| | A Weekly Update for NYSNA Members | April 11, 2025 | |  | | | NYSNA Nurses Join Nationwide Day of Action to Say: HANDS OFF Our Healthcare! On Saturday, April 5, NYSNA joined a nationwide day of action to send a clear message to the Trump administration and Trump’s unelected billionaire ally, Elon Musk, to say HANDS OFF our healthcare, unions and democracy. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers came together with labor unions and community organizations to demand a stop to the looting of our public coffers and the widespread attacks on our rights. Check out photos from the action here. One thing you can do today to fight back against these cuts is call your member of Congress through this AFL-CIO tool to demand they stand up for workers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a critical health and safety agency that DOGE and the Trump administration has gutted. NYSNA members will continue to defend our healthcare, unions, democracy and the critical programs that keep New Yorkers healthy and safe! | | | |  | Victory: St. John’s Riverside Hospital Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement! On Friday, April 4, NYSNA nurses at St. John’s Riverside Hospital reached a tentative agreement with management. The new three-year contract includes wage increases, a new float differential, increases in experience and education differentials, and improvement in preceptor pay and on-call pay. St. John’s nurses attended bargaining throughout the campaign, ensuring they won a fair contract that met their bargaining priorities. Stay tuned for news of their contract ratification, which is taking place today! | | | | CenterLight Nurses Continue Fight for Their Healthcare and a Fair Contract On Thursday, April 3, CenterLight nurses delivered a strike notice to management to send a clear message that they are ready to do whatever it takes to win back their healthcare and bargain a fair contract. This week, nurses received messages of support from Council Members Carmen DeLa Rosa, Lynn Schulman, Linda Lee, Sandra Ung and others who publicly called on CenterLight to avoid a strike by listening to the nurses and coming to the table in good faith. NYSNA launched an ad campaign calling out CenterLight CEO Tara Buonocore-Rut for refusing to reinstate nurses' healthcare while she makes $1.5 million in salary and compensation. If nurses don’t reach a fair contract by Monday, April 14, they will strike. CenterLight nurses don’t want to strike but are ready to do whatever it takes to protect their health and safety and that of their patients. On Tuesday, April 8, management started to take nurses’ concerns seriously and came to the bargaining table to negotiate with the help of a mediator. Bargaining will continue today. Send a message to CenterLight Healthcare leadership to demand the restoration of nurses’ healthcare benefits and a fair contract! All 42,000 NYSNA members are in solidarity with CenterLight nurses! | | | |  | Nathan Littauer Nurses March on the Boss, Drop Info-Picket Notice for a Fair Contract On Friday, April 11, NYSNA nurses at Nathan Littauer Hospital marched on the boss, calling on management to settle the fair contract that nurses and patients deserve. Nurses delivered a notice to Nathan Littauer CEO, Sean Fadale, notifying him that nurses will conduct an informational picket on Thursday, April 24, if they fail to bargain a fair contract before then. For months, Nathan Littauer nurses have been fighting for a fair contract that will allow them to provide the best possible care for their patients and their community. As the only hospital in Fulton County, Nathan Littauer is a critical community resource. But routine understaffing at the hospital makes it hard to meet the community’s needs and provide safe, quality patient care. Nurses are confident that a fair contract—that includes safe staffing and respectful wages and benefits—will keep qualified nurses at the bedside providing excellent care for their patients. Nathan Littauer nurses are back in action this coming week; they are set to hold a speak-out demanding a fair contract on Thursday, April 17. Show your support for Nathan Littauer nurses by signing their petition here. | | | |  | North Country Nurses Participate in Joint Sticker Campaign for Safe Staffing Members at Canton-Potsdam, Massena and Gouverneur Hospitals have been sounding the alarm on unsafe staffing levels that fail to meet staffing standards set by New York state law, particularly on medical surgical floors. Over the past few months, nurses routinely cared for more patients than were set by their ratios. In response, members have organized a Safe Staffing Task Force that held biweekly meetings, organized hundreds of nurses to wear stickers at the facilities and are organizing future actions. Nurses also fought back and reversed the employer’s attempt to remove NYSNA’s union representative from the Clinical Staffing Committee meeting. Nurses are ready to continue fighting to guarantee safe staffing on every unit and for every shift. | | | |  | CVPH Nurses March on the Boss to Protest Proposal to Worsen Staffing Ratios Nurses at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) lined the administrative hallway — forcing management to walk by them before attending the Clinical Staffing Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 9 — to protest management’s proposal to reduce the number of nurses on medical-surgical floors and increase nursing ratios. New and experienced nurses warned this will impact nurse retention and patient care. Nurses plan to follow up with a Protest of Assignment campaign to hold management accountable and ensure safe staffing for CVPH patients. | | | | Westchester Medical Center Nurses Win Retiree Health Grievance When Westchester Medical Center violated NYSNA nurses’ contract by unilaterally changing the criteria for NYSNA members to receive retiree health benefits, nurses fought back by filing a grievance and organized active and retired NYSNA members to gather evidence of past practice. And they won! Nurses who were unfairly denied retiree health benefits will get their benefits back on top of being reimbursed for money spent on health insurance, including COBRA. Additionally, the grievance decision reaffirms the existing contract language, which guarantees that a nurse receives health benefits upon retirement after working for 20 years of service. Congratulations, Westchester Medical Center nurses, on enforcing the contract and ensuring nurses can retire with dignity. When we fight, we win! | | | | Montefiore Bronx Nurse Wins Better Staffing Through Arbitration Montefiore Bronx nurses in the medical-surgical/step down unit have won an arbitration over safe staffing! Since the victory, nurses only have to threaten to file a Protest of Assignment to get management to change staffing conditions in their unit, showing that when there are consequences and an enforcement process, hospital executives will comply. This is the 12th arbitration that NYSNA nurses have filed and won in Montefiore since their historic contract victory in 2023. Congratulations, Montefiore Bronx nurses, for fighting for patients and holding management accountable! | | | |  | Support Nurses in Need! Help NYSNA Raise Funds for Nurses House, Inc. Nurses House, Inc. has launched its fifteenth annual “Dolphins for Nurses” campaign to raise funds for registered nurses in need throughout the United States. The fundraising campaign, sponsored by the NYSNA, will run from April 12-May 12, culminating in National Nurses Week. The campaign invites nursing groups and staff at hospitals nationwide to fundraise by offering white, gold, and blue dolphin cards in exchange for $1, $5 or $10 donations. All proceeds will be put towards the Nurses House Service Program to benefit nurses facing serious health issues and other dire circumstances. Help us meet our goal by donating via the NYSNA fundraising link and support fellow nurses in need. | | | | 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. NEW: Our allies at the New York Immigration Coalition developed this toolkit to provide a comprehensive list of resources for community members, partners and allies who work with immigrants. The toolkit covers health, community safety, family resources, financial empowerment and more. Learn your rights and get answers to frequently asked questions here to know what to do if you encounter ICE officers in your facility. NYSNA has also prepared this list of legal resources related to immigration. Please review and share widely. | | | |  | NYSNA President Speaks Out Against Cuts to VA NYSNA and National Nurses United (NNU) President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, rallied alongside Manhattan Veteran Affairs (VA) nurses and union workers to stop the federal government's attempt to cut 70,000-80,000 VA workers. At a time when there are already tens of thousands of vacancies at the VA, it is unconscionable for the Trump administration to slash thousands of jobs that deliver resources and care to our veterans. In her remarks, Hagans emphasized, “To work at the VA is to provide a lifeline for veterans who have put everything on the line for their country and for our constitutional freedoms.” | | | | Key Dates for 2025 Primary Election Our ability to strengthen the public health system — our social safety net — and support frontline working people depends on electing candidates who support nurses, healthcare professionals and our communities. For that, we need our members to get out the vote in New York’s primary elections. Review important dates and information about this year’s primary below. Find Your New York City Polling Site Find Your New York State Polling Site KEY DATES FOR 2025 ELECTION - June 14: Last day to receive an absentee ballot
- June 14-22: Early voting for the primary election
- June 23: Deadline to apply in person for a primary ballot
- June 24: Primary Election Day | Deadline to postmark mail-in ballot
| | | | NNU Sounds the Alarm on AI Technology Trained to Replace Nurses NNU nurses are in The Associated Press this week warning the public about hospitals’ rush to use artificial intelligence (AI), a poorly understood technology, to override nurses’ expertise. Nurses are worried that this will degrade the quality of care patients receive. Hospitals are pushing AI, saying it will help nurses work more efficiently while addressing burnout and understaffing. But union nurses know better. “Hospitals have been waiting for the moment when they have something that appears to have enough legitimacy to replace nurses,” said Michelle Mahon of NNU. “The entire ecosystem is designed to automate, de-skill and ultimately replace caregivers.” Read more here. | | | | NNU and Other Labor Unions Sue the Trump Administration Over Busting Federal Employee Unions Labor unions, including NNU, who represent federal government workers across the country are suing the Trump administration over the president’s attempt to override the law through executive order and strip more than 1 million federal government employees of their union rights. NNU joined the lawsuit to try to protect the union jobs of thousands of VA nurses who rely on collective bargaining to advocate for patient safety and ensure the best care for our veterans. Without these bargaining rights, nurses risk retaliation for speaking up and holding employers accountable. This latest move by the administration is a clear attempt to intimidate nurses and federal workers for standing up against its efforts to dismantle and privatize the VA, which studies have shown is a better place for veterans to receive care compared to the private sector. Read NNU’s full press release here. | | | | New Upcoming NNU Workshops Free for NYSNA Members Starting in May and throughout the summer, NNU is offering these new virtual courses free for NYSNA members: When registering for NNU courses, be sure to check off the first box, "Yes, I am a CNA/NNOC/NNU member." | | | | Nurses for Democracy: Updated Resources to Protect Patients and Navigate Recent Federal Changes The Trump administration is rapidly making sweeping changes that affect nurses and our patients in and out of the hospital. As nurses, our first and most important responsibility is to our patients. Regardless of gender or immigration status, we are committed to providing every patient with high-quality, safe healthcare and treating them with dignity as people. That is why NNU has put together a list of resources to stay informed and fight back against the rollout of several policies attacking and endangering marginalized communities’ health, safety and lives. See our list of resources regarding these policy changes here. | | | |  | Take the NYSNA Learning Needs Assessment Survey Today! Help NYSNA understand your needs by completing the 2025 NYSNA Learning Needs Assessment survey. It only takes a few minutes, and your feedback and commentary are invaluable to plan our educational programs so that they are best suited to meet our members’ needs. For nurses and other healthcare professionals at the frontlines of rapidly changing environments, learning and adjusting are necessary skills required to care and advocate for the patient. NYSNA’s Nursing Education and Practice team is here to help! But we also need your help completing our survey before the April 18 deadline! If you have any questions, please email the Nursing Education and Practice department at education@nysna.org. | | | | Journal of the New York State Nurses Association The Journal of the New York Nurses Association is currently seeking papers. Authors are invited to submit scholarly papers, research studies, brief reports on clinical or educational innovations, and articles of opinion on subjects important to registered nurses. Of particular interest are papers addressing direct care issues. New authors and student authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts for publication. Check out the latest volume of the journal and read the guidelines for submission here. | | | | 2025 Nursing Education & Practice Courses NYSNA members can take advantage of FREE e-leaRN courses, including state-mandated offerings, standard of practice and certification review courses, as well as nursing practice workshops. Take a look at the complete course offering, and register for the courses directly here. You must create an account and be signed into it to search the full catalog of classes and register for them at no cost! | | | | Seminar at Sea 2025 Join NYSNA on a weeklong cruise from Spain to Portugal on May 24-31, 2025. Not only will you get a chance to visit these beautiful countries, but you will also have the opportunity to obtain nursing continuing education credits and connect with colleagues from New York and throughout the country. You can find additional information on our website to learn about this unique and informative educational program and details on how to register for the cruise. | | | | Calling All Nurse Practitioners The NYSNA Nursing Education and Practice Department has added required and important educational offerings specifically for nurse practitioners (NPs). The courses include new, updated, new and required and mandated courses. Learn more and register to these free classes for NYSNA NPs. | | | | | | Labor Education: Spring 2025 Trainings Open for Registration The April Member Leader Training series is under way, with nurses from across the state participating on Thursday last week and this week. It’s not too late to register for Part 3, “Organizing for Collective Advocacy to Build Unity and Engage the Healthcare Worker Community” and Part 4, “Advocating for Healthcare Workers’ and Patients’ Needs Through Effective Campaigns and Contractual Committees,” which are scheduled for the next two Thursdays: Thursdays, April 17 and 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each section is 3 CHs. Bargaining trainings, “What is a Contract Campaign” and “What is a Contract Action Team (CAT) and How to Identify Leaders,” among others, are also ongoing. Check out the comprehensive schedule for April and May and register here. For newly joined CAT members and those looking for a refresher, join members from all NYSNA facilities that have launched their contract campaign to exchange information and learn from each other! Please reach out to labored@nysna.org with questions or requests for trainings in your facilities. | | | | | | | | Effective Jan. 1: Prenatal Rights Under New York State Law Recent changes to New York state employment law help working parents better navigate work and family and require hospitals to better accommodate registered nurses’ medical and family needs. Effective Jan. 1, 2025, New York has become the first state in the U.S. to require paid prenatal care leave, impacting all private employers. This comes not long after the June 2024 change that requires public and private employers to provide a minimum of a 30-minute paid break for employees to pump breast milk. Learn more about these rights in our updated NYSNA fact sheet and the New York State FAQs. | | | | Nurses’ Rights to Be Whistleblowers and Protest Your Assignments NYSNA members should be empowered with the knowledge of laws that have been passed with NYSNA’s input to protect them and empower them to speak up when patient safety is compromised, either due to unsafe staffing or other factors, such as a lack of personal protective equipment, as was the case throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a moment to learn about your rights in this flyer. | | | | CDC Issues Health Advisory on Influenza Testing The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health advisory through its Health Alert Network regarding testing and subtyping for influenza A. There is currently a high rate of seasonal influenza A (both H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes) in circulation. In addition, the current avian influenza subtype is an influenza A virus (H5N1). By recommending a shorter timeline for testing and subtyping which type of influenza A that patients are presenting, the CDC hopes to catch any human avian influenza cases as quickly as possible. Read the full advisory here. If you have questions or concerns regarding infection control at your facility, please contact the NYSNA Occupational Health and Safety Representatives at healthandsafety@nysna.org. And check out all the latest infectious disease alerts from NYSNA Health and Safety, including the updated Are Hospitals Today More or Less Prepared for Surges? health alert as well as alerts about Norovirus and Mpox. | | | | COVID-19 Leave Fact Sheet Nurses working in New York have several options for fully paid or partially paid leave to cover work time missed due to COVID-19 infection or COVID-19 quarantine. Check out this fact sheet updated by NYSNA’s Occupational Health and Safety team to learn more about your rights under New York state law. | | | | Long COVID Guide Read NYSNA’s Long COVID Guide to help you stay informed on the diagnosis, treatment options, benefits and rights for workers with long COVID. | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | 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 April 2025 newsletter focuses on rethinking drinking for your health. 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 March classes. Learn more about SPAN’s new Compassion Project here. Check out our NEW Spring Newsletter. Wellness Wednesdays: As part of its mission to promote a healthy lifestyle, SPAN is also offering a Self-Care Series that includes free Wellness Wednesday courses. Check out April’s classes focused on functional mobility as well as the full calendar of Wellness Wednesday offerings here. | | | | | | | | In solidarity,
Pat Kane, RN
Executive Director | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
