In July 2014 a new collective bargaining agreement was reached in which staffing guidelines was identified as a key area of focus. Labor and management agreed to review and update staffing guidelines, due to significant advances in clinical technology and pharmacology, the implementation of electronic medical records, and an increase in patient acuity.

RNLMI and Labor Management Project staff worked with various hospitals, including Mount Sinai Beth Israel in Forest Hills, St. Barnabas Hospital for Joint Diseases and Montefiore. The RNLMI and LMP consultants provided training on interest-based problem solving and facilitated the sites’ labor-management staffing guideline committees, each team reviewing its staffing guidelines and other issues impacting patient care. The sites also used team-building models to improve the dynamics between labor and management in order to improve patient outcomes and delivery of patient-centered care and foster a shared understanding of goals and objectives.