| | A Weekly Update for NYSNA Members | March 21, 2025 | |  | | | Oneida Nurses Hold Informational Picket for a Fair Contract On Wednesday, March 19, NYSNA nurses at Oneida Health Hospital held an informational picket to demand that management negotiate in good faith and settle a fair contract with safe staffing and a real plan to retain nurses for safe patient care. Nurses have been working without a contract since Feb. 28 but are actively organizing to make their voices heard. Historically, Oneida nurses are some of the lowest paid in the region, and NYSNA nurses know that to attract qualified, experienced nurses, their new contract must include a respectful wage. On Feb. 12, nurses delivered an unfair labor practice charge to management due to its refusal to meet in person to bargain a fair contract. And earlier this year, nurses marched to the office of CEO Felissa Koernig to demand management come back to the table and held a speak-out calling attention to safe staffing issues. For months, NYSNA nurses at Oneida have been fighting for a contract with clear, enforceable safe staffing standards to comply with New York state law and wages and benefits that will keep nurses at the bedside and help them provide the safe, quality patient care the community deserves. They held the informational picket to demand that hospital administrators meet their demands. Central New York Area Labor Federation members, Central New York Labor Council members, and 1199SEIU members joined NYSNA nurses in solidarity. Spectrum News, WKTV News Channel 2, and ABC News Channel 9 covered the informational picket. Nurses are asking the community to send a message to Oneida Health President and CEO Felissa Koernig, JD, MBA, FACHE to demand that she negotiate the fair contract that Oneida nurses and patients deserve! Add your voice in solidarity with Oneida nurses here. | | | |  | Garnet Health Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement On Monday, March 17, NYSNA nurses at Garnet Health Medical Center reached a tentative agreement with management for a new contract! The contract includes 22% wage increases throughout the life of the contract, maintenance of the NYSNA benefit fund, and improved safe staffing standards. Nurses won this contract without takeaways or givebacks. This tentative agreement comes not long after nurses delivered a petition to management that a super majority of members signed in support of a fair contract. When we fight, we win! Nurses are voting to ratify their contract today. | | | |  | Wynn Hospital Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement On Wednesday, March 19, NYSNA nurses and Wynn Hospital management reached a tentative agreement for a new successor contract! The contract includes across-the-board wage increases, a reduction in health insurance costs, improved staffing and floating language, and more. The ratification vote and membership meetings to learn the full details of the tentative agreement will take place on Wednesday, March 26. Congratulations Wynn nurses on this tentative victory that took months of organizing, bargaining, and fighting for well-deserved improvements to wages and benefits. | | | |  | H+H Nurses Speak Out on Unfair Sick Leave Changes at H+H Board Meeting On Tuesday, March 18, NYSNA nurses from throughout the New York City Health + Hospitals/Mayorals system were out in force at H+H’s annual meeting at Gouverneur Hospital to make their voices heard. They spoke out about H+H administrators’ new interpretation of a long-standing sick leave policy that is pressuring nurses to work sick. They reminded the board and H+H CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz that if nurses work sick, our patients can get sick — to the detriment of public health. Katz promised a written response next week, and now public hospital nurses are keeping up the pressure and waiting to hear whether H+H will do the right thing to maintain a healthy workplace for nurses, our patients and the public. Watch the full livestream of the meeting with more than a dozen NYSNA members testifying on YouTube. Take action in solidarity with H+H nurses for a fair sick leave policy today! | | | | Northwell/South Shore Nurses Ratify Contract With Groundbreaking AI Provisions NYSNA nurses at Northwell Health/South Shore University Hospital overwhelmingly ratified a three-year contract that includes improvements to safe staffing standards for quality patient care. Nurses voted to ratify the contract on March 13 and 14 after months of bargaining, speaking out and preparing to strike if necessary. Their new contract improves pay, benefits and staffing, which are key to recruiting and retaining experienced nurses and ensures that patients receive the best care possible. Northwell/South Shore nurses are also breaking new ground. This is the first nurses’ contract in New York state that specifically allows nurses to review and make recommendations prior to and during the implementation of any artificial intelligence that could potentially impact nurses. Nurses at Northwell/Huntington Hospital and Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital also are in active bargaining and hope to follow South Shore’s lead and win fair contracts so they can provide quality care for all Long Island patients. Congratulations, Northwell /South Shore University Hospital nurses on this victory! | | | |  | NYSNA Nurses Attend Northeast Central Labor Council Legislative Breakfast Last Saturday, March 15, NYSNA nurses from UVM-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital attended the Northeast Central Labor Council Legislative Breakfast. Nurses joined their union siblings from across the region to build community with labor leaders and discuss the issues that are impacting North Country nurses and patients. Nurses spoke up about dwindling access to care due to hospital consolidation and the impact that workplace violence has on the nursing profession. | | | |  | NYSNA Nurses Show Up to Stop the Cuts! NYSNA nurses joined approximately a thousand union workers and community members at the March 15 Stop the Cuts rally in New York City. The huge turnout showed that labor and community allies are energized to fight back against extreme cuts to Medicaid, food assistance programs, public education and enforcement of workers’ rights. Nurses are especially outraged at the $800-plus billion in cuts to Medicaid, which will decimate care for children, seniors, people with disabilities and low-income New Yorkers. Extreme Medicaid cuts will also cause hospitals to cut staff and services and cause entire hospitals to close. This is why NYSNA members were out in force to defend our healthcare, jobs and communities. We will continue sending the message that we will not accept cuts to the services that we all depend on to fund tax cuts for billionaires and corporations! | | | | NYSNA Joins Share Our Wealth Coalition NYSNA is proud to join the Save Our Wealth coalition alongside labor, faith and community organizations alarmed by the rising economic inequality in New York. While the ultra-rich are getting richer, 1 in 5 children in New York lives in poverty. An economy that continues to squeeze working class New Yorkers and drive more and more of us into poverty is simply not working. The Share our Wealth coalition offers pragmatic, common-sense changes to the tax code so the ultra-wealthy who have benefited most from our state start paying their fair share. Learn more at the Share Our Wealth website. | | | | Save the Date: Triangle Shirtwaist Memorial on Tuesday, March 25 Join NYSNA nurses and the New York City Central Labor Council to commemorate the 114th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on Tuesday, March 25. On that date in 1911, 146 workers — mostly young, immigrant women — were killed in a horrific fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory at Washington Place and Greene Street in lower Manhattan due to the negligence and cruelty of factory bosses whose disregard for worker safety contributed to the tragedy. More than one century later, it is crucial that we continue to stand together to protect the hard-fought gains of the labor movement and expand protections to include all workers. Click here for more information about the commemoration. | | | | 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 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 Nurses Join Congress Member Nydia Velázquez in Press Conference Against Healthcare Cuts Congress Member Nydia Velázquez held a press conference in front of Brooklyn Hospital on Tuesday, March 18, to sound the alarm on the negative impact Medicaid cuts will have on millions of New Yorkers. NYSNA nurses and 1199SEIU members joined the press conference to fight back against federal cuts to Medicaid that will decimate care for children, seniors, people with disabilities and low-income New Yorkers. Nurses and healthcare workers understand firsthand how Medicaid serves as a lifeline for our patients. We’re in solidarity with elected officials fighting for their constituents to stop cuts to this and other vital federal programs. | | | | 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 ELECTIONS - June 14: Last day to receive an absentee ballot
- June 23: Deadline to apply in-person for a primary ballot
- June 14 -June 22: Early voting for the primary election
- June 24: Primary Election Day | Deadline to postmark mail-in ballot
| | | | NNU Nurses Rally to Demand Workplace Violence Prevention at FL Hospital National Nurses United (NNU) nurses at HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte, FL held a rally on Tuesday, March 18, to demand management work with nurses to create workplace violence prevention plans, initiate hands-on training for nurses and other hospital personnel, and implement protocols and policies to reduce workplace violence. The rally follows a serious recent attack on two nurses at Fawcett, as well as another well-publicized attack on a nurse at HCA’s Florida Palms West Hospital. Read more about the rally here.
NNU nurses are fighting for better protections for nurses in their facilities and on Capitol Hill. NNU is pushing for national legislation that supports a comprehensive workplace violence prevention standard, The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. This legislation is aimed at protecting nurses, all healthcare workers, and patients from workplace violence and is scheduled to be reintroduced into Congress later this year. Stay tuned for ways you can advocate for this legislation. | | | | 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. | | | | Deadline Approaching: Required Completion of NYS Reporting Child Abuse Course Time is running out to make sure you have completed the required Identification and 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. Reach out to your NYSNA Rep to get the NYSNA member ID to use to create an account. 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. 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: Winter-Spring 2025 Trainings Open for Registration Registration for the statewide Spring 2025 Member Leader Training series is 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 and invite your co-workers to attend with you. Calling all Contract Action Team (CAT) members! Learn how to be a leader in a contract campaign as an engaged CAT member! Register here. Check out all of Labor Education's upcoming trainings here, and 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. | | | | NEW: Save the Date for Upcoming Avian Flu Webinars The current avian influenza outbreak in the U.S. has affected almost 200 million birds and almost 1,000 cattle herds. Many other species, including domestic cats, have been infected. And while the official count of human infections remains under 100, it is estimated that actual cases are far higher. While person-to-person transmission of avian influenza remains relatively rare, it is likely that a mutation that makes this type of transmission more efficient will happen at some point. NYSNA’s Occupational Health and Safety team invites you to save the date for two upcoming online workshops on Thursday, April 3, or Tuesday, April 8, to learn about the current state of avian influenza transmission, surveillance, testing, patient treatment and ways to protect healthcare professionals from infection. Check out the informational flyer, and register to attend April 3 or April 8. | | | | 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 March 2025 newsletter focuses on financial literacy and reducing money-related stress. 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 March’s classes focused on breathwork to learn foundational breathwork techniques to calm the mind and enhance mental clarity as well as the full calendar of Wellness Wednesday offerings here. | | | | | | | | In solidarity,
Pat Kane, RN
Executive Director | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
