NYSNA Update: May 8, 2026
NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Nurses Hold Info-Picket to Demand a Fair Contract
Hundreds of New York Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital nurses hit the streets earlier today at an informational picket and speak-out for patient and nurse safety and a fair contract. The contract for nearly 1,600 nurses expired on April 30, and members have been busy bargaining, reaching out to the community and escalating their campaign for a fair contract. Their bargaining priorities are enforceable safe staffing, workplace violence protections, respect for nurses’ clinical judgement over artificial intelligence, job protection, fair wages and benefits, and union power. Check out the photos and videos of member power from the day on Facebook!
NYSNA Nurses Lobby for a Budget the Invests in Safe, Quality Patient Care
On Tuesday, May 5, NYSNA nurses returned to Albany for a lobby day to demand that state legislators pass a budget that protects nurses and patients and invests in safe, quality patient care for New Yorkers. The state budget is over a month late now, but nurses capitalized on the drawn-out negotiations by meeting with lawmakers once again to advocate for our patients, our practice and our profession. Over the course of the day, nurses met with our elected leaders, as well as labor and healthcare champions, to urge them to pass a budget that includes safe staffing enforcement, fair funding for rural and safety-net hospitals, and support for the nursing workforce. Nurses also strongly advocated for the passage of the New York Health Act, which would establish a universal, single-payer healthcare system and provide quality care to all New Yorkers, regardless of income, employment, or immigration status.
NYSNA Members also urged legislators to reject the dangerous Hospital at Home proposal, which would leave patients home all alone, instead of in hospitals with 24/7 quality care. Under Hospital at Home programs, healthcare professionals monitor patients virtually in their homes instead of receiving around-the-clock expert care. Help us continue to sound the alarm about this proposal that puts patient safety at risk. Learn more and sign the petition today!
St. Joseph’s Medical Center Nurses Ratify New Contract
On Thursday, NYSNA nurses at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract that protects nurses and patients! For months, NYSNA nurses have been speaking out about understaffing at St. Joseph’s; in the first three months of the year, nurses filed more than 130 official complaints of unsafe staffing. Despite management’s initial refusal to address the ongoing staffing issues, nurses were able to win a strong contract that includes improvements to telemetry and psychiatry staffing, and the fair wages and benefits necessary to recruit and retain enough nurses for safe patient care. The four-year contract improves multiple benefits, including a stronger retirement package. Congratulations, St. Joseph’s nurses, on your strong contract and holding the line for safe patient care in your community!