A Weekly Update for NYSNA Members   |   January 31, 2025  

Dear NYSNA Member, 

NYSNA Recognizes Black History Month

February is Black History Month. NYSNA honors the legacy and history of Black nurses and healthcare workers who fought discrimination and broke barriers to practice with excellence, compassion and cultural competency. NYSNA nurses will continue to fight for racial justice and health equity in the face of rollbacks to civil rights and diversity efforts because our lives and our patients’ healthcare depend on it!

The Fight for Healthcare and Services for Our Communities

This week’s federal government’s “pause” in funding created chaos and uncertainty among our members, hospitals, and allied unions and elected officials. While the administration reconsidered its approach and “unpaused” some —but not all —federal funding on Wednesday, we will continue to monitor and triage the situation to keep our members informed and prepared to protect our patients and our profession. We will also work on legal, political, and operational solutions, especially in hospitals, institutions, and organizations that rely on Medicaid, grants, and other federal funding.

Read NYSNA’s full statement on the federal government’s “pause" and reach out to your NYSNA Rep to share what is happening in your hospital and how these threats to defund vital services are affecting you and your patients. 

Albany Med Nurses Hosts Town Hall to Discuss Care Criss in Capital Region

Capital Region nurses held a town hall meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, to update elected officials and community allies about the ongoing staffing and patient care crisis at Albany Medical Center.

Despite a record number of Department of Health staffing violations in 2024 — more than 480 — the hospital administration continues to deny the truth about understaffing and the impact it’s having on patient care. The hospital is closing neonatal intensive care unit beds and continuing to understaff the most vulnerable patients. Instead of solving delays in care in the emergency department, the administration is shifting the problem, placing patients in unheated hallways to wait for care. Nurses highlighted the alarming fact that Albany Med has spent over $80 million on travel nurses instead of hiring and retaining local nurses and negotiating a fair contract. See press coverage of the townhall on CBS 6 and Spectrum News 1.

Tuesday’s town hall was representative of a renewed outpouring of community and labor support for Albany Med nurses as they enter 2025 without a new contract. In addition to attending last week’s Labor Roundtable, LBU President Jenn Bejo, RN, appeared on NYS AFL-CIO's Union Strong podcast to talk about the ongoing contract fight at Albany Med. Listen to the episode.

To learn more about the fight for a fair contract at Albany Medical Center, visit albanymedqualitycare.org.  

Mount Sinai South Nassau Nurses Return to the Bargaining Table to Demand Fair Contract

On Wednesday, Jan. 29, nurses at Mount Sinai South Nassau showed up to their bargaining meeting to continue fighting for a fair contract. Neonatal intensive care nurses and maternity nurses presented on the negative impacts that short staffing has had on them and their patients. They also shared the negative effect that short staffing has had on the recruitment and retention of new nurses. Management’s “solution” to this has been to constantly move nurses between units to increase coverage, but nurses testified that the practice only makes their jobs harder and is not a replacement for safely staffing all units.

As bargaining heats up, nurses at Mount Sinai South Nassau are organizing their colleagues to speak out and show up at future meetings to ensure Mount Sinai listens to their voices. On this website, they’ve called out Mount Sinai on prioritizing profits before patients and gained community support through their petition.

All NYSNA members are encouraged to add their name in solidarity with Mount Sinai South Nassau nurses!

Montefiore Nurses Speak Out at Community Board Meeting Against Bed and Service Closures

Nurses are sounding the alarm about the Bronx being in danger of losing hospital beds and essential services after Montefiore management announced a “restructuring” plan. Montefiore nurses are making the community aware of the plan’s negative impact on patients, which includes the elimination of 16 hospital beds, the elimination of palliative care services, and moving surgical services elsewhere in the Bronx or to its suburban campuses. Meanwhile, Montefiore’s emergency rooms are filled beyond capacity, and patients are waiting in hallways for care. NYSNA nurses are concerned that reducing beds will add longer wait times and more hallway patients to a facility that already struggles to serve a vulnerable population.

On Tuesday, June 28, NYSNA nurses attended Community Board 7’s meeting to make local leaders and the community aware of Montefiore’s plans and were met with support and concern. Nurses are also planning on meeting with elected officials and other allies to stop this so-called “restructuring” plan and ensure Bronx patients don’t suffer any losses in services. 

NYSNA and NY State Senate Honor NYC H+H/Queens Hospital Nurse for 28 Years of Dedication

Alison Bhola, RN, began her remarkable 28-year tenure with NYC Health+Hospital (H+H) as a cashier at the NYC H+H/Elmhurst cafeteria. Her passion for service and helping others naturally evolved into a desire to make a larger impact through nursing. While working full time, Alison dedicated herself to nursing school, earning her credentials as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). She worked as an LPN for seven years before achieving her dream of becoming a registered nurse at NYC H+H/Queens Hospital.

As a nurse, Bhola was not only skilled but also a fierce advocate for her patients. Her leadership extended beyond the bedside, where she served as NYSNA vice president at NYC H+H/Queens for three years. In this role, she passionately championed crucial causes, speaking with political leaders to advance issues such as safe staffing, COVID-19 protocols and pay parity for nurses. Her influence at NYC H+H/Queens went beyond policy — she was a persistent and tireless advocate for organizational change and consistently met with hospital stakeholders to ensure that they met both nursing staff members’ and patients’ needs.

Bhola’s journey is a testament to the profound impact one individual can have on a community. She has dedicated decades to the nursing profession, leaving behind an enduring legacy of service, leadership and advocacy. Her next chapter is well-earned, and we celebrate all she has achieved and all that she will continue to inspire in the future. Congratulations, Alison, on a well-deserved retirement, and thank you for your extraordinary contributions.

NYC H+H/Jacobi Nurses Attend Protest of Assignment Training

Nurses at NYC H+H/Jacobi attended NYSNA’s protest of assignment (POA) training on Monday, Jan. 27. The course is a critical tool for NYSNA members to formally document unsafe working conditions or assignments that jeopardize patient care and staff safety. Jacobi nurses were empowered with the knowledge and skills to effectively utilize the POA process to advocate for safer conditions, improve staffing and holding management accountable.

For more information or assistance with the POA process, contact your NYSNA representative or request a training at your facility from Labor Education by emailing labored@nysna.org.   

Huntington Hospital Nurses Begin Bargaining for Their First Contract

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, Huntington Hospital nurses held their first bargaining session with Northwell Health since winning their National Labor Relations Board election to join NYSNA in November 2024. Over 40 nurses attended the bargaining session. Nurses presented proposals on core issues important to retaining and recruiting nurses and improving patient care. These included creating and implementing a safe staffing grid and enforcement, improving health and pension benefits, adding the observance of Juneteenth as a paid holiday, clarifying the POA language and procedure, creating monthly labor management and staffing committee meetings, addressing issues of workplace violence and safety, and proposing respectable wages that would place Huntington nurses on par with other NYSNA Northwell facilities.

NYSNA nurses at Huntington Hospital are committed to building on the momentum from this first session to win the contract they and their patients deserve!

Know Your Rights and Advocate for Patients When Encountering ICE

Nurses’ first duty is to care for and advocate for our patients. NYSNA nurses care for all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status, income or insurance status, race, religion, ability or disability, sexuality, or gender identity or expression — simply regardless. Read our statement regarding the federal policy change on immigration enforcement in “sensitive locations,” including hospitals and schools.

Learn your rights and get answers to frequently asked questions to learn what to do if you encounter U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in your facility.

NYSNA has also prepared this list of legal resources related to immigration. Please review and share widely. 

Support Afya: Donate Supplies to Help Victims of the Southern California Wildfires

Afya, a Yonkers-based nonprofit that works on disaster relief to ensure access to critical medical supplies, is responding to the devastating wildfires erupting in Southern California. NYSNA members can help victims by donating supplies or funds. The most needed items at this time are personal hygiene products. See this flyer for a full list of needed items. Afya has also put together an Amazon Wishlist for NYSNA members to purchase supplies directly. You can also donate funds through the Afya donation page.

While volunteer opportunities with Afya are currently at capacity due to the generosity of our members, we will update NYSNA members when future opportunities arise. 

Celebrate Lunar New Year With NYSNA!  

On Sunday, Feb. 16, join NYSNA in welcoming the Year of the Snake! NYSNA nurses and healthcare professionals will gather with members of the communities we serve to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Join in the parade and celebration in Manhattan’s Chinatown by RSVPing. For more information, and help spread through word, download and share the flyer. 

NYSNA Calls on U.S. to Rejoin WHO

The U.S. has played a leading role in curing disease and improving public health around the world, including slowing the spread of infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, Mpox, tuberculosis, malaria, polio, measles, cholera, Ebola and COVID-19. But now the U.S. has left the World Health Organization (WHO), the main entity where we coordinate our global public health research, monitoring and rapid response to deadly disease outbreaks. The U.S. has also ended funding for global health research and programs.

With the current ease and speed of international travel, pulling out of the WHO and defunding global health efforts will leave the U.S. more vulnerable to disease and will harm people’s health around the world. Our greatest protection is to respond and assist quickly when disease is identified anywhere. This is a time to prioritize public health by rejoining the World Health Organization.

NYSNA Supports Amending the Education Law for CRNAs 

As we continue to celebrate Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetics (CRNAs) Week, NYSNA is proud to support an amendment to the New York education law in relation to creating the profession of nurse anesthetist. The proposed legislation (S357) would create a new CRNA title and establish formal parameters and regulations applicable to CRNA practice. 

NYSNA believes that CRNAs should be allowed to independently practice to the full extent of their training and the scope of practice provided for in this legislation, which is why we strongly support and will lobby to pass this legislation this year. Read NYSNA’s memorandum of support for the proposal, and find out how to actively lobby for its passage by attending our upcoming lobby day.  

Winter-Spring 2025 Labor Education Trainings Open for Registration

There’s still time to register for the upcoming training Staffing Enforcement: Collecting Protest of Assignments on Monday, Jan. 27, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. 

Registration for the statewide Spring 2025 Member Leader Training series is also open and will take place on Zoom on Thursdays, April 4, 10, 17 and 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Member Leader Training is a four-part training open to all members who want to deepen their leadership skills, and it covers all the basic skills needed to represent your co-workers, enforce your contracts, organize successful collective actions, plan workplace issue campaigns, and have effective meetings with management. You can take each part individually or the entire series, and each provides three contact hours and 0.3 CEUs. Register here! Please invite your co-workers to attend with you. Here is a flyer with a registration link (it includes other trainings too). 

Other trainings:

Labor Education provides a variety of Zoom trainings on a range of topics. New to NYSNA? Come to the “Welcome to Your Union” training and meet other new members. Want to get more co-workers filling out Protests of Assignments or building mini-campaigns on your unit to resolve workplace issues? Come to the “Staffing Enforcement” workshop, or the brand new “Winning an Issue on Your Unit Through a Campaign of Escalating Actions” workshop. Register here and download this flyer to share with your co-workers! You can read all the workshop descriptions here. All trainings are 90 minutes on Zoom. 

Next trainings:
COMING UP! Welcome to Your Union 
Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 | 9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (register) 

New Officer and New Convention Delegate Leadership Training  
Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 | 8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. (register) 

Winning an Issue on Your Unit Through a Campaign of Escalating Actions  
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 | 8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. (register) 

NYSNA Life Insurance– It's Time to Designate Your Beneficiary

NYSNA already provides members with a great benefit at no cost: Basic MetLife Life Insurance! This coverage provides $20,000 of Basic Life Insurance and $20,000 of Basic Personal Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance. All active members in good standing represented for collective bargaining through the union will automatically be enrolled in the plan. This union benefit is in addition to any other insurance provided by your benefits fund, your contract, or through your employer.

But for your loved ones to receive this benefit, you must designate them as a beneficiary! To enroll and receive instructions on designating a beneficiary for your new Basic Personal AD&D Insurance, go to nysnawinstonbenefits.com or call 1-866-483-1124. 

Sign up with your NYSNA Member ID to set up and access your account and benefits. If you need your Member ID, please contact the NYSNA Membership department at membership@nysna.org. Download the flyer for additional details.

NEW: Talkspace Go Classes Through Union UAP

NYSNA is excited to introduce a new resource available to all members and eligible family members from our Union Assistance Program (UAP): Talkspace Go classes to learn valuable skills and resources to support your health. February’s topics are designed to improve your mental health and well-being. These live, online group classes are therapist-led, anonymous and free. 

Check out the calendar of Talkspace Go classes for February 2025. There are new classes every month covering a broad range of topics related to work, family, relationships and mental health. You can download the Talkspace Go app for free from the Apple App store or Google Play  to review and register for classes. After you download the app, sign up and create an account, and then enter our organization's code: ESIAP.

NYSNA Will-Writing Benefits From MetLife 

The NYSNA Benefits Fund gives NYSNA members who are covered by the NYSNA Benefits Fund access to personal will preparation services that MetLife Legal Plans offer — at no additional cost.  

Having a will prevents unnecessary stress and ensures final wishes are clear. The Benefits Fund offers valuable legal resources through MetLife Legal Plans to assist with creating or updating a will with a member’s Basic Life coverage. As part of this benefit, members get legal guidance and unlimited consultations with network attorneys. Learn more here.  

NYSNA Members Are Eligible for AFL-CIO’s Union Plus Benefits!

The benefits of being a NYSNA member extend beyond your NYSNA benefits. As an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, NYSNA members are also eligible for Union Plus benefits to help current and retired labor union members and their families save money and support them through major milestones, celebrations and hardships. These benefits include discounts on wireless plans, credit card deals, mortgage deals, discounts on insurance plans and more! Find out more on the AFL-CIO Union Plus website. 

Free Benefits for NYSNA Members: UAP Program and SPAN Program

The Union Assistance Program (UAP) is a confidential self-help program, independent from NYSNA, that is available to NYSNA members and their families as a membership benefit. When an employee or family member (18 or older) faces a significant personal problem, they can call UAP’s experienced counselors at 800-252-4555 for assistance at any time. Read more information on phone counseling services here.

Learn about the benefits and resources that the UAP offers here. The February 2025 newsletter focuses on the importance of our own cardiovascular health and the heart health of those we love.

Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) is a confidential education, support and advocacy program for all nurses licensed in New York state who are dealing with substance abuse problems. Visit the SPAN website for more information, or to sign up for one of its January classes on intention setting. Learn more about SPAN’s new Compassion Project here.

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