NYSNA Nurses at Elizabethtown Overwhelmingly Ratify Contract Agreement that Delivers Good Health Benefits for Nurses

For immediate release: April 1, 2026 

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

NYSNA NURSES AT ELIZABETHTOWN OVERWHELMINGLY RATIFY CONTRACT AGREEMENT THAT DELIVERS GOOD HEALTH BENEFITS FOR NURSES 

Nurses secure a contract that ensures safe staffing, workplace safety measures, benefits to recruit and retain nurses, and strong wage increases. 

Elizabethtown, N.Y.– On Tuesday, March 31, nurses at University of Vermont (UVM)-Elizabethtown Community Hospital voted to overwhelmingly ratify a strong new contract after bargaining for months. Nurses at UVM-Elizabethtown fought for a fair contract that maintains safe staffing standards and secures respectful wages and benefits to recruit and retain nurses. NYSNA nurses secured access to the NYSNA Benefit Fund, which will deliver better and more affordable health benefits to nurses. NYSNA nurses at Adirondack Medical Center, the last North Country hospital represented by NYSNA without the benefit fund, continue to fight for strong union benefits.  

Highlights of the contract include:  

• Maintained safe staffing standards.
• Entrance into the NYSNA Benefit Fund starting Jan. 1, 2027.
• Wage increases of $3 an hour as an immediate market adjustment, plus yearly wage increases of 3%.
• Additional pay incentives to maintain safe staffing and encourage nurse retention. 

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “We are so proud of our North Country nurses who continue to improve healthcare in their communities while raising standards for nurses. Over the last few months, nurses have held speak-outs and raised their voices to bring attention to the crisis of care in the region. Improving care for our communities also requires ensuring nurses receive wages and benefits that respect their work and ensure that nurses can continue to do the work they do best. This contract shows that when NYSNA nurses fight, we win!” 

Ashley White-Rodriguez, RN, said, “NYSNA nurses at Elizabethtown have been fighting for months, trying to improve our hospitals and our jobs. We care about this community deeply and are so proud that we were able to secure a fair contract that improves care for patients and secures the benefits that enable nurses to care for themselves and their families. Having access to affordable, good health benefits will be life-changing for many nurses.”  

NYSNA nurses have been united across the North Country and are fighting to improve care for their communities. NYSNA nurses at Elizabethtown secured entrance into the NYSNA Benefit Fund, which will ensure that nurses have the protections they need to best care for their communities and their families. However, NYSNA nurses at Adirondack Medical Center continue to fight for a fair contract and access to the NYSNA Benefit Fund. Nurses at UVM-Alice Hyde Medical Center and UVM-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital continue to bargain as well, demanding contracts that protect safe patient care in the North Country.

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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.