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Annual Report

MNA Regional Council 4

September 2015

Officers

Chair Patricia Comeau, Methuen School Nurses

Vice Chair Brian Zahn, Lawrence Public Health Chair

Treasurer David Guiney, Tewksbury Hospital DPH Chair, Unit 7 representative

Secretary Maureen Travis, Wilmington School Nurses Chair

Other Members of Regional Council

Gayle Burke, Holy Family Hospital Co-Chair

Jeanine Burns/Mary Keller, Northeast Hospital Co-Chairs (Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals)

Elizabeth Collins, Beverly Hospital

Lisa Cyr-Wilmot/Christine Campbell, Anna Jaques Hospital Co-Chairs

Sarah Dedrick, Methuen School Nurses Chair

Jane Emery/Laureen Opolski, Merrimack Valley Hospital Co-Chairs

Tracy Fernald, Bedford Public Health Chair

Judith Gross, Retired, Addison Gilbert Hospital

Diane Lee, Lawrence General Hospital Chair

Kay Marshall, Anna Jaques Hospital, MNA Board of Directors Liaison

Tammy Normand, Gloucester School Nurses Chair

Norma Ouellette, Lawrence General Hospital

Kathy Schevis/Kellie O’Brien, NSMC Salem Hospital Co-Chairs

Doreen Swartz, Haverhill School Nurses Chair

Staff: Ryan Berard, Community Organizer

Peggy O’Malley, Office Manager

We thank Aline Smith, a Salem Hospital ICU nurse, for serving as an At-Large member on our Regional Council.

Activities and Accomplishments 2014-2015

Education

Reimbursement of Continuing Education and Certification

In the entire 2014 fiscal year (ending June 30, 2014), we reimbursed 121 members a total of $10,635.

In just the first six months of fiscal year 2015, we reimbursed 88 members a total of $7,425 before the benefit ended in accordance with the decision made at Regional Summit meetings. We shared with the leadership of other regions and MNA our members’ unanimously critical comments about the elimination of this popular benefit.

MNA Continuing Education Programs

All six of our Region 4 CE programs were extremely well-attended and well-received. We had 170 members attend the “Street Drugs” program, presented by Region 4 member and MNA Associate Director Charlene Richardson. Attendance at our Region 4 CE programs regularly exceeds 100 members. This past year, participants have come from the following 30 facilities:

                 Addison Gilbert Hospital

                                Anna Jaques Hospital

                                Allied Health

                                Beverly Hospital

                                Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Cambridge Hospital

                                Chelsea Soldiers Home

                         Dental Solutions Staffing Agency

Genesis Twin Oaks

                                Gloucester School Nurses

Harvard Vanguard

                                Haverhill School Nurses

                                Lawrence General Hospital

Lemuel Shattuck Hospital

Massachusetts Department of Development Services

Hogan Regional Center

Northeast Region, Hathorne Unit

Massachusetts Department of Public Health

                                Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Massachusetts General Hospital

                                Methuen School Nurses

                                Merrimack Valley Hospital

Northeast Physicians Hospital Organization

                                Newton-Wellesley Hospital

                                North Shore Medical Center/Salem Hospital

                                St. Elizabeth’s Hospital

Tewksbury High School

Tewksbury Hospital

                                Tufts Medical Center

                                Whidden Hospital

                                Wilmington School Nurses

These programs are planned by the Regional Council in collaboration with MNA Associate Director Mary Sue Howlett of the MNA Nursing Division based upon input from our members.

We thank Norma Ouellette, Chair and the other members of the Region 4 Education Committee for their many years of dedication to presenting CE programs that educate our members. The Regional Summit recently decided that this work will now be done through the MNA Associate Directors working directly with the Regional Councils, rather than Education Committees.

MNA Labor School

In the spring, 22 Region 4 members, from many different bargaining units, attended morning and evening classes of Labor School Track 2, “Role of the Floor Representative, Grievances and Arbitration” taught by Joe Twarog. Joe will next offer Track 5, “Labor Law and Special Topics” beginning on September 28.

Region 4 Scholarships

In August, Region 4 donated $10,615 toward the $50,000 collected from all 5 Regions to fund scholarships for MNA Members and Children of Members who are pursuing education in nursing or a health care profession. There were 13 Region 4 applicants this year. Congratulations to the nine who were awarded scholarships.

Members

Caitlin Connors, $2,000 for Masters of Public Health

                             Stephanie Fairbanks, $2,000 for Masters in Nursing (MSN)

                             Kathleen Murphy, $2,000 for DNP (doctorate in nursing)

                             Andrea MacDonald, $1,000 for MSN

Children of Region 4 Members

                             Yonnie Collins, $1,000 for EP/DPT

                             Joel Emmott, $1,000 for BSN

                             Sarah Foss, $1,000 for MSW

                             Meghan Sparkas, $1,000 for BSN

                             Savannah Sullivan, $1,000 for BSN.

Collective Bargaining

Regional Council 4 has allocated $105,000 of our Region 4 Reserves to provide direct financial support to our 13 bargaining units. Funds can be used by local leaders for any activities that fall into one of these four broad categories: education, political organizing, member involvement, and support for collective bargaining. Bargaining units with fewer than 75 members can access up to $5,000. Units with 75 or more members can access up to $10,000.

Local bargaining unit committees hold meetings at our office which also provided a welcoming and confidential space for meetings between bargaining unit members, MNA Labor Associate Directors and legal counsel in preparation for grievance arbitrations.

The elected leaders of our 13 bargaining units meet monthly at Regional Council 4. They work every single day, all unpaid, to protect the rights and professional practice of colleagues as well as our patients. In addition to these leaders, there are four At-Large seats on the Council, on which any Region 4 member can serve.

The monthly meetings of Regional Council 4 provide the forum to learn what is happening in each of our bargaining units, to provide mutual support, and to strategize on how best represent our members. The #1 issue remains unsafe staffing, including inadequate staff for high patient volume in all units but particularly in EDs, and management’s continuing use of mandatory overtime as a regular staffing tool.

Leadership

Our efforts are strengthened by Region 4 members participating in the MNA Annual Meeting during Convention. To foster that, we fund up to $250 in reimbursement to Region 4 members to attend Convention. Last year, 24 members received this benefit.

Regional Council 4 leaders participated in two “Regional Summit” meetings in 2015 with leaders of the MNA Regions and MNA President Donna Kelly Williams to discuss issues affecting all five Regions and our members. We have recently finalized one Regional Convention Benefit, and application, for $250 reimbursement of our member expenses.

We welcome our future leaders, nursing students, to Region 4:

- RNs in the BSN nursing program at UMass/Lowell who come to Regional Council 4 meetings to witness leadership by staff nurses, learn about the benefits of collective bargaining, and engage in open discussions about our shared goals.

- Local leaders of the Massachusetts Student Nurses Association participate in their statewide MASNA meetings via videoconference from the Region 4 office.

Legislation and Political Action

Region 4 members had a busy year participating in a number of important actions and activities.

- Members made several trips to the state house to lobby legislators on our many bills.  We had meetings with newly elected members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Representative Paul Tucker of Salem and Representative Brendan Crighton of Lynn. 

- Members also went on trips to Washington, DC to participate in actions for DC and Veterans Administration nurses, as well as to meet with our Representatives and Senators about the federal safe staffing bill and the Robin Hood Tax with National Nurses United.

- Back at home, nurses from our region also participated in solidarity actions with other local unions, attended this year’s Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council breakfast, many events sponsored by the North Shore Labor Council, and actions that celebrated the 50th anniversary of the passage of Medicare.   

- Jim Winnett, a nurse at Whidden Hospital, is our delegate to the North Shore Labor Council whose members have been tireless in their support of safe staffing legislation. Last fall, the Council interviewed candidates for Congress. He reported that then-candidate (now Congressman) Seth Moulton said he did not support safe staffing legislation because he “had some experience in health care and believes the law will stifle innovation”. We have some work to do.

- Our members attended, and in some cases provided testimony, at all of the Boston meetings of the Health Policy Commission on the development of regulations on ICU nurse staffing on October 29, March 25, November 19, May 20 and June 10.

- We also attended the legislative hearing of the Joint Committee on Labor and Commerce on July 21 on MNA’s Workplace Violence Prevention bill.

With the Massachusetts Legislature still scheduling hearings on our MNA bills, Region 4 members are looking forward to another busy and productive year of advocating for the critical causes in which we believe.

Community Outreach

During the holiday season, Region 4 members hand-delivered $500 checks to each of these community organizations: Bread and Roses in Lawrence, Cape Ann Food Pantry/Open Door in Gloucester, My Brothers Table in Lynn, the Merrimack Valley Food Bank in Lowell, and The Santa Fund (Salvation Army) of the Lawrence Eagle Tribune. The work done by each of these organizations is tremendous. We urge our members to help them out in any way possible.

Region 4 continues to collect hats, scarves, mittens and gloves for school-age kids and teens. Many of these are handmade. All through the winter we deliver them to nurses in our five MNA school nurse bargaining units and the Lawrence Public Health Department.

Financial

FY 2015 Operating Income and Expenses

Region 4 had an operating surplus over $14,500 and an overall surplus nearly $23,500 for the fiscal year 2015

(July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015). See details below.

Income

Operating Income

Dues $128,903

Other

Interest and Dividends + $ 5,244

Total operating income = $134,146

Non-Operating Income

Market adjustment + $ 8,961 (We cannot include this income in our budget because the amount is unknown until the fiscal ________ year ends.)

Total Income = $143,107

Expenses

Salary/benefits $47,479

Scholarships 9,500

Electricity 3,000

Maintenance/Office cleaning 1,299

Office supplies 122

Telephone/Internet 2,555

Photocopy 395

Miscellaneous 198

Bank fees 2,623

Depreciation 1,172

Convention 3,693

Member CE/Certification reimbursements 7,425

Postage 116

Stipends to Regional Council officers 4,000

Contributions 2,700

Rent on Lynnfield office 30,000

Regional Committee Meetings 193

Regional Council Meetings 2,473

Region 4 Pens 696

Total Expenses $119,639

NET INCOME $ 23,468

Region 4 Reserve Fund

Over many decades, the Region 4 membership has accumulated significant reserve funds (savings) from operating surpluses in previous decades. After years of careful investment by Regional Council 4, the fund amounted to nearly $263,000 on June 30, 2015, an increase of $20,000 from the previous year.

As noted above, Regional Council plans to distribute a significant portion of our reserves to our bargaining units to pay for local member services, benefits, activities as determined by each of our bargaining units.

Other

In June, we negotiated a new 5-year lease on our Lynnfield office with no increase in rent for three years.

Our Treasurer, David Guiney, was nominated by Regional Council 4 to serve on the MNA Finance Committee and he was appointed. David has also been appointed Treasurer of the MNA Unit 7 Executive Board, the committee which represents all the nurses and health care professionals who work for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Goals for 2015-2016

Increase the active participation of Region 4 members in the work of our bargaining units, our Region and MNA, our union and professional association.

Fully implement and evaluate the distribution of reserve funds to our collective bargaining units,

Expand Labor Education of more of our members,

Sponsor a “Get to know your legislators” event for all Region 4 members,

Conduct an on-line survey to assess the unique and common needs of each of our bargaining units and our members so that those needs can be addressed through our Region.

Host an exciting Region 4 celebration of Nurses Week 2016.

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