NYSNA Update: May 29, 2026
NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Nurses Hold Candlelight Vigil
NYSNA nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP)-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital are intensifying their fight for a fair contract. On May 26, dozens of nurses gathered with community, labor and faith allies at a candlelight vigil to bring awareness to rising workplace violence at the hospital. Nightshift emergency department nurse Jolie Tuma, RN, spoke out and described how the emergency department is increasingly busy and understaffed, with mental health patients sometimes languishing there for a week. Veronica Carnero, RN, described how callous management was when a patient injured her at work. She called for better staffing and workplace violence protections, including paid time off to deal with medical and legal issues that result from workplace violence.
The vigil was incredibly moving, with the crowd of people holding candles and singing along to live music from a pastor and musician from the Poor Peoples Campaign. New York City Central Labor Council President Brendan Griffith brought a message of solidarity from the city’s labor movement, saying that, “In healthcare, violence should not be business as usual.”
On the day of the vigil, elected leaders sent an open letter to NYP Hospital and NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital executives to “express strong support for the nurses at your facility and to urge the hospital administration to bargain in good faith and swiftly reach a fair contract.” Crain’s New York, ABC Ch. 7, 1010WINS and the Brooklyn Paper covered the vigil.
VICTORY: NYSNA Nurses Keep Hospital at Home Proposal Out of New York Budget!
NYSNA today celebrated a major victory for patient safety. The New York state budget that passed late last night removes the dangerous Hospital at Home proposal. NYSNA nurses traveled to Albany twice this session to meet face to face with legislators, launched a statewide social media and advertising campaign opposing the program, and gathered thousands of petition signatures from New Yorkers urging Albany to reject Hospital at Home.
“This is a victory for every patient in New York,” said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN. “Nurses refused to stay quiet while corporate interests tried to push a program that would leave patients home all alone, with no hospital, no team and no around-the-clock care. We know what our patients need because we are at the bedside every single day, and we carried their voices straight to the halls of power in Albany. Lawmakers listened, and New Yorkers will keep getting the real, hands-on nursing care they deserve. But our work is not done. We will keep fighting against any proposal that trades patient safety for corporate profit and puts the health of New Yorkers at risk.” Learn more.
Victory for Safe Staffing at The Brooklyn Hospital Center
Last week, through new staffing enforcement language that nurses won in their new contract, intensive care unit (ICU) nurses at The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC) have secured up to 15 additional NYSNA nurses to fully staff the ICU at the levels our members fought for and are contractually entitled to.
This is a huge and much-needed win for a unit that has been under enormous stress. This victory was only made possible through the hard work, advocacy and persistence of NYSNA ICU nurses and the NYSNA Executive Committee pushing management to be held accountable for safe staffing and patient care. Great work, THBC nurses. This is what collective action looks like!