NYSNA Update: August 14, 2026
UVMH-CVPH Nurses and Healthcare Professionals Join UVM Medical Center Union Members on the Picket Line
On Friday, Aug. 14, NYSNA members from University of Vermont Health-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (UVMH-CVPH) traveled to Burlington, Vermont, to show solidarity with union members picketing at the UVM Medical Center! Like NYSNA nurses and healthcare professionals at CVPH, members of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals and UVM Medical Center Support Staff United (UVMMC SSU) are bargaining for fair contracts and fighting UVMH’s corporate greed. In Burlington, union members are facing many of the same issues as NYSNA members face in Plattsburgh: chronic understaffing and cuts to frontline workers and services. Recognizing how similar their contract fights are and the power of solidarity, NYSNA members made the trip to show their support for our union siblings and to show UVMH management that union members, across state lines, are united in the fight for fair contracts. Keep up the great work, CVPH members!
Ellis Hospital Nurses Secure Safe Staffing Ratios in Arbitration Victory
In May 2024, NYSNA nurses at Ellis Hospital won a staffing arbitration that included make-whole relief for 11 different units at the hospital. Management has refused to pay in the two years since the initial victory, but this week, an arbitrator clarified the award, standing by the original make-whole remedy. In addition to the financial award, nurses were also able to secure binding staffing language and have already seen improvements in staffing at the hospital. Great work, Ellis nurses!
Capital Region Members Gather for Summer Interregional Meeting
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, NYSNA members from across the capital region gathered in Glenville for their summer interregional meeting! At the interregional, NYSNA Board Member Mary Lynn Boyts, RN, discussed the upcoming 2026 NYSNA Convention, explained the changes to the Convention resolution process, and spoke about the many courses available to members through NYSNA Nursing Education and Practice. Members also heard presentations from NYSNA staff members, including Healthcare Staffing Coordinator Margaret Franks, MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, on the importance of completing protests of assignment, how staffing can be enforced through contracts and the New York State Department of Health, and the NYSNA Benefit Fund. Overall, members had a wonderful time connecting with union siblings from across the capital region!