Health Dept. School Nurses Losing Pay Over 'Flu' Closings

JUDITH ARROYO: Distressed by penalties.

City nurses who cared for children suspected of having swine flu are being told that they will not be paid for days when city schools were closed and they were sent home. At least 10 School Nurses are being docked vacation days or salary.

The School Nurses, who were assigned to the Queens schools at the epicenter of the swine flu epidemic, were tasked with diagnosing and separating children with symptoms and recommending to the Department of Education and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene whether to close schools.

'Health' Nurses Docked

After the schools were closed, the nurses were told to go home for three to four days and see if they themselves were infected with the H1N1 virus. If there were no symptoms during this period, the nurses either went back to the schools or, if they were still closed, were assigned to another school.

These are the days off that are now being docked. While DOE nurses, who are paid annually, did not lose pay or vacation days, DHMH nurses did, as they are paid daily.

"The schools have either a DOE nurse or a DHMH nurse. They are members of different unions," said DOE spokeswoman Marge Feinberg in a statement. "The DHMH nurse is an hourly employee and would have to be reassigned if her school is closed because of the H1N1 flu. The DOE nurse is an annual employee and will get paid if the school closes for H1N1 flu."

District Council 37 Local 436 President Judith Arroyo, who represents School Nurses, said that the original idea of sending nurses home made "wonderful sense" but the reversal on the pay issue had taken the union by surprise.

"We haven't heard anything. We're going to look at getting the nurses time or money back, and we're talking to our legal department; we're going to file grievances," she said in a phone interview. "I have a list of at least 10 nurses for sure who have been affected . . . it was such a sudden change."