Labor and Community Rally Behind NYSNA Nurses at Albany Med

NYSNA nurses at Albany Medical Center have started the new year off strong, finding strong support from labor and community allies in the capital region. In January, nurses met with labor leaders and elected officials to discuss the ongoing contract campaign at Albany Med and their vicious, anti-union tactics. They also hosted a town hall in conjunction with other capital region nurses to discuss the staffing and patient care crisis at the facility.
Albany Med Nurses Bring Labor Leaders Together at Labor Roundtable
On Thursday, Jan. 23, NYSNA nurses attended the New York State AFL-CIO’s labor roundtable. New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento, our union siblings from CDALF, 1199 SEIU and CWA, New York State Assembly Member Gabriella Romero, and representatives from the offices of the governor and the attorney general and the New York State Department of Labor attended the event. Attendees listened to nurses share stories about the staffing crisis and its impact on their ability to provide safe, quality patient care to the members of their community and the ways their employer has targeted and retaliated against outspoken, pro-union nurses.
Rachel Skiff, RN, NYSNA member and Emergency Department nurse shared: “Management tries to hide the problem by moving patients into hallways and onto stretchers in the vestibule, and closing inpatient beds to hide short staffing, but the issue remains - there are simply not enough nurses to take care of patients. Hospital management talks about the push to hire new nurses, but they do nothing to retain their seasoned nurses. It's like giving a blood transfusion to someone who's hemorrhaging - it's not maintainable. You have to address the bleeding wound. The fact that we still have no contract speaks to administration's lack of concern regarding retention.”
Attendees were deeply moved by members’ stories and pledged to support Albany Med nurses in their fight for a fair contract. Notably, Cilento, who recently submitted a letter to the Times Union on behalf of Albany Med nurses, pledged the support of all 2.5 million AFL-CIO members in New York state. NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, RN, spoke saying “All these nurses want is what everyone wants: decent working conditions and healthcare, a decent retirement — and all these things are good for the community, the workers, and our patients.”
In addition to attending labor roundtable, LBU President Jenn Bejo, RN, also appeared on the New York State AFL-CIO's Union Strong podcast to talk about the ongoing contract fight at Albany Med.

Albany Med Nurses Hosts Town Hall to Discuss Care Crisis in Capital Region
Following the labor roundtable, 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 —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 its most vulnerable patients. Instead of solving delays in care in the emergency department, 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 town hall on CBS 6, Spectrum News 1, and WAMC.
NYSNA member Sean Lipinski, RN, spoke about his experience as a float nurse at Albany Med and a member of the capital region community, saying: “On a daily basis, we’re just trying to stay above water, but we get so burnt out, we have to leave for our own mental and physical health. If I wanted to, I could make twice as much money as a travel nurse and do much less work. All of us could. But we stay because we care about this community, we care about this hospital, we care deeply about our patients.”
With this strong support from union siblings, elected officials, and community allies, NYSNA members at Albany Med remain optimistic about their fight for safe staffing and a fair contract. We know that when we fight, we win—so Albany Med nurses will continue to fight for the fair contract that nurses and patients deserve.
To learn more about the fight for a fair contract at Albany Medical Center, visit albanymedqualitycare.org.