By Bob Hennelly

Courtesy of InsiderNJ

As the nurses’ strike at New Brunswick’s Robert Wood Johnson University entered its second week, sources say the major sticking point is what sort of enforcement mechanism can be relied on to ensure the hospital maintains whatever levels of staffing that it commits to.

By Joe Maniscalco

“Yaaaay!”

New York City retiree Roberta Gonzalez reacted with total glee today after learning municipal workers fighting to retain their traditional Medicare health insurance coverage have won yet another big victory in court.

By Bob Hennelly

Courtesy of InsiderNJ

A few days into the nurses’ strike at New Brunswick’s Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and the outpouring of community support expressed for the nurses in the cacophony of car and truck horns echoes for blocks away.

By Bob Hennelly

New York City’s 250,000 municipal retirees recently got a form letter from the Office of Labor Relations announcing Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is no longer abiding by its September 1 deadline for the implementation of its Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan, which the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees [NYCOPSR] has been successfully fighting in court.

By Steve Wishnia

Nurses at New York City public hospitals and other city-run health facilities have won a contract that will immediately raise their salaries by more than $16,000, the New York State Nurses Association announced July 31.

By Steve Wishnia

In February 2022, President Joseph Biden directed the Department of Health and Human Services to develop minimum staffing standards for nursing homes, to remedy the most chronic problem workers and patient advocates have with the quality of care. The federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not yet released its proposed regulations, which were expected this spring — but the nursing-home industry is already opposing them.

By Joe Maniscalco

Ninety-year-old New York City municipal retiree Evie Jones Rich stood on the pavement outside the Manhattan offices of U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand in 90-plus degree heat on Friday afternoon, and spoke for nearly six minutes straight about the need to save Medicare from increasing privatization.

By Joe Maniscalco

Unbeknownst to most New Yorkers, the next time they call for help, the EMTs and Paramedics showing up to their rescue might’ve just spent a sleepless night in their cars wondering how they’re gonna cover an unexpected bill.

By Bob Hennelly

Representatives of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration told a New York City Council panel investigating its response to last month’s hazardous air days created by 400 wildfires in Canada, that it was “very proud of the city’s response within the constraints of the forecasting and information” it had at the time.

By Joe Maniscalco

Parks Dept. retiree Michael Sirotta spent nearly a quarter century building up a free arts program for New York City kids. It used to be located on Staten Island. Famous Alumi of the now defunct program include recording artist and actor Ingrid Michaelson who joined the program when she was nine.

By Bob Hennelly

Courtesy of InsiderNJ

Six days after the line of duty deaths of Newark firefighters Augusto Acabou, 45, and Wayne Brooks Jr., 49, the fire aboard the Grande Costa D’Avorio docked in Port Newark is finally out but basic questions about the response continue to proliferate and officials are deflecting with the standard “It’s under investigation.”

By Robert Ovetz

Courtesy of The Chief

At a recent worker organizing conference I heard a talk by a PSC-CUNY member who called for repealing the Taylor Law. During the break, while we talked about how to do that, they dismissed using “illegal” strikes. The reason was, they said, PSC would be unable to do one-on-one meetings with all the faculty to collect their dues once automatic dues deduction is suspended as punishment for striking.  

By Bob Hennelly

Courtesy of InsiderNJ.com

Forty-eight hours after fire first broke out on the massive Grande Costa D’Avorio vehicle carrier ship docked in Port Newark, firefighters were still trying to extinguish the blaze that claimed the lives of two beloved Newark firefighters, Augusto Acabou, 45, and Wayne Brooks Jr., 49.

Officials say the fire could continue to burn into the weekend.

By Steve Wishnia

State Supreme Court Judge Lyle E. Frank has blocked the city from switching its retired employees’ health coverage to Medicare Advantage. A preliminary injunction issued this morning scotches its Monday deadline for retirees who want to keep traditional Medicare to opt out of the for-profit Aetna Medicare Advantage plan.

By Steven Wishnia

Dozens of retired city workers overflowed a Manhattan courtroom on July 6, as State Supreme Court Judge Lyle E. Frank heard oral arguments on whether he should issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the City of New York from switching their health coverage from Medicare to a private Medicare Advantage plan on Monday, July 10.

The judge said he expected to issue a ruling on Friday, July 7.

By Bob Hennelly

On this Independence Day edition of the Stuck Nation Labor Radio Hour, we find Canada continuing to battle hundreds of forest fires in what is that nation’s worst wildfire season on record with 250 blazes still out of control consuming close to 20 million acres — the near equivalent of two thirds of New York State’s landmass.

By Steve Wishnia

New York State Attorney General Letitia James is suing the owners of four nursing homes, charging that they siphoned off more than $83 million in Medicare and Medicaid payments through a “related-party transaction” scheme where they channeled money intended for resident care to businesses they, their associates, or family members own.

By Bob Hennelly

Mayor Adams and the City Council have reached a “handshake” agreement on a $107 billion budget that restores some of the controversial cuts that were proposed by the administration as it grappled with the fiscal fallout from the pandemic, the nation’s immigration crisis, and the end of federal COVID aid.

By Joe Maniscalco

Union leaders backing the privatization of traditional Medicare benefits may appear oblivious to what they’re doing to the lives of municipal retirees, but do they understand what their doing to the labor movement overall? According to retirees fighting privatization in New York City — they’re going to “destroy labor as we know it” and it’s up to retirees to “organize and protect labor.”

By Steve Wishnia

Nurses at the city’s 11 public hospitals are finally reporting “significant progress” in contract talks with the New York City Health + Hospitals agency, their union says.

In talks June 23, the New York State Nurses Association said in a statement, both sides agreed to an escalated calendar of bargaining sessions in July, with the goal of reaching a contract deal by Aug. 1. Their current agreement expired Mar. 2.