| | A Weekly Update for NYSNA Members | January 3, 2025 | |  | | | Oneida Nurses March on the Boss On Tuesday, Dec. 31, NYSNA nurses at Oneida Health Hospital marched to the office of CEO Felissa Koernig to demand that management come back to the bargaining table and settle a fair contract with safe staffing and a real plan to retain nurses for safe patient care. After months of delaying bargaining, Oneida management offered its so-called “final offer” and refused to continue to bargain over the dozens of open issues that nurses say are nowhere near resolved. Management’s offer does not do nearly enough to ensure that patients receive the best care possible and was an insult to frontline nurses. Nurses are calling on Oneida Health to listen to nurses, return to the bargaining table, and settle a fair contract that nurses and patients deserve. The nurses’ contract fight was reported on NBC and WKTV, and nurses plan to speak out on Wednesday, Jan. 8, to demand that Oneida management respect nurses and patients! | | | | Support Centerlight Nurses Fighting for a Fair Contract Nurses at Centerlight Healthcare are advocating for better working conditions and improved care for their patients. They are negotiating a new union contract with strong wages and no cuts to healthcare and have been facing repeated delays and resistance from management. They launched a petition and are calling on NYSNA members and community members to tell management: Nurses deserve a fair contract now! Show your support and sign the petition today! | | | |  | Add the New NYSNA Website to your Phone’s Home Screen! Have you seen the new NYSNA website yet? Check it out for the latest updates on our campaigns, member actions and how to get more involved in our union. You can also add the website to your phone’s home screen like an app to access your member information on the go! Instructions are available here. By adding the NYSNA website to your phone, you’ll be able to access new features in the My Membership section of your account. If you haven’t done so already, register here. Please note: When you set up your account for the first time, the site will ask you for both your email address and the mobile phone number you have on file with NYSNA. | | | | Sign the Petition- Support the New York Health Act NYSNA nurses are at the forefront of healthcare advocacy in our state, and this year we can fight to secure universal healthcare for all New Yorkers by supporting the New York Health Act (NYHA). This bill would provide quality care for ALL New Yorkers, regardless of their ability to pay. Sign the Campaign for New York Health (CNYH)’s petition to fight for universal healthcare in New York! Members can also take direct action by joining CNYH and advocates from across the state on Jan. 8. The campaign will reach out to petition signers with more details. When it comes to fighting for healthcare, from safe staffing to healthcare for all, no one fights better than NYSNA nurses. | | | | Climate Change Superfund Act Signed Into Law On Thursday, Dec. 26, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act into law. The law requires companies that are big fossil fuel polluters to help pay to repair damage from extreme weather, which is becoming more common due to climate change. The Climate Change Superfund Act will also reinvest billions into our communities and help toward a healthy environment for all New Yorkers and create good union jobs. Nurses know firsthand that the climate crisis is a public health crisis, and we will continue to support bold solutions and a just transition that creates good union jobs while lessening our dependence on fossil fuels and protecting vulnerable communities from the worst impacts of climate change. | | | |  | 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! | | | | 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 each individual practitioner must complete and send proof of completion to the New York State Education Department by April 1, 2025. The course is free for NYSNA members. To complete this requirement for free; set up your individual NYSNA account and be signed in; go to the Child Abuse Reporting Course register for and take the program; download your certificates of completion; and mail them to the New York State Education Department. Here is your NYSNA member ID in order to create an account: please reach out to membership. Please check our flyer for more information. | | | | 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: | | | | 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). Register and sign in here to access the courses listed below: - 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).
| | | | | | Start the New Year by Attending NYSNA's Labor Education Workshops List of Upcoming Trainings (90 minutes on Zoom) — Register Here Learning How to Mobilize Members for Union Events and Actions
Join us to learn about ways to spread the word about union actions, have effective conversations, and develop good listening skills.
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Welcome to Your Union
This workshop is open to new NYSNA members and Convention Delegates looking to get more involved in the work of the union. It will cover some basic concepts of what a union is and what roles we have as rank-and-file members.
Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Taking Control of Our Meetings with Management
Learn how to prepare, present the union’s position to management and make sure there is meaningful follow through.
Saturday, Mar. 8, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Sign up here for trainings in early 2025. For any questions or to set up a training in your facility, please email NYSNA's Labor Education department at labored@nysna.org. | | | | A.I.’s Impact on Nursing and Healthcare Hospital executives are pushing artificial intelligence (A.I.) technologies on nurses and patients without proving their safety and efficacy. Nurses are not against scientific or technological advancement, but we will not accept algorithms replacing the expertise, experience, holistic, and hands-on approach we bring to patient care. Want to learn more about A.I.’s impact on nursing and healthcare? Check out this video from National Nurses United and this resource to learn how nurses are speaking up to protect their patients and their profession. | | | | | | | | 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. 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 | | | | | | 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 that the UAP offers here. The January 2025 newsletter shares how to make the most out of our Member Assistance Program benefits. 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. Visit the SPAN website for more information. | | | | | | In solidarity,
Pat Kane, RN
Executive Director | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
