on page 2.

Application deadline: April 1, 2013

MNF Scholarships

Application deadline: May 1, 2013

Go to www.massnurses.org/about-mna/mnf/scholarships for more

info.

MNA Consent to Serve Forms

Applications must be postmarked by June 1, 2013

Dorchester Day Parade More details on page 5.

Join or watch us as we march down Dorchester Ave.

June 2, 2013 @ 1 p.m.

Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure More details on page 5.

Join us as medical crew or medical day volunteer

July 26-28, 2013/Boston Area

MNF Memorial Golf Tournament

Annual fundraiser for nursing scholarships

Summer Date TBA/LeBaron Hills Country Club, Lakeville, MA

2013 MNA Convention

October 9-11, 2013/Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis

R5 Members can attend for FREE. Go to www.massnurses.org/

region5/benefits for more info.

Please bring non-perishable item(s) when

you attend events, meetings and programs

hosted by MNA Region 5.

Chemical Sensitivity: Scents may trigger responses in those with chemical

sensitivities. Men and women are requested to avoid wearing scented

personal products when attending MNA meetings/programs.

Last Laugh