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Strike by New York nurses is solid
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BY DAN FEIN
AND LAURA ANDERSON
MELVILLE, New York--More than 50 striking nurses picketed the Catholic Health of Long Island corporate offices here to publicize their fight for a new contract. The workers, members of the New York State Nurses Association, have been on strike for 71 days. They held signs demanding an end to forced overtime. The 474 nurses went on strike November 26 against St. Catherine's of Siena Medical Center in nearby Smithtown. The strike remains strong and spirited, with only 30 workers having crossed the picket line. Maureen Kavanagh said she started work last May and had to work 16 hours her first day after orientation. "I wanted to get at least a year experience in hospital work," she said, noting that the strike is "not what I expected." She explained that "nurses only have five minutes to feed the elderly at St. Catherine's. By the time these patients leave the hospital and go back to the nursing home, they have lost a lot of weight." Wendy Farrar, who has 21 years seniority and works in the obstetrics unit, said that if nurses "don't deal with the issue of forced overtime, our profession will not endure." |