Earlier this year, NYSNA members at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) voted to opt-in to New York State’s groundbreaking Paid Family Leave (PFL) program, and management agreed to provide the benefit. The program serves as a critical resource for workers in New York, offering job protection and paid time off after the birth of a child, when a member of their household is sick, or if a family member is overseas on deployment.
Now, months later, ECMC still has no concrete plan to implement PFL. Enrolling in the Paid Family Leave program also requires ECMC to provide, short-term disability insurance that provides temporary cash payments for employees who are unable to work due to a non-work-related injury or illness.
We demand that ECMC honor its commitment to nurses by offering PFL and short-term disability insurance at no additional cost to employees. As public sector nurses at Western New York's only level one trauma center, we care for all Buffalonians through the best and worst times; we ask that ECMC meet the moment and offer us access to this potentially life-saving program.
Send an email to ECMC leadership. Every email we send shows the hospital that NYSNA members are united in their commitment and will not accept a reversal on the Paid Family Leave program. Management agreed to provide the benefit, and it is up to us to ensure that they honor it!
Feel free to edit the letter on the following page to express why PFL would be important to you and your family.
