United Nurses & Allied Professionals - All UNAP News

UNAP to host Professional Issues Conference on Tuesday, June 10

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:21:42 -0400

The UNAP will host its bi-annual Professional Issues Conference on Tuesday, June 10 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM at the RI Convention Center. For more information, click here.

Retreat contract signed

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:55:57 -0400

The new Retreat contract was signed on Monday, April 7. We are waiting to get the copies back from the printer. As soon as we receive them, we will distribute them to all our members. Stay tuned...

Rhode Island's new mandatory overtime now in effect

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:24:34 -0500

Rhode Island's new mandatory overtime law became effective on Tuesday, March 4. The new law prohibits hospitals from forcing nurses and nurse's aides to work beyond their scheduled shift, except in true emergencies.

The UNAP has prepared a variety of materials to educate members about their new legal rights -- including posters, fact sheets, badge cards, mandatory overtime documentation forms, and additional questions & answers. For printed copies of these materials, contact the UNAP at 401-831-3647.

State House rally urges override of mandatory overtime veto

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:20:46 -0400

On Monday, September 24, over 100 health care workers and allies gathered outside the RI State House to urge the Legislature to override Governor Carcieri's veto of a mandatory overtime bill that would prohibit hospitals from forcing nurses and nurse's aides to work beyond their scheduled shift, except in true emergencies.

UNAP President, Linda McDonald, called the Governor's veto a "travesty," and accused the Governor of turning his back on patients and caregivers in Rhode Island.

Click here to read Providence Journal coverage of the event.

Click here to send an email to your State legislators urging them to override the Governor's veto.
To urge the House leadership to override the veto, call 401-222-2466.
To urge the Senate leadership to override the veto, call 401-222-6655.

Override the mandatory overtime veto!

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:10:55 -0400

This past June, the Rhode Island House and Senate unanimously passed legislation that would prohibit hospitals from forcing nurses and nurse's aides to work beyond their scheduled shift, except in true emergencies. Unfortunately, this legislation was vetoed by Governor Carcieri.

However, the Legislature has the option to override the Governor's veto, and we need your help to persuade them to override the veto this fall.

It is extremely important that your legislators hear from you on this issue. To send an email to your State legislators urging them to override the Governor's veto, click here. To urge the House leadership to override the veto, call 401-222-2466. To urge the Senate leadership to override the veto, call 401-222-6655.

To read highlights of the mandatory overtime bill, click here. To read the complete mandatory overtime bill, click here.

Find out your hospital's staffing plans!

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:21:54 -0400

In 2005, the UNAP led the way in successfully passing the Hospital Staffing Disclosure law, which requires hospitals to submit their staffing plans each year to the RI Department of Health. The plans must specify the number of RNs, LPNs and CNAs that will be scheduled on each shift, based on an average daily census for each unit.

To see the official staffing plan for your unit, click here:

In order to compare hospital staffing plans with hospital staffing reality, the UNAP recently undertook an effort to monitor staffing levels during the month of February, 2007. We are currently compiling and analyzing this data, and will issue a report and recommendations in the coming months.

To learn more about the UNAP's "Eye on Staffing" campaign, click here.

End Mandatory Overtime -- Contact the Governor!!!

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:28:26 -0400

Thanks to the active participation of hundreds of health care workers and supporters, groundbreaking legislation to end the dangerous practice of mandatory overtime has been passed unanimously by the RI House and Senate.

The bill is now on Governor Carcieri's desk awaiting his signature. PLEASE contact the Governor to urge him to sign the mandatory overtime law. To send an email to Governor Carcieri, click here. We ask that you also please call the Governor at 401-222-2080.

To read highlights of the mandatory overtime bill, click here. To read the complete mandatory overtime bill, click here.

A special thank you to Representative Ray Gallison and Senator John Tassoni and the entire RI legislature. You have made a real difference for health care workers and patients in Rhode Island!

Governor vetoes mandatory overtime bill

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:01:29 -0400

June 29, 2007 - Yesterday, Governor Carcieri vetoed the mandatory overtime bill that would prohibit hospitals from forcing nurses and nurse's aides to work beyond their scheduled shift, except in true emergencies. The Governor took this action in spite of the fact that the bill was passed unanimously by the RI House and Senate and has widespread public support.

The Legislature now has the option to override the Governor's veto. It is extremely important that your legislators hear from you on this issue. To send an email to your State legislators urging them to override the Governor's veto, CLICK HERE.

To read the Governor's veto message, click here. To read the Union's press release regarding the Governor's veto, click here.

Lifespan's refusal to expand health insurance for college students triggers new legislation

Fri, 25 May 2007 15:43:19 -0400

Senator Rhoda Perry, the prime sponsor of a new Rhode Island law that allows full-time and part-time college students to remain on their parents' health plan until age 25, has introduced new legislation to address Lifespan's refusal to follow the new law.

Senator Perry's recent legislation provides that a hospital would only be eligible for disproportionate share (DSH) payments from the State of RI if the hospital provides health insurance coverage for its employees' dependent full-time or part-time students up to age 25.

DSH payments compensate hospitals for providing care to the uninsured. Senator Perry's legislation was designed to reduce the number of uninsured college students, and her new bill is intended to motivate hospitals to do their part by expanding insurance coverage to the depent college students of their own employees.

"Father Misgivings" Fundraiser A Success!

Mon, 21 May 2007 09:08:54 -0400

Our recent fundraiser for the UNAP Childrenâ€™s Hospital Fund was a huge success! This year we were able to raise $8,500 for the pediatric patients at Hasbro Childrenâ€™s Hospital. Held at Lombardiâ€™s 1025 Club, UNAP members, friends and our labor brothers and sisters attended the affair. Father Patrick Aloysius Misgivings entertained the crowd with his quick wit, a special lip-synching performance, bingo (which everyone was a winner) and a raffle.

A note of thanks to the donors for our raffle - Michelle Armstrong (her own quilt creations), Global Cleaning, and Richard CeCe's travel agency - which enabled us to raise an additional $450.

Thank you, Father (and friends)!

Suzanne Gordon to speak at RI Hospital on Friday, May 11

Mon, 07 May 2007 11:34:58 -0400

Award-winning journalist and author, Suzanne Gordon, will speak at RI Hospital on Friday, May 11 at 7:45 AM, 1:45 PM, and 3:45 PM in honor of National Nurses Week. The title of her presentation will be "Changing the Odds for Nurses and their Patients by Moving from Silence to Voice." Click here for more information.

HCRS clinicians set strike deadline

Mon, 07 May 2007 11:32:52 -0400

Unionized mental health professionals employed by Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services of Southeastern Vermont (HCRS) have set a strike deadline for May 15 if no agreement is reached in their longstanding contract dispute.

HCRS clinicians have done everything possible to avoid a disruption of services to their clients -- compromising on every issue, recognizing the financial constraints of the agency, and, most importantly, postponing a previous strike deadline.

Sadly, HCRS administration has shown that they do not care -- about staff or clients. After the Union reached an agreement with HCRS on all but one issue (a provision that would have all employees pay their fair share towards supporting their union, and which would not cost the agency a penny), HCRS reneged on the agreement. HCRS has also violated Federal labor law, wasted scarce health care dollars on illegal conduct, and put their clients at risk.

PLEASE help us avoid a strike. CLICK HERE to show your support for HCRS staff and to send an email to Vermont elected officials. (Even if you have already sent an email, we would really appreciate if you would send this new email as well.)

RI House of Representatives unanimously passes mandatory overtime law

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:49:32 -0500

Feb. 13, 2007 - Today, the RI House of Representatives voted unanimously 64-0 to pass legislation that prohibits mandatory overtime except in true emergencies! This is the second consecutive year that the House has unanimously passed this bill. Click here to read ProJo article.

In order to become law, the bill must also be passed by the Senate and signed by the Governor. The Senate Labor Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on Wednesday, February 28 at 2:30 PM.

You can send an email to your Senator asking him/her to support mandatory overtime legislation by clicking here.

Shame on Lifespan!

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:10:09 -0500

Leaders and members of the RI Hospital UNAP held a press conference in front of the Lifespan headquarters on Thursday, December 28 to protest Lifespanâ€™s refusal to follow a new State law that allows children to remain on their parents' health plan up to age 25 if they are enrolled in school either full-time or part-time. The previous law only required coverage of full-time students, and only until age 23.

UNAP President Linda McDonald, RN denounced Lifespanâ€™s decision, saying, â€œOur members provide first-class health care at RI Hospital. It is unacceptable for Lifespan to treat our members as second-class citizens by denying our children the same access to health insurance that will now be offered to the children of hundreds of thousands of other Rhode Islanders.â€ (click here to send an email to Lifespan CEO George Vecchione)

More than a dozen RI Hospital employees and their college-age children attended the event to express their dismay about Lifespan's decision and the hardship that it would cause their families.

Hospital execs admit that dozens of nurses do mandatory overtime every week!

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:45:31 -0500

Without any apparent remorse or embarassment, hospital executives in Rhode Island now admit that dozens of nurses are mandated to work overtime every week. The hospitals' acknowledgement points to a growing complacency about a practice that is well-known to endanger patient safety.

Among the startling admissions were the following:

â€¢ The Hospital Association of RI admitted to an average of 27 mandatory overtime shifts per week statewide last year. (Pawtucket Times, 1/26/07)

â€¢ RI Hospital admits to an average of nearly 10 mandatory overtime shifts per week. (ProJo, 1/26/07)

â€¢ Women & Infants Hospital admits to more than 6 mandatory overtime shifts during a recent week. (ProJo, 1/26/07)