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Underpaid and overworked, Filipino nurses protest Greenville Hospital
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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Filipino nurses are among those who participated in a rally
held by RNs on Thursday in front of Greenville Hospital in Jersey City.
(Photo by Leo Belarmino)
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JERSEY CITY, September 23, 2004 --- Juliet Abantilan has been working as a nurse at Greenville Hospital for more than 20 years now. She said she earns $32 per hour, which is lower than the $135 per hour most senior nurses get in other affiliated hospitals of Liberty Health System.
“We have the lowest rate. I can’t take it anymore. We also don’t have a pension,” said Abantilan.
Frustrated and tired of Greenville Hospital’s passive action to give them benefits that they deserve, hundreds of registered nurses (RNs), including Filipinos, picketed the facility on Thursday.
“We’re way behind than other hospitals. The staffing is very inadequate here,” said Filipino Mark Tan who has been working in the hospital for four years now and gets $28 per hour.
The nurses brandished placards that read: “Delay in contract means delay in health care.”
Another Filipino nurse Aida Guevarra, who has been working in the hospital for 24 years, said they needed a fair contract now. “We are being paid $20,000 less that the other hospitals,” she said.
“We’ve been attempting to negotiate with the hospital for more than a year, but all they bring to the table are stall tactics,” said Thomas Jennings, a labor representative for the union the nurses voted to join – the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA).
Bill Dauster, senior vice president for development and public affairs of Liberty Health explained that officials of the hospitals had met with the representatives of the nurses for 40 times and described the talks as “productive.”
“We respect the rights of the nurses to go out and voice out their concerns, but it’s not good walking out of the hospital,” Dauster said. “They’re blowing whistle outside,” he said. Dauster said this was a challenging time for hospital because most hospitals are squeezed by nursing shortage.
He declined to comment on the nurses comparable low pay and lack of pension. He said they started to offer money to the nurses as part of the compensations during the negotiations but the union refused to discuss money matters.
The RNs at Greenville Hospital voted April 24, 2003, by an overwhelming majority to join NYSNA after enduring years of terrible working conditions. They said they are demanding the hospital to hire enough nurses, and that they are tired of being forced to work overtime because there aren’t enough nurses on staff.
Some of the RNs at Greenville Hospital also said that they are angry because they are forced to work through their meal breaks, yet are not paid for those hours. They added that they are distraught that the hospital has taken away their pension plan.
The RNs want the hospital to agree to safe staffing guidelines, and to hold regular labor/management and nursing practice meetings, so that issues can be discussed. They also have concerns about hospital security.
One of the nurses said that earlier this month, a man came into the emergency room who posed an environmental hazard to the facility’s patients and staff, but the security personnel on hand had no idea of how to handle the situation.
According to federal regulations, all hospital personnel who would reasonably be expected to handle and care for a person who has potentially been contaminated by hazardous materials must be trained to deal with the situation safely.
Greenville Hospital is part of Liberty Health Systems, which also owns Meadowlands Hospital and Jersey City Medical Center. Both facilities where the nurses are unionized and have had contracts for years.
With more than 34,000 members, NYSNA is the oldest and largest state nurses’ association in the nation. It is an influential union for RNs, representing nurses in New York and New Jersey.
Offering a wide range of services to its members, NYSNA fosters high standards of nursing education and practice and works to advance the profession through legislative activity.
NYSNA is a constituent of the American Nurses Association and of the United American Nurses, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
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