The nurses at North Shore University Hospital at Plainview, who have been on strike since Nov. 8, staged a rally in front of the hospital late last week to bolster spirits and garner support.

Showing their support for the 408 nurses who walked off the job 19 days ago, when negotiations failed to yield a new contract, were local politicians, RNs from other hospitals, and members of other unions. In addition, hundreds of motorists driving by the rally honked their horns in support of the striking nurses.

"The people who attended the rally came away feeling energized and

more positive about the action they were taking," said Tom Spina, union representative, New York State Nurses Association. "They knew that they were not out there alone, that they had the support of the community, other unions and the politicians. So that is a truly uplifting experience."

Since negotiations began over 14 months ago, the two parties have been unable to come to terms on two key components of a new contract. Representatives from NYSNA have argued the hospital administration is unwilling to negotiate a settlement that addresses understaffing and offers guarantees about its health benefit plan.

"The hospital has been very unwilling to make any movement on any of our key issues," said Ron Musselman, NYSNA Labor Relations Representative and chief negotiator. "The hospital won't agree to maintain the current level of health benefits for the term of the contract, and they won't agree to any kind of replacement language which would guarantee that the number of RN positions in the hospital will be based on census and acuity. They have been very difficult to try and negotiate a contract with."

Nancy Collita, who grew up in Hicksville and was a chief negotiator for the nurses in 1990, underlined the importance in addressing the staffing issue when she spoke during the rally. "We want the units adequately staffed every day and every shift, and we want it guaranteed. That is what the patients here in this community deserve and they have the right to expect that."

Nurses working at the hospital have alleged that at times one nurse has been responsible for as many as 16 patients. This, according to the NYSNA, is unacceptable because it lowers the level of quality care for each patient and it creates an unsafe environment for the patients and nurses, alike. It is widely agreed upon that the nurse-to-patient ratio varies from hospital to hospital and from unit to unit, but NYSNA representatives have stated that many hospitals average a 1:8 ratio.

Carol Hauptman, the vice president of community affairs at the hospital, stated the administration had no comment except to say that the rally had no impact on patient care.

Area residents earlier this week received a letter from the hospital administration assuring the quality of care at the hospital. It stated the nurses decision to strike is "not warranted" and that North Shore has been "negotiating in good faith." The letter further stated the hospital had offered to create a special committee including nurses, physicians and members of the administration to review all patient care issues, including staffing guidelines, but that it was rejected.

The NYSNA has admitted the staffing situation at the hospital is "not at crisis proportions," but indicates it is important to get RN-to-patient staffing guidelines included in the contract to prevent the problem from getting worse.

"We want them to guarantee that they will have enough nurses in the hospital to take care of the patients and the acuity level of those patients," said Laura Bingham, assistant director, NYSNA. "The hospital is not giving the commitment to quality patient care that we would like to see.

She continued, "We are looking for something in the contract that says the hospital is going to be committed to guaranteeing that the hospital will provide enough staff for the nurses to do their jobs."

A prevailing sentiment from NYSNA negotiators is that the hospital administration feels they can dictate to the nurses the terms of the contract, and not engage them in negotiations. The NYSNA picketed on two occasions last year because it says the administration was failing to schedule negotiating sessions.

Bingham indicated that this stems from North Shore's inexperience in dealing with unionized nurses. According to her, when the North Shore administration, which operates 12 other hospitals, took over the hospital several years ago it had never dealt with organized labor before, and hence felt they could conduct business as usual.

"The majority of their employees are not unionized. This is really a new experience for an employer that has basically had the ability to dictate terms and conditions to its employees, without having to deal with a union, or someone to advocate on behalf of the staff," said Spina. "This is a new concept for the hospital to deal with. They just do not have much experience with this."

Musselwhite and Bingham are confident this situation will end triumphantly as they cited several successful negotiations over the past year where hospital administration met the NYSNA's goals and incorporated staffing guidelines into the contract.

"These instances did not necessarily come to a strike but . . . the hospitals agreed to work with us to establish staffing numbers into the contract, but in a lot of places we established committees that we worked together to figure out what was appropriate staffing and to implement that staffing."

He continued, "Rest assured the nurses would much prefer to be inside attending to and caring for their patients rather than walking a picket line, but before we go back, North Shore must understand that the concerns of the RNs are real and their professional judgments must be considered and implemented."

The Long Island Rail Road has announced plans to renovate its Hicksville station. The work is scheduled to begin in January, 2000 and is expected to last well into 2001.

Marc Herbst, a member of the MTA Captial Review Board, and a member of the transporation committee in the state assembly, was at the Hicksville Station early last week to provide information to commuters about the upcoming renovations.

"I thought it was very important that we advise the public of what is taking place and being very parochial I wanted to see the work done in Hicksville," said Herbst. "The major station renovations taking place here will improve safety, and will make this station more convenient and comfortable for the commuters that use it."

According to Herbst, the entire existing ticket and waiting area will be demolished and reconstructed. New restrooms, a food stand and newspaper stand are included in the renovation project. This is the Hicksville station's first renovation since it was built in the late 1960s.

"It has been a long time in the waiting," said Herbst. "It is going to be a major improvement, but the public, especially in Hicksville, should realize that it is going to take a long time and there are going to be some disruptions as far as ticket service and the use of this building."

He continued, "But afterwards it is going to be a tremendous improvement for our community."

Trailers will be used as a temporary ticket office and a waiting area during the construction of the new station building, which is expected to last 18 months. The elevator will stay in operation throughout the renovations.

Herbst also indicated that in a separate project the New York Department of Transportation has scheduled the installation of traffic signals on Route 106 (Newbridge Road) at the north and south sides of the station. It is hoped the additional traffic signals, coupled with the use of sensors and pedestrian push buttons, will improve traffic conditions at the station and make it safer for motorists and pedestrians alike.