Letter: Albany Common Council made right move in supporting Albany Med nurses
to the editor
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FILE. Letter writer says, 'The Albany Common Council meeting Feb. 18 was devoted primarily to condemning the anti-union policies of Albany Medical Center — and for good reason.' (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)Paul Buckowski/Albany Times Union
The Albany Common Council meeting Feb. 18 was devoted primarily to condemning the anti-union policies of Albany Medical Center — and for good reason. In 2018, after the nurses at Albany Med, by an overwhelming vote, approved union representation by the New York State Nurses Association, management adopted the tactic that many unscrupulous employers use to destroy a fledgling union: endless stalling in negotiations over a first contract. In response to management’s dilatory negotiating behavior, the nurses and their community supporters have staged numerous rallies, picketed, held press conferences, posted lawn signs and distributed literature. But the management of Albany Med stubbornly refused to offer a fair contract. Finally, in the context of a COVID-19 pandemic — when the nurses worked understaffed, without adequate personal protective equipment, and at risk of disease and death — they staged a one-day strike in December. What was the response of management? It hired strikebreakers to replace the nurses on that day and, then, employed strikebreakers, at great expense, for an additional two days while it locked out the nurses. The Common Council, by a 13-0 vote, expressed its “strong displeasure” with Albany Med management’s “lack of good faith in its negotiations” with the nurses and “strongly” urged the City of Albany to prosecute this management for violating the city’s law prohibiting the use of strikebreakers. Hurrah for the nurses and for the Albany Common Council.