Nurses Overwhelmingly Ratify New Contract at Catholic Health/St. Charles Hospital
For immediate release: July 10, 2026
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
NURSES OVERWHELMINGLY RATIFY NEW CONTRACT AT CATHOLIC HEALTH/ ST. CHARLES
New Contract Will Help Ensure Safe Staffing and Quality Care
NYSNA Nurses Applaud New Agreement that Improves Safe Staffing, Provides Protections from Workplace Violence, and Raises Pay to Help Recruit and Retain Nurses
Port Jefferson, N.Y. – New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses at Catholic Health/ St. Charles voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three-year contract today. Voting closed at 7 p.m. and, 91% voted yes to approve the new deal. The nurses reached a tentative contract agreement late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning, averting a strike that was set to begin on Monday, July 13.
Highlights of the three-year contract include:
Improved enforceable safe staffing standards, including hiring more nurses, creating a float pool of nurses to maintain safe staffing levels, and a new expedited staffing enforcement process that includes short deadlines and explicitly empowers the arbitrator to issue awards when there are violations.
St. Charles will hire 15 new full-time float pool nurses, cross-trained to safely staff multiple units, increase staffing in labor and delivery, and create a new weekend shift.
New workplace violence protections, including enhanced security rounding and personal panic buttons.
New protections against discipline for use of sick time.
New safeguards on artificial intelligence, including provisions to protect RN clinical judgement and requirements to provide notice and discussion when implementing new technology or AI.
Annual base wage increases of 4%, 3% plus $100 experience differential increase, and 4% over the three-year contract. The average nurse will see an increase of approximately 15% over the life of the contract, including annual base salary increases and experience pay.
Additional wage increases to help recruit, train and retain experienced nurses that include float pay, shift differential, education differential, charge pay, on call pay, preceptor pay and open incentive pay that included per diems.
Increases to retiree health benefits.
Nurses at Catholic Health/ St. Charles negotiated for months, with talks intensifying over safe staffing. NYSNA nurses escalated towards a strike that was set to begin on July 13 if they did not reach a fair contract agreement.
President of NYSNA’s local bargaining unit at St. Charles and intensive care nurse Rob Barone, RN, said: “I want to congratulate all the NYSNA nurses at St. Charles for the countless hours you spent fighting for a fair contract that will deliver the safe staffing our nurses and patients need. This vote shows that nurses are excited about what we were able to achieve and committed to move forward to make St. Charles an incredible resource for this community—now and into the future.”
NYSNA negotiating committee member at St. Charles, Kim Bowman, RN, said: “When we fight, we win! Nurses’ main priority was safe staffing, and this contract will deliver concrete and enforceable improvements to staffing at St. Charles. We are also proud to have won a pay increase that will help us recruit and retain nurses to maintain safe staffing, and new workplace violence protections.”
Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said: “NYSNA is proud of our St. Charles nurses for advocating so strongly for their patients and community. This great contract sets a high standard for other Catholic Health hospitals to follow. The entire union is committed to securing great new contracts at St. Joseph’s and St. Catherine’s, and we intend to continue the fight for fair contracts on Long Island.”
Effective July 1, St. Charles merged with Catholic Health/ Good Samaritan University Hospital and is now known as Good Samaritan University Hospital/ St. Charles Campus.
Approximately 1,000 Catholic Health nurses at three hospitals on Long Island have been in contract talks. The contract for NYSNA nurses at St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage expired on March 31, and the contract for NYSNA nurses at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown is set to expire July 31. Negotiations are ongoing at those two hospitals. NYSNA nurses are united in demanding contracts that deliver safe staffing, protections from workplace violence, and fair wages.
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The New York State Nurses Association represents approximately 45,000 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.