IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING CASH BALANCE

On Wednesday, February 14, 2007, SBMC notified NJNU that there will be revisions made to the SBHCS Cash Balance Pension Program effective April 1, 2007, and that the current participants in that Program will be informed of the changes on February 15.  The changes is that the interest you will earn on your Cash Balance Account (should you choose to go into that Program) will be 1% annum less than it was before.  This applies to all participants in the system.  The reason given to us is that the Saint Barnabas Health Care System is experiencing financial difficulty and must undergo several cost saving measures.

Every bargaining unit member should have received literature in the mail that describes the Cash Balance Plan in general as well as all financial information applicable to you, based upon your salary, age, years of service, and other related data unique to you.  In addition, there will be various meetings held in which our members will be afforded the opportunity to not only hear how the Cash Balance Plan works, but to discuss your own financial information privately so that you can make a decision as to whether it is best for you to switch into the Cash Balance Plan or to stay in the current Legacy Plan.

NJNU encourages every member to review the literature carefully, and to attend one of these meetings, and bring with you the financial information given to you so that you can discuss it privately at the end of the meeting.  You should also take all of the information to your personal financial advisor prior to making any decision concerning your financial future.  Should you decide that it is in your best interest to switch into the Cash Balance Plan,  you will  be given to you so that you can discuss it privately at the end of the meeting.  But should you feel that it is in your best interest to stay in the current Legacy Plan, or if you are uncomfortable with any of the new changes that have been made to the Cash Balance Pension Program, then you will have the right to remain in the current "Legacy" plan.  The literature will tell you the date by which you must make your decision.  If you do not make a selection, you will automatically default to the Cash Balance Pension Program.

Please be advised that NJNU is currently reviewing our legal options concerning the reduction in the interest rate on the Cash Balance Plan Accounts, and we will update our members appropriately.  However, you should make your decision based upon the literature and information provided to you by the Medical Center, and within the time period that they provide to you, and should not wait for the outcome of any legal action we might take, and you should not assume that any legal action we might take will affect the interest rate.  Should you have any questions concerning this matter, please feel free to contact our office.

THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND REPORTING ACT

Have you heard about the "Healthcare Professional Responsibility and Reporting Enhancement Act?  Does it sound familiar to you?  You, as a professional nurse should know what it's all about; after all, it affects you and could quite possibly affect your nursing license should something go wrong while you're on the job.

We all know who Charles Cullen is.  Cullen, a former nurse, plead guilty and received multiple life terms in prison for killing up to 40 patients in his care.  It's because of this man, that New Jersey enacted and passed the HPRRE act.  It behooves you to know what it's all about.

Under this law, health care facilities and practitioners, including nurses, now face stringent guidelines designed to protect patients under their care.  All reporting goes to the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety.  Health care facilities, amongst other employers of health care professionals, must report all disciplinary actions related to a professional's "impairment, incompetence, or professional misconduct".  It even goes as far as making the health care facility report the prior seven (7) years.  It also includes an employee's job performance as it relates to patient care.

Licensed health care professionals also have their own obligation to report a co-worker when impairment, gross incompetence, or unprofessional conduct presents an imminent danger to patient care.

Because the Act is so new, it only states what incompetence or misconduct ISN'T.  Determining what is reportable is much more difficult.  The way the act is interpreted, it's almost certain that everything is reportable, except attendance issues.  For example, "functioning outside the scope of nursing practice by prescribing medications or intentionally falsifying documentation" is and will be reported. 

To sum it up in a nutshell, everything you do while functioning as a nurse, can and will be reported to the Division of Consumer Affairs.  Depending on the severity, you can count on an investigation that could last months and could put your license in jeopardy. 

NJNU can't stress enough how important it is for you as a nurse to be informed about this act and to make sure that you comply with all hospital policies and procedures.  Remember... if it's not documented, it's not done and if you did it, document it.  That goes down to giving a diabetic, juice and crackers.  If you medicate your patient, make sure it's documented everywhere it needs to be documented.  If you put your patient in restraints... fill out the flow sheet, in its entirety, correctly.  If you transfused blood, fill in the lab's blood sheet at the time of infusion.  Cross your T's and dot your I's.  It is your patient and it is your responsibility to provide safe, quality care.  It is also your nursing license!  Are you... is anyone, really prepared to change their profession on account of an error that could have been avoided? 

FINANCIAL COUNSELING FOR SBMC MEMBERS

NJNU is having an independent financial advisor available for all members to assist in making this decision.  Eric Zakarian, First Vice President of Morgan Stanley in Short Hills, will provide individual counseling sessions to NJNU members as well as review any financial data that you present.  These counseling sessions must be scheduled in advance. 

We recommend that you attend the sessions that are being provided to you by SBMC as well as visit with an independent advisor.  If you are interested in meeting with Eric Zakarian, please contact the office at (973)992-6568 to schedule an appointment.  Please be sure to bring all of your financial data to any counseling sessions that you may attend.

RESTRAINTS AND DOCUMENTATION

There has been a recent focus at SBMC on the restraint and documentation policy.  SBMC conducted a mock survey to evaluate the effectiveness of their current policy.  Several flaws were revealed, much to the surprise of nursing administration.  It seems as though there were some nurses that were unaware of the proper way to document once it becomes necessary to restrain a patient. It became apparent rather quickly that SBMC had not done a good job educating our members concerning this new policy and launched an educational campaign in an attempt to rectify the situation.

While NJNU understands SBMC being on edge as a result of their prior transgressions, we feel as though they were overly harsh concerning the members that made harmless errors.  NJNU is in the process of grieving all disciplinary actions that our members have received as a result of their lack of proper education.  On the other hand, it is imperative that we complete all required information on our restraint patients going forward.  If you are unsure of the process, you should seek advice from the supervisor on duty.

Lastly, there were several nurses that signed documentation acknowledging that they understood the changes in the restraint policy when that was not the case.  DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING UNLESS YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION FOR WHICH YOU ARE SIGNING! 

BIG BROTHER'S ALWAYS WATCHING

It seems amazing when you think of how much technology has changed everyday living, in some ways good and some bad.  In the new information age nothing is sacred, not even the ability to come to work early just to sit in your car and think.  I was recently advised that SBMC routinely monitors the time that their workers swipe into the parking lot as well as the time that they actually punch in.  Furthermore, they conduct studies to see how long it takes each individual to get from their car to the building to punch in.

In my opinion, it is one thing management to track the times that nurses punch into the facility and at that point you are on their dime and SBMC is responsible for your safety.  I find it extremely troubling that they track how long it takes you to get to the building from the time you pull into the parking lot.  I just happened to be sitting in on a disciplinary meeting in which a time study sheet was done on an individual showing that it took 5 minutes to get from their car to the building prior to their shift on some days however it only took 2 minutes after their shift.  They seemed to imply that maybe the individual was punching out prior to their actual shift ending without considering some other major factors such as the synchronization of their digital devices.

It really makes you stop and think about what else do they keep track of.  They have the technology to find out when we come and go but can't figure out how to staff the hospital properly so that our nurses aren't forced to work voluntary overtime on a regular basis.  Go figure.

BLUE THURSDAY

The KMC/SBBH negotiations are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 21, 2007.  NJNU is asking every member to wear blue scrubs every Thursday in an effort to promote solidarity and to send a strong message to management.  Management understands that good contracts are not won at the bargaining table but in the workplace, therefore we need to show them that this year we mean business. 

NJNU has many important issues to  address in our upcoming negotiations.  Our primary focus is to    address the working conditions for our members.  Over the past two years, our members have expressed their concerns about many issues. There are a lot of  important issues on the line just like the many other nurses around the state that stood firm on the issues  they believed in. 

In addition to pensions and healthcare, the nurses at Englewood, Robert Wood Johnson, and St. Barnabas have fought hard to make significant improvements in their working conditions.  Staffing is an issue that concerns every nurse in KMC/SBBH.  We are facing an employer that has begun to cry broke before we have even begun negotiations.  They are seeking to recoup their losses from bad business decisions at the expense of our members' licenses. So stand up for your rights and wear blue on Thursdays.  For more information contact your local delegate.

GRIEVANCES & ARBITRATIONS

SBMC

• A discrepancy was discovered between the blood bank tag copy and the corresponding medical record, upon review of a patient's chart. As a result, a member was terminated for failing to document in accordance with policy and standards. A grievance is pending.

• Several nurses have been disciplined for not adhering to the restraint policy. While NJNU is in the process of challenging these disciplines, SBMC launched an educational campaign on every unit.

• A member was disciplined for using poor nursing judgment for a patient that required close observation. This grievance is still pending.

KMC/SBBH

• Members required to take call and subsequently called into work are being denied their 2 hour minimum pay as well as their shift differential when applicable. A grievance has been filed.

• Members are required to search psychiatric patients prior to admissions, which has the potential to place our members in the direct line of harms way. A grievance has been filed to address the issue.

• KMC has engaged in several practices that place our member's licenses in jeopardy as well as endangers the patients. NJNU has filed several class action grievances to address the issues. They are currently still pending.

Attendance issues continue to be on the rise at all facilities.  If you think you have an absence that may qualify for FMLA coverage, please feel free to contact the office at (973)992-6568 or (732)987-7702.

SAFE PATIENT HANDLING

There is a bill pending in   Trenton which would  require the state to implement effective safe patient handling programs for our healthcare workers.  The current bill is S-1758 and is sponsored by Joseph Vitale and Loretta Weinberg. 

Nursing personnel consistently rank among the top ten occupations for work-related musculoskeletal injuries and is rapidly increasing.  Inadequate staffing, increased patient acuity, and an increasing prevalence of obesity are among the leading factors which contribute to the injuries. 

Research shows that implementing a Safe Patient Handling program, (which includes the use of patient handling equipment, training on how to use the equipment, and policies that limit manual lifting to emergent or life-threatening situations), is the most effective strategy to reducing the injuries and costs associated with patient lifts and transfers.  Research has shown that facilities that have implemented the Safe Patient Handling program have saw sufficient reductions in workers compensation costs which cover the costs of equipment and training. 

EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

The Employee Free Choice Act, (H.R. 800), would give workers greater freedom to make their own decisions about joining a union to bargain for a better life by:

• Establishing stronger penalties for violations of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first-contract negotiations.
• Providing mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes, and
• Allowing employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.

The current election process allows employers to coerce, intimidate, and harass employees.  When workers try to form unions, 25 percent of employers fire at least one employee for union activity, 75 percent hire consultants to make it harder for workers to form their union and more than 90 percent require workers to attend mandatory anti-union meetings.  However, workers would have the freedom to choose a National Labor Relations Board election if they so desire, the issue is that they would have more of a choice.

VIOLENCE PREVENTION IN HEALTHCARE FACILILTIES ACT

Nurses are assaulted and threatened by their patients or the patient's family members on a regular basis.  As a result,there is a bill pending in Trenton (S-1761) that would impose statewide violence prevention standards for healthcare facilities. 

Many of our members, (in particular, those working with the mentally ill), have reported being kicked, punched in the face, choked, bitten, hit with objects and threatened.  There are several factors that contribute to this rise in violence such as, patients being frustrated with long waits, increase in drug and alcohol users, understaffing, trauma patients and distraught family members in the emergency rooms. 

Violence in the workplace impedes the recruitment and retention of staff, as well as creates additional costs for health care facilities, including workers compensation costs, legal expenses, and property damage, disrupts operations, and ultimately destroys the trust that our patients, should have in the safety of their hospital.

The proposed legislation would set standards that would include creating joint labor management violence prevention committees, ongoing risk assessment, improved security, as well as additional security personnel, and ultimately the reporting of workplace violence incidents.

If you would like more information on this pending legislation, please feel free to contact our office.