| | A Weekly Update for NYSNA Members | December 20, 2024 | |  | | | Happy Holidays From NYSNA! Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah and a joyous Kwanzaa to all celebrating! May the holidays fill you and your loved ones with light, love and joy. May 2025 bring peace, joy and more worker victories as nurses and healthcare professionals continue fighting for healthcare justice and quality patient care. | | | |  | NYSNA Releases Report on the State of Safe Staffing On Tuesday, Dec. 17, NYSNA released a critical report on the crisis of understaffing in New York. It took a deep dive into the impact of New York’s safe staffing laws that NYSNA members advocated for and passed in 2021. Analyzing data that NYSNA gathered through surveys and members collected and case studies from the experience of frontline registered nurses, the report exposes what nurses have been experiencing for years: Hospitals are not staffing hospitals adequately, and this negatively impacts patient care. We found that hospitals understaffed critical care units on more than 50% of shifts. The report also shows that, all too often, hospitals are not complying with the law, and although the Department of Health (DOH) is tasked with enforcing it, nurses have taken on the burden of holding hospitals accountable. The report examines the roots of the nurse staffing crisis and provides recommendations to improve safe staffing conditions across the state, including strengthening the state’s staffing law. The report is gaining attention in the news, including Politico, WNYC, Gothamist, El Diario and news stations in five different cities. | | | |  | Mount Sinai Nurses Demand That Management “Pay Your Nurses” Nurses and nurse practitioners (NPs) at Mount Sinai Morningside and West have been fighting for correct and full wages for over one year. Despite winning their payroll arbitration, the issues have only gotten worse with the implementation of a new payroll system. As the discrepancies add up, nurses have had enough. On Tuesday, Dec. 12, nurses came together to deliver a petition with over 900 signatures, making it clear they will no longer tolerate this treatment. At Sinai Morningside, nurses gathered inside the payroll and nursing office to deliver the petition in a respectful way, but payroll dismissed them. At Sinai West, the payroll office locked its doors and closed its windows, refusing to receive the petition from nurses. Nurses at both facilities took to the hallway or the lobby to make their voices heard. At a time when hospitals should be valuing their healthcare workers, nurses and NPs are ready to fight back to stop wage theft at Mount Sinai! | | | |  | Westchester Medical Center Nurses Tell Administration: “Hands Off Our Healthcare” In November, Westchester Medical Center unilaterally made changes to nurses’ healthcare and dental benefits without informing NYSNA members. The changes raised deductibles and switched members to a dental HMO. On Wednesday, Dec. 18, nurses fought back and delivered a petition of over 1,400 signatures as part of their “Hands Off Our Healthcare” campaign to Chief Nursing Officer Phyllis Yezzo. This isn’t the first time that Westchester Med has attempted to make changes to benefits behind the nurses’ backs. Nurses are ready to keep making their voices heard and win again! | | | |  | North Country and Capital Region Members Gather at Interregional Meetings NYSNA members from the capital region and north country gathered this week at their interregional meetings. At the capital region meeting, nurses shared contract updates from the bargaining committees at Nathan Littauer and Albany Medical Center and listened to Ellis and Bellevue Woman’s Center nurses talk about the transition to working under the Trinity Health System. Across all the updates, one message was clear: Nurses at all the capital region hospitals stand with their colleagues at Albany Med and support these nurses in their fight for safe staffing and a fair contract. At the north country meeting, NYSNA members celebrated union solidarity, discussed issues they face across the region, and strategized how to organize to tackle ongoing issues in 2025. NYSNA Eastern Regional Director Vicki Davis-Courson, RN joined in educating on the importance of filing protest of assignments via the "Twelve Protest of Assignments.” Members left ready to work together and win in 2025! | | | |  | NYSNA Joins the Picket Line in Solidarity With the Teamsters! NYSNA nurses joined Teamsters Local 804 on the picket line in Queens in the morning of Thursday, Dec. 19. Teamsters have launched the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history, because Amazon refuses to follow the law and bargain with the thousands of Amazon workers who organized with the Teamsters. Nurses are in solidarity with the nearly 10,000 Teamsters striking nationwide to win union recognition and a fair contract and to end Amazon’s exploitation and greed. | | | |  | Save the Date: NYSNA Lobby Day Save the date for NYSNA Lobby Day on March 11, 2025. NYSNA members know that our fight for safe staffing, health equity, and more depends on our elected officials investing in healthcare and holding employers accountable. Share the flyer and reserve your seat on the bus today! | | | | New Issue! 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. Registration for 2025 courses will open soon. Take a look at the 2025 certification review calendar and learn more information on how to register here, or register for the courses directly here. | | | | Upcoming NNU Workshops As part of National Nurses United, NYSNA members can now access free continuing education courses and workshops online. Learn more about workshops that advance your practice and empower union nurses. Check out these upcoming workshops: | | | | Practice Alert: Required Completion of NYS Reporting Child Abuse Course All licensed health practitioners are required to repeat the Identification and Reporting New York State Child Abuse program, even if you have taken the program in the past. This is a one-time requirement that must be completed by April 1, 2025, with proof to be sent by each individual practitioner to New York State by April 1, 2025. Please check our flyer for more information. The course is available at this link until Dec. 26. Afterwards, it will be transferred to NYSNA’s new e-LeaRN site. Stay tuned! | | | | 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 in the informational flyer 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). Here is the new listing of programs that are free to NYSNA NP members in 2024-2025: - Updated: New York State Mandatory Prescriber Education Guidance – For DEA Registration No. (four-hour online asynchronous program required to be taken every three (3) years).
- New and Required: Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and New York State Requirements for All DEA Registered Practitioners: Safe Prescribing of Controlled Substances 8 Hour Training (a one-time eight-hour online asynchronous program. The deadline for satisfying this new training requirement is the date of a practitioner’s next scheduled DEA registration submission—regardless of whether it is an initial registration or a renewal registration—on or after June 27, 2023).
- Mandated New York State Infection Control Training for Healthcare Professionals (asynchronous program required to be taken every four (4) years).
- New and Required: New York State Child Abuse: Identification and Reporting, 8th Edition. (All licensed health practitioners are required to take this new program even if you have taken the New York State Child Abuse program in the past. This is a one-time requirement to be completed by April 1, 2025, with proof to be sent by the practitioner to New York State by April 1, 2025.)
- NPs and Midwives: Prescribing Information (Req. for Form 2B) (a one-time online asynchronous program for those NPs and midwives who did not graduate from an in-state NYSED registered NP program, satisfying the required coursework on New York and Federal Laws Governing Prescriptions and Record Keeping).
| | | | | | It's a Wrap for 2024! Nurses Build Union Power at Labor Education Trainings Thousands of NYSNA members from across the state participated in labor education workshops and trainings building solidarity, inspiring each other, sharpening skills to fight for better working conditions and improved patient care. From Western New York to Albany and along the Hudson, Long Island and the five boroughs, NYSNA members in the private and public sectors developed leadership skills and had fun doing it! Nurse leaders gathered for two-day trainings, a full day of workshops and retreats, or dropped in for repeated rolling interactive workshops. From newly-active members to long-time leaders, our members learned from each other's experiences and put those learnings into practice to prepare for a strike, marching on the boss, building a POA campaign or creating a more visible, organized workplace. There will be more opportunities in 2025! Sign up here for trainings in early 2025. A full schedule of 2025 trainings is coming soon. For any questions or to set up a training in your facility, please email NYSNA's Labor Education department at labored@nysna.org. | | | | | | | | Salinas Valley Health Medical Center Nurses Ratify New Contract California Nurses Association nurses at Salinas Valley Health Medical Center in California voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new four-year contract yesterday. The contract features key gains to ensure retention and recruitment of nurses and enhance patient care and nursing practice and includes new provisions for health and safety, prevention of workplace violence, and dedicated break relief protections. The victory comes days after nurses delivered a strike pledge on Dec. 9. | | | | Prenatal and Lactation 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. As of June 2024, public and private employers must provide a minimum of paid breaks of 30 minutes for employees to pump breast milk. Effective Jan. 1, 2025, New York will become the first state in the U.S. to require paid prenatal care leave, impacting all private employers. Learn more about these rights in our NYSNA fact sheet. | | | | 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. | | | HEALTH & SAFETY AND COVID-19 RESOURCES | | Avian Flu Safety Alert for Healthcare Workers In early September 2024, the Missouri Department of Health reported that a patient with no known exposure to animals that may carry avian influenza (H5N1) was infected with the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and further investigation later identified as many as 94 healthcare staff who had come in contact with the patient and several developed respiratory symptoms. Although there are no reported cases of avian flu in New York, check out NYSNA’s Health and Safety guide to protect healthcare workers exposed to H5N1. | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | No-Cost Life Insurance Benefit From MetLife Are in Effect for NYSNA Members! NYSNA is pleased to announce a new member benefit that became effective on Aug. 1, 2024: Basic MetLife Life Insurance! This new coverage is at no-cost to you and 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/policyholder will automatically be enrolled in the plan. This new union benefit is in addition to any other insurance provided by your benefits fund, your contract, or through your employer. Benefits include: - Basic term life insurance.
- AD&D benefits for covered losses that are the result of an accidental injury or loss of life, including line of duty death benefits.
For more information and instructions on designating a beneficiary, visit www.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 NYSNA Membership department at membership@nysna.org. Download and share the flyer. | | | | 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 offered through the UAP here. The December 2024 newsletter shares tips on how to live intentionally in 2025. Read it here. 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. Check out the SPAN newsletter for fall 2024! The newsletter covers art therapy as part of recovery and highlights the SPAN story of Rob Simpson, eastern regional coordinator for SPAN. Visit the SPAN website for more information. | | | | | | In solidarity,
Pat Kane, RN
Executive Director | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
