Albany Common Council Passes Resolution in Support of Nurses and Safe Patient Care, Labor Board Files Suit Against Albany Med

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 

Contact:  Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489

ALBANY COMMON COUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF NURSES AND SAFE PATIENT CARE, LABOR BOARD FILES SUIT AGAINST ALBANY MED

After bombshell Department of Health report showing 500+ staffing violations is released, Albany Common Council passes resolution demanding Albany Med respect their nurses and invest in safe patient care  

NLRB finds Albany Med violates obligation to bargain in good faith

Albany, N.Y.– Yesterday evening, the Albany Common Council passed a resolution in support of nurses, calling on Albany Medical Center to address the staffing violations that put patient care at risk. After the New York State Department of Health found that Albany Med broke the law and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed suit against it for engaging in unfair labor practices, the Albany Common Council demands Albany Med address the staffing crisis it has repeatedly ignored and hidden. 

In their resolution, sponsored by Council Member Kelly R. Kimbrough, the Albany Common Council “expressed concern,” described Albany Med as “a hospital that is overworking and silencing its staff, ultimately putting patient safety at risk,” and demanded that the hospital “comply with New York State law and rectify its deficiencies.” They cite Albany Med’s refusal to seriously address and take “rapid action to hire additional staff, pay competitive wages locally, or adequately resolve their deficiencies.” 

The staffing deficiency report issued by the DOH found a record 500+ violations, which included 480 violations of safe staffing standards and 24 procedural violations. These violations were found across 26 different units, including 32 specifically within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). CEO Dennis McKenna has publicly denied there are staffing issues in the NICU, where some of the most vulnerable infants from across New York state are seen. The scale of Albany Med’s violations far surpass those of any other hospital to date.

For several months, hospital administrators hid the deficiency report and nurses, who were required to see it by law, were only able to receive a copy after filing a Freedom of Information Law request to obtain it from the DOH. Over fifty pages, the document shows Albany Med’s refusal to address the staffing crisis and failure to submit adequate corrective plans. The DOH repeatedly “determined that the plan [was] not responsive to the law.”   

“As Common Council President I stand and will always stand with Albany Medical Center NYSNA nurses,” said Common Council President Corey Ellis. “They stand day in and day out fighting for safe staffing and patient care. The staffing violations that the NYS Department of Health found at Albany Medical Center are very concerning and affect everyone in the community that I love and represent." 

“We thank the Albany Common Council for supporting nurses and valuing patient care by passing this resolution. The community support we have received from allies and elected officials has been essential to holding this hospital accountable,” said local NYSNA leader Jennifer Bejo, RN. “We are fighting against one of the most powerful employers in the capital region, and it is only with the help of this community that we will ensure that Albany Med begins to take patient care seriously and address the staffing crisis.”  

“As the Assemblymember representing the 109th Assembly District, I take very seriously the concerns that affect my constituents,” said Assembly Member Gabriella A Romero. “The complaints out of the DOH deficiency report are very troubling and call for a serious response. I applaud the NYSNA nurses’ courage and demand that Albany Medical Center finally listen to the nurses and settle a contract that address these serious concerns at Albany Medical Center.” 

NYSNA nurses have decried Albany Med’s overreliance on expensive temporary travel nurses instead of settling a fair contract that will help recruit and retain staff nurses. Last week, Region 3 of the NLRB issued a complaint against Albany Med alleging that the hospital broke federal labor law and has refused to bargain with NYSNA in good faith by withholding crucial information about its use of travel nurses. Since bargaining began in April 2024, NYSNA has requested in writing the number of travelers Albany Med employs and the total cost to Albany Medical Center of traveler RNs who performed bargaining unit work. The NLRB agreed that this information was “necessary for, and relevant to, the Union’s performance of its duties as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of the Unit."  

In 2023, instead of investing in full-time staff, Albany Med Health System spent nearly $80 million on a single staffing agency.¹ This is only one of several staffing agencies Albany Med contracts. Albany Med’s in-house nurse staffing agency, the Albany Med Health System Staffing Alliance, reported $19 million in income in 2023 in their tax filing, and their end of year assets increased by $2.1 million from the previous year.² In their responses to the Department of Health, they referred to the staffing agency as “suboptimal to patient care, detrimental to overall workforce morale and ultimately unsustainable over the long term.”

Ginnie Farrell, Majority Leader of the Albany Common Council, said, “It was a nurse that first made me get a third option, finally catching the misdiagnosis that nearly killed me. It was nurses that were there during my hospital stay and caught all the scary moments, ensuring I got the lifesaving medical care I needed to live. Nurses saved my life and save lives every day. But they can’t save lives when they are so overworked they aren’t able to be with their patients, they can’t be present without the support they need. Safe staffing isn’t just about supporting our nurses to do the job they are called to do. Safe staffing is about saving lives.”

Council Member Meghan Keegan said, "As the proud daughter of a nurse, I stand with our nurses at Albany Medical Center. This issue isn't just about fair wages and benefits, or access to breaks and meal times during a shift. This is about being able to provide the best care for all of us. NYSNA nurses are doing what nurses do best and advocating for all of us to receive quality medical care by ensuring we have safe staffing at Albany Med." 

Council Member Derek A. Johnson, said, “We have to figure out how to fix the staffing issue and stop our local nurses from leaving. There is money available to pay the nurses properly, but it is being used to fight against the nurses getting a fair contract." 

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “What is happening at Albany Med is something unlike anything we have seen in other hospitals. They have shown they don’t respect the health and safety of their patients, they don’t respect state staffing laws, and they certainly don’t respect labor rights or labor law. However, together, community allies, elected officials, regulators, nurses, and patients can ensure Albany Med is held accountable." 

NYSNA nurses at Albany Med continue to fight for a fair union contract with a comprehensive plan to recruit, retain, and respect nurses to solve the nurse staffing crisis at the hospital and ensure quality care for the community. 

Over the last year, NYSNA nurses at Albany Medical Center have held townhalls and an informational picket, hosted community forums, delivered petitions to hospital leadership, and held speak-outs for safe staffing. Unions and community groups recently penned a letter of solidarity calling on Albany Med to listen to its nurses. Nurses also launched an ad campaign across the capital region to draw attention to the staffing crisis at Albany Med. Visit albanymedqualitycare.org to find out more.

Notes 

Pg 8, Form 990, 2023 
Pg 1, Form 990, 2023, Schedule R 

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The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.