NYSNA Update: October 2, 2026
NYSNA Members Attend Working Families Party Convention to Make Nurses’ Voices Heard
On Saturday, Sept. 26, NYSNA nurses from NYC Health+Hospitals attended the New York Working Families Party (WFP) convention in New York City to help kick off the Vote WFP campaign ahead of this November’s general election. At the convention, NYSNA Director at Large Sonia Lawrence, BSN, RN, spoke about how nurses fight for their patients and their communities and about the importance of electing WFP candidates who will champion those fights. NYSNA Southern Regional Director Alizia McMyers, MSN, MHA, BSN, RN, also joined to advocate for nurses and patients with New York State Attorney General Letitia James, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and other allies and elected leaders.
With just four weeks until early voting starts in New York, it’s more important than ever for nurses to get involved in the fight to elect labor and healthcare champions!
ECMC Nurses Take Action to Improve Patient Care
Over the last week, NYSNA members at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) in Buffalo have taken action to protect their patients and practice! This week, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ECMC nurses provided breast cancer screenings for community members. Early detection and prevention are key aspects of treatment, so ECMC nurses are proud to provide this service for their community!
On Friday, Sept. 25, nurses met with U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to discuss safe staffing, universal healthcare, and the critical need for fair funding for safety net and rural hospitals. Nurses also brought up the overcrowding in the emergency department and comprehensive psychiatric emergency program, stressing that the affordable housing crisis and cuts to public benefits, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are major contributing factors.
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, nurses from the behavioral health unit met with hospital administrators to address nurses’ concerns about understaffing. Nurses want to provide safe, quality care for all their patients, but currently, they don’t have the staffing necessary to meet the ratios outlined in the staffing grid. Behavioral health nurses are hoping to build on last week’s labor-management victory, where nurses packed the room and successfully advocated for the addition of 14 new positions to alleviate understaffing in the emergency department.
And on Thursday, Oct. 1, ECMC nurses, alongside NYSNA Healthcare Staffing Coordinator Margaret Franks, MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, met with state and county officials to discuss ongoing staffing issues at the hospital. As they did with management, nurses reminded officials of their commitment to providing safe, quality patient care and holding hospitals accountable when they put care at risk.
Keep up the great work, ECMC nurses!
CVPH Members Join AFT-VT Workers to Deliver Joint Demand Letter to UVMH Chairman
Since last fall, NYSNA healthcare workers at University of Vermont Health (UVMH)-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) have been fighting for a fair contract that protects safe, quality patient care in the North Country. This week, members joined forces with members of the American Federation of Teachers – Vermont (AFT-VT), one of the unions that represents healthcare workers at UVMH facilities in Vermont, to deliver a joint letter to Chairman of the UVMH Board of Trustees. The letter outlined healthcare workers demands for a fair contract, with a focus on securing the safe staffing NYSNA and AFT-VT members need to provide the care their communities deserve.
Earlier in the week, CVPH members packed the room at their latest bargaining session and reiterated their calls for a fair contract that includes enforceable safe staffing language. Don’t give up the fight, CVPH healthcare workers!