July/August 2006 Inside… Single-payer health care: Constitutional Convention ...........2 President’s column: No vote in the Senate ..................3 Nursing on Beacon Hill THE NEWSLEttER OF THE MASSACHUSEttS NURSES ASSOCIATION www.massnurses.org VOL. 77 NO. 6 Legislative update .....................4 State Senate fails to act on safe RN staffing bill Fighting for safe staffing ............4 Safe staffing bill roll call .............5 n Session ends without final Senate had passed a budget amendment call- who will continue to suffer the dangerous Candidate endorsements ..........6 action on important patient ing for safe patient limits for nurses. During consequences of their nurses being forced the last two weeks, many Senate supporters to care for too many patients at once. Every safety measure lobbied the Senate president to bring H.4988 day we delay setting safe limits on patient Health & Safety The Massachusetts Legislature ended its to the floor for a vote. assignments, we can expect to see a con- Disaster planning ......................7 2005-2006 formal session last month without The bill directed the state’s professional tinued increase in preventable medication the Senate taking action on the compromise public health experts to establish ideal errors, longer hospital stays and, yes, needless MNA Bylaw revisions ...................7 safe RN staffing bill that the House of Rep- patient-to-RN ratios for different acute care patient deaths due to chronic understaffing Worcester RNs win parity ............8 resentatives had passed overwhelmingly in medical units and to set maximum patient in our state’s acute care hospitals.” limits that hospitals could not exceed. The Despite the current setback, the MNA May. Despite approval of the Patient Safety Labor Education & Training Act by a veto-proof House majority (133- limits would have been based on extensive believes the hard work and tireless advocacy RN union rights in jeopardy .......8 20) and what promised to be a similar vote scientific research, expert testimony and of thousands of nurses and supporters of safe in the Senate, Senate leadership would not accepted best practices. patient limits has put this legislation on the Militry leaves of absence ...........9 allow the bill on the floor for a vote. “It’s unfortunate that this vital life- verge of becoming law in Massachusetts. The Brockton VNA OKs contract ........9 In fact, a majority of senators had already saving measure never got the full hearing MNA pointed to several developments as it deserved,” said MNA president Beth proof of the support for and growing momen- signed on as sponsors of H.2663, the original, Bargaining unit updates...............9 much stronger version of the safe RN staff- Piknick. “The biggest losers in this debate tum of safe-ratio legislation: ing bill, and in the last legislative session the are the patients in Massachusetts hospitals See Safe staffing, Page 4 Profiles of MNA candidates .......10 After 1,000+ days, Unit 7 OKs new contract Regional council final ballot .......10 After 1,085 days without a contract, the bers, which will make the pay scale more Unit 7 consent-to-serve .............11 MNA’s Unit 7 bargaining unit ratified an competitive in the marketplace. agreement with the state of Massachusetts “While we have more to do, this settle- Peer assistance programs .........12 on June 21. ment brings our membership closer to being “This contract was very difficult to settle equivalent with the private sector,” said MNA discounts ..........................13 but it serves the needs of our members D’Intinosanto. “This should give our patients and brings much needed relief,” said Mike and their families a comfort level that these Fall CE courses ....................14-15 D’Intinosanto, president of the Unit 7 bar- senior and experienced nurses, as well as gaining unit. “While the process was very other health care professionals, will continue Free online CE courses .............15 long and drawn out, the negotiation com- to provide excellent care to the state’s most Travel with MNA .........................17 mittee continued to draw strength from the vulnerable patients.” membership. Although we work in many Other highlights of the contract settlement sites around the commonwealth, the nurses, include: therapists and other health care professionals • Mandatory overtime: The MNA and gave us constant feedback as we went down the state will meet on issues pertain- this road.” ing to overtime and staffing during the The contract, which covers July 1, 2003 contract. If a resolution is not reached, Sen. Ed Augustus (D-Worcester) at the through Dec. 31, 2007, includes pay increases 2006 See Unit 7, Page 6 State House on behalf of Unit 7. of 11 to 18 percent for RNs and other mem- MNA unveils new in-house printing facility, mobile unit Mark your calendars! State-of-the-art tools will add more power to the MNA’s punch! This year’s MNA convention will be Oct. 4, 5 & 6 in Sturbridge. Details, Page 20. For the latest developments impacting nurses, visit www.massnurses.org Hot off the press. Nancy Gilman, co-chair at NEMC, watches as Get your motor running. The MNA’s new mobile unit has arrived her unit’s newsletter is printed on the press’ maiden run. and is ready to support local units across Massachusetts. Complete details of these exciting new ventures, Page 3 Page 2 Massachusetts Nurse July/August 2006 Nurses’ guide to single-payer reform Health care plan assigned to Constitutional Convention committee By Michael P. Norton & Jim O’Sullivan Legislative negotiators of this year’s in the halls of the capitol afterwards. sit with Moore atop the House-dominated As printed by State House News Service historic health care access law said the Barbara Roop, co-chair of the Health Care committee handling the measure. The Legislature on July 12 dealt a huge constitutional amendment deserves more for Massachusetts Campaign, said after the Both Senate President Robert Travaglini blow to thousands of citizen activists push- scrutiny while the new law is given a chance vote that the campaign would do everything (D-East Boston) and House Speaker Salva- ing a plan to make health insurance access to work. it could to get on the ballot, even in 2008. tore DiMasi (D-North End) voted to reassign a constitutional right, rerouting the petition Supporters of the constitutional amend- “Clearly, we’re extremely disappointed the petition to committee. Several senators to a committee where most on Beacon Hill ment, during debate on the amendment, said that an amendment that had the over- changed their vote during the roll call from believe it will die. it might be the only option available to force whelming support of members, based on opposition to support of the motion. Members of the House and Senate voted the new law to be implemented and to pre- the testimony, was put into a study with no Rep. Frank Hynes (D-Marshfield) asked 118-76 to send the proposal to a special com- vent an erosion of its ambitious goals. direction, no date certain, and unclear to be Travaglini how to ensure the committee mittee of the Constitutional Convention. The The constitutional amendment, approved honest what they’re studying, when in fact would report. Travaglini, the presiding offi- convention recessed until Nov. 9, two days during the 2003-2004 session, needed only the amendment itself is the platform and cer, drew laughter with the remark, “The after the statewide election where sponsors 50 votes to merit a statewide vote on this lock-in for what they’ve done,” said Roop. speaker and I have talents that manifest of the constitutional amendment had hoped November’s ballot. Technically, the amend- Lawmakers acknowledged the vote had themselves occasionally” in influencing to secure a historic vote. ment is still alive as long as the convention seriously wounded the measure’s pros- committee chairs. In July 2004, the Legislature advanced the remains open, but its chances appear severely pects. Eldridge Malone said she feared the health amendment to the current convention on a diminished by today’s vote. Legislative “We didn’t give it an injection of adren- care access law, like others before it, would 153-41 vote. leaders acknowledged a chance that the aline by what we did,” said Sen. Steven disintegrate without a constitutional man- Ann Eldridge Malone, a registered nurse proposal could be approved and placed on Tolman (D-Brighton), who spoke in favor date. “Everyone knows if you look closely from Boston and one of the 10 original sign- the November 2008 ballot. of the amendment and wondered why his at Chapter 58, it has some good sections, ers of the amendment, which had attracted The amendment would obligate the Leg- colleagues would not support a measure that but it’s like Swiss cheese—it’s full of holes,” tens of thousands of signatures of support, islature to “ensure that no Massachusetts was philosophically in sync with the law she said. said after the vote that “words can’t describe resident lacks comprehensive, affordable, they just approved. “History does have a tendency to repeat the depth of disappointment.” and equitably financed health insurance cov- During debate on the floor, Sen. Richard itself. We’ve passed other far-reaching Citizen volunteers were shocked, Eldridge erage for all medically necessary preventive, Moore (D-Uxbridge), who co-chairs the Joint reform laws with good elements that were Malone said, and felt they would have acute and chronic health care and mental Committee on Health Care Financing and never fully implemented because there prevailed had lawmakers voted on the health care services, prescription drugs and helped negotiate the landmark reform, said was opposition that spent a lot of money amendment itself. “It felt like a slap in the devices,” and subject legislation needed to implementation of the Chapter 58 changes on sophisticated lobbying and spreading face to democracy,” she said.