REPORT: July/August 2006

NYSNA Convention, Oct. 5-8

There’s a lot happening in the Big Apple

by Diane Pineiro-Zucker

When the 2006 Convention gets underway at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in Manhattan, attendees will have a lot to do — both at Convention and in the Big Apple.

Members who are represented for collective bargaining won’t want to forget ‘Labor Day’ on Thursday, Oct. 5, an opportunity to gather and discuss issues of particular relevance to them.

Also on Thursday, don’t miss the Foundation of the New York State Nurses Dinner from 7 to 9 p.m. The dinner will feature the 2005 Distinguished Nurse Researcher of the Year, Keville Frederickson, professor and director of Research and Scholarship at Lehman College. The 2006 Distinguished Nurse Researcher of the Year Award will be presented. This is a ticketed event.

This year’s Political Action Committee (PAC) Reception is on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. This fundraiser will feature updates on legislative and political activities in New York, and some special guests! This is a ticketed event; admission is $50 per person.

Convention activities also include an awards ceremony and dessert reception on Saturday, Oct. 7. There will be no awards banquet this year.

Tickets for the Awards Dessert Reception and other ticketed events may be reserved in the “special events” section of the registration form.

Saturday is also Student Day, which will include educational opportunities and networking for students.

During Voting Body, members will consider important amendments to the association’s bylaws (see page 10) and other association business. An open forum on Friday, Oct. 6, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. will include a presentation and discussion of the proposed bylaws changes.

Among the activities planned is a Fun Run/Walk to benefit Nurses House, an international organization that assists RNs in need. In order to participate on Saturday, Oct. 7, remember to send your $12 entry fee along with your Convention registration. You’ll be mailed a sponsor sheet. The New York Counties Registered Nurses Association (NYSNA District 13), the Memorial Hospital Nurses Alumni Association, and the Nassau Suffolk Chapter of Nurses House sponsor the event.

Educational sessions throughout the Convention will address workplace violence, GI diseases, evidence-based practice, new graduate assimilation, environmental health issues, diabetes, workplace hostility, clinical practice, and functional practice.

Don’t miss the Great White Way

Attendees can get discounted tickets to Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well as tours of the city by air and water. Many of the prices, available through a link on the NYSNA Web site, are 10-35% below the regular ticket price.

Consider tickets to see “Avenue Q”, “Beauty and the Beast,” “Chicago,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Mamma Mia,” “Martin Short - Fame Becomes Me,” “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” “The Color Purple,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” or “The Wedding Singer” before, during, or after convention. Discounts are available at www.nysna.org (the “NYSNA Convention 06” link is on the home page).

The New York Philharmonic is offering NYSNA Convention attendees special ticket prices to the Oct. 5 and 6 performances of Saint-Saën’s “Symphony No. 3.” Lorin Maazel conducts with guest artists Patrizia Ciofi, Suzanne Mentzer, Isabel Leonard, Kelley O’Connor, Jessica Jones, Ian Greenlaw, Philippe Castagner, Kevin Deas, New York Choral Artists, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. See the link on the NYSNA Web site Convention page.

See the sights!

Discount tickets also are available for several unique attractions. Circle Line sightseeing boat tours allow you to enjoy views of the world’s premier skyline and a close-up look at Lady Liberty. Sail down the Hudson River, around the Battery, up the East River, and under the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges to the United Nations and back.

If you prefer a different perspective, Liberty Helicopter Tours offer a bird’s eye view of the Statue of Liberty, plus the midtown skyscrapers, Ellis Island, New York Harbor, and the George Washington Bridge. Another Liberty tour flies over Wall Street, the South Street Seaport, and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Other New York experiences

Those who prefer to remain a bit more grounded can see the city from the observation deck of the Empire State Building. With a discount NYSNA ticket, you’ll be whisked upward aboard express elevators, reaching the 86th floor (1,050 feet above ground) in less than a minute.

Other attractions within walking distance from the hotel include:

• Top of the Rock, a new observation deck on the 70th floor of 30 Rockefeller Center, open from 8 a.m. to midnight. Entrance to the ticket counter is on West 50th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues.
• Rockefeller Center, site of an NBC studio tour and the Today Show. Stand outside the window and wave!
• Radio City Music Hall, where backstage tours are held every day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the hall.
• The David Letterman Show, which will tape at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5. Get more information and free tickets online at www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow.

Visit the NYSNA Web site at www.nysna.org, or call 518.782.9400, ext. 303 for more convention information and registration materials.

‘Labor Day’ is Oct. 5

Convention will feature the second annual ‘Labor Day’ for nurses represented for collective bargaining.

The Congress of Local Bargaining Unit (LBU) Leaders will hold its semiannual meeting from 8 to 11 a.m. to discuss negotiating, internal organizing, health and safety concerns, and legislative priorities. The Congress, which includes the president or chair of each LBU or one designee from the executive committee of the unit, makes recommendations to the Delegate Assembly. That group will meet from 12:30 to 3 p.m. that afternoon to review Congress recommendations and to pass resolutions that will be presented to the NYSNA Board of Directors for consideration.

A Labor Day Awards Brunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will include the presentation of the Delegate Assembly Award.