“SAVE NEW YORK NURSES.” That was the  rallying cry of hundreds of nurses from four nurses’ unions who came to Albany in May to lobby for legislation that would ban mandatory overtime and ensure safe nurse staffing.

Before meeting with lawmakers, nurse members from the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF), New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and the Nurse Alliance of New York State/1199 SEIU marched to the steps of the Capitol shouting rally chants and carrying placards that called for an end to mandatory overtime.

Mandatory overtime is used by healthcare employers to force nurses to stay on the job beyond their regular shifts. It is a dangerous practice because nurses say they are more likely to make mistakes in patient care when they work long hours. A 2002 survey by the New York State Education Department reported that 59 percent of registered nurses said they had been “mandated” or forced to work overtime.

“The negative effect of mandatory overtime on patients and nurses is becoming one of the most serious healthcare issues of our time,” says PEF president Roger Benson. “At least 10 other states have passed laws or adopted new regulations to protect the public by limiting the number of hours caregivers can work. It’s time New York state legislators and the governor addressed this problem.”

“We cannot do our jobs unless the law frames boundaries through which we can function,” Anne Goldman, special representative for the Federation of Nurses/UFT and chair of the NYSUT Health Care Professionals Council, explains.

“This isn’t a nursing issue. It’s a public health issue,” says Verlia Brown, NYSNA president and a critical care nurse at Kings County Medical Center in Brooklyn. “Short staffing and mandatory overtime put patients’ lives at risk. Our lawmakers must have the courage to ensure that patients have what is most fundamental to their well-being: care from registered professional nurses.”