Not In Our House

From the beginning of the talk of a union trying to come into Albany Medical Center, there has been a mixed response among staff. Although the New York State Nurses Association won out in the vote, there has always been a large group of nurses that do not wish for them to represent us. In recent months, NYSNA has presented itself in such a manner that many people who were once supporters are now no longer happy with what the organization stands for. These are some of the reasons that a group of likeminded nurses has decided to take a stand. We have begun to move forward with collecting signatures for a petition to re-vote on allowing the New York State Nurses Association to represent all of the nurses at AMC. Whether you voted in the first election or not, if a contract is put in place, you will be forced to pay union dues and to follow a contract that, to date, does not appear to represent the hospital's best interest. Our mission is to bring the hospital back together again and do what is best for our future. No one is pressured to sign our petition and there is no ill will towards anyone who feels that they would like to continue to support NYSNA. Ours is a mission of inclusion and teamwork, we have and will continue to support each other through this process. We do not wish to argue or create a further divide. We are not blind to the fact that the hospital has issues that need to be addressed, but we feel that there is a more productive and all-inclusive way to handle it. In the future, we all need to do better and we can if we work together as a team. Being a team means that everyone is on board and everyone works for the same goals. With such a large number of nurses that do not approve of how the current union representation is conducting business, we are not a team. We feel that because of this, it is only fair to make sure we are all still on the same page and to vote again. We are moving forward with collecting signature for a petition to have the National Labor Relations Board hold a decertification vote. In the end, we hope that all staff is able to come together and work towards a strong and positive future at Albany Medical Center. We are attempting to raise money for expenses that will no doubt be incurred through this process.