Safe Staffing Saves Lives

More than 135 activists joined a hearing on the Safe Staffing bill, as health care workers from facilities around the region testified about the need for safe nurse to patient ratios.

"A patient dies every three seconds from a medical error," said CWA Local 1168 President Cori Gambini, again and again over May's Safe Staffing blitz. Healthcare workers know the role that nurse to patient ratios play in giving good and safe care, and all last month in Western New York State, CWA healthcare workers and allies got this message out to the public and legislators in the fight to assure all patients receive the they deserve.

More than 135 people came out to a meeting at SEIU 1199 on May 15 for the hearing on the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act, which would require all acute care facilities to comply with safe minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and require all residential healthcare facilities to comply with minimum care hours for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nurse aides. Led by CWA, a coalition of 13 different co-sponsoring organizations, from other healthcare unions to community groups like the Coalition for Economic Justice, stressed importance of passing the bill. There was barely a dry eye in the room as nine people, from patient and healthcare worker perspectives, testified from facilities around the region on why nurse to patient ratios are so vital. State legislators listened with rapt attention and all spoke supportively of the bill.

A town hall meeting with state legislators gave CWAers the opportunity to raise questions about safe staffing.

The local federation of unions came together on May 17 for a legislative town hall meeting, where they questioned five state legislators on the bill.

And on May 20, hundreds of healthcare workers from throughout New York gathered in Albany to tell legislators, "Safe staffing saves lives!" More than 500 members from health care unions sat down with their representatives to share stories and statistics to gain the support. Union members from Western New York were able to lobby 11 lawmakers. On the day of the visit, the bill was passed out of the Assembly Health Committee.

This is a long-term campaign, so the vigor and commitment that people showed this May will continue to grow. Just as CWAers pushed through the Safe Patient Handling Act, we're committed to seeing the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act become a reality