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Nurses
return to negotiation table again
July
1, 2003
Marrecca
Fiore
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA -- Registered nurses at St. Elizabeth Medical
Center have withdrawn their notice of intent to picket
and plan to go back to the negotiation table with management.
The nurse's contract expired Monday.
The
RNs had scheduled an informational picket for today
but are holding off as negotiations continue, said Mark
Genovese of the New York State Nurses Association, the
collective bargaining agent for St. Elizabeth's 400
RNs.
"(Management)
said that now they are ready to meet, so we're giving
it another chance before we submit an intent to picket
again," Genovese said.
The
next negotiation session is planned for Thursday, said
Robert Stronach, public relations director for St. Elizabeth.
The
nurses are fighting to improve staffing by seeking a
committee to establish RN-to-patient ratios, retaining
veterans by obtaining healthcare benefits for retirees
and encouraging new hires by maintaining competitive
salaries, according to a news release.
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