Rally follows fines for understaffing at Rochester General.
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Rochester Regional Health workers plan to hold rally on Nov. 24 to denounce cuts to health benefits and demand safe staffing levels.
This rally comes after RRH CEO Richard “Chip” Davis notified employees of how the open enrollment process will be temporarily delayed.
After this announcement the Rochester Union of Nurses & Allied Professionals launched a petition protesting the severe cuts to their healthcare benefits.
RRH released a statement Nov. 25: “At Rochester General Hospital, we deeply value every member of our team and the critical work they do for our communities. Our dedication to safe staffing and exceptional patient care is unwavering.”
Union says cuts will worsen staffing crisis and patient care
RUNAP described how these cuts will leave many healthcare workers unable to afford care at the very hospitals and clinics that employ them and will further worsen the staffing crisis that has already negatively impacted patient care.
According to RUNAP these cuts come immediately after RRH admitted fault and agreed to pay a $100,000 fine for understaffing registered nurses under the RUNAP union contract at Rochester General Hospital in the first quarter of 2025. They also mentioned how similar fines are pending for the second and third quarters of the year.
“While unionized nurses have been insulated from some of the worst premium increases due to their union contract and nurses are fighting other changes which violate their union contract through a binding arbitration process, currently non-union workers at RRH share no such protections and are at the mercy of these severe, top-down decisions,” RUNAP said in a statement.
Petition launched to fight healthcare benefit changes
Union nurses and their non-union coworkers will rally and hold a press conference in front of Rochester General Hospital at 12:30 p.m.
The purpose of the rally is to expose RRH’s unacceptable healthcare cuts, update members, coworkers and the community on what RUNAP is doing to fight back and spotlight the human impact on our families, according to the statement.
— Kerria Weaver works as the Government and You reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and in Monroe County.
— Story was updated with an RRH statement.
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