Posts tagged Medicare
UFT’s new contract reminds teachers of union’s past failures
June 27, 2023 // In 2014, UFT secured a complex contract with New York City that included retroactive back pay for teachers that would be paid out over several years. However, the contract excluded teachers who retired or left the profession before 2015. Over 4,000 teachers never received back pay, which for some could have been as much as an 8% pay bump. The affected teachers were outraged. In response, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten said, at the time, “Would UFT have liked it for all—of course; but not unprecedented practice [to not pay the teachers who retired].” UFT is an affiliate of AFT. Then, in 2020, after several years of payments, New York City informed UFT that it did not have enough money in its budget to finish the retroactive payments due to a pandemic-induced budget shortfall. UFT blamed New York City for delaying the payment for all teachers, and an arbitrator ruled the city must make the payments. UFT President Michael Mulgrew said, “This is far from a perfect solution for thousands of our members who are still owed deferred wages that can go back as far as years.” He explained, “The decision … makes it clear that the city must find a way to meet its financial obligations to its educators.”
Hospitals to Cancel Elective Procedures, Discharge ASAP as Nurse Strike Looms: Sources
January 6, 2023 // In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for Mount Sinai said that their bargaining teams "continue to make good-faith efforts to pursue a contract with NYSNA that is fair to our community and responsible with respect to the long-term financial health of our organization. Mount Sinai nurses deserve the best possible working environment, wages, and benefits, and we're tirelessly pursing these to all our employees' advantage." The statement added that the hospital system is "prepared for staffing changes, and we will do our best to ensure our patients' care is not disrupted and will do everything possible to minimize inconvenience to patients." The average salary for nurses in New York is $93,000, and $98,000 in NYC, nurses union and the GNYHA confirmed. However, there is a big disparity between nurse pay in private vs public hospitals, where salaries are almost $20,000 less.
Labor unions, including AFSCME, rally for Biden at NEA
September 28, 2022 // He talked about the American Rescue Plan, which passed Congress with help from AFSCME members and brought the economy back from the brink, and about the Inflation Reduction Act, which will lower prescription drug costs, reduce the deficit and do so much more. He got big cheers from the crowd when he mentioned his plan for student debt relief, which will lower loan balances for millions of borrowers – “a game changer” for many Americans, he said. Biden praised his administration’s track record on the economy, pointing out that 10 million jobs have been created since he became president. He also said more than 220 million Americans have been vaccinated against COVID-19 since he took office.
Hospital officials support N.J. booster mandate. But unions call for continued COVID testing.
January 22, 2022 // But if the objective is to slow or stop spread, she added, testing should be continued, not suspended, and health care workers infected with COVID-19 should not be pushed to return to work after a five-day incubation period without being tested.