NY Union Holds Convention in NJ
Nurses find it more appealing in Garden State
After years of holding their conventions in the Empire State, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has decided to hold their three-day annual convention in Atlantic City, NJ at the end of the month to get closer to members in southern part of the Garden State.
NYSNA officials maintain the Atlantic City convention site was chosen because there are members in New Jersey who belong to NYSNA for collective bargaining reasons. The New Jersey State Nurses Association, which is not a union, contracts with NYSNA to increase their bargaining position for higher wages. The conference in New Jersey is to better connect with their New Jersey counterparts, which includes some in southern New Jersey, near the casino and resort mecca.
The convention attracts about 500 registrants and after holding the convention at many venues across the state including Rochester, Lake Placid, Saratoga Springs the nurses wanted a different environment. NYSNA officials cite a lack of meeting room space at certain hotels as the reason they left New York. The conventions require a lot of conference rooms for concurrent breakout sessions. Many hotels in New York state are not equipped to handle the mix of 500 registrants and many concurrent breakout sessions. This year’s convention, to be held from Thursday, September 27 – Saturday, September 29, includes 32 breakout sessions primarily held at the Sheraton Atlantic City on the famed boardwalk.
The title of the convention is “Nursing: Catch the Wave” and apparently the wave is taking the nurses to Atlantic City. The theme is to assist registered nurses who are ready to move forward in key areas of patient care, public affairs, and professional development.
This is the last year NYSNA will hold an annual convention. In subsequent years the conventions will be biennial with business meetings on alternating years with the conventions.
