NYSNA Nurses at Samaritan Hospital Demand Fair Contract and Call for Federal Mediation as Contract Negotiations Slow Down
For Immediate Release: Friday, Dec. 5, 2025
Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
NYSNA NURSES AT SAMARITAN HOSPITAL DEMAND FAIR CONTRACT AND CALL FOR FEDERAL MEDIATION AS CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS SLOW DOWN
Nurses Call for an Independent Third-Party Mediator to Continue Negotiations
Watertown, N.Y.– On Thursday, Dec. 4, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses at Samaritan Hospital called for federal mediation after management failed to reach an agreement on a new contract. Nurses have been bargaining for months and have been working without a contract since July 31, 2025. Safe staffing and a real plan to recruit and retain enough nurses for safe patient care, and protecting healthcare benefits for nurses who put their health and safety on the line to care for patients every day continue to be sticking points in the negotiations.
Ciera Talbot, RN, said, “We need to make sure there are enough nurses to provide quality care for our patients. Samaritan needs to stop playing games and start negotiating a fair contract that helps us recruit and retain nurses and deliver the care our community deserves.”
NYSNA nurses have been asking for improvements to safe staffing standards, a plan to retain experienced nurses, and regionally competitive wages and benefits. Samaritan Hospital is a Level Three Trauma Center, one of the largest hospitals in the region and the largest private employer in the region.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “NYSNA nurses at Samaritan are united and are demanding action, that’s why they are bringing in federal mediators. Nurses at Samaritan are demanding a fair contract that gives nurses and patients the respect they deserve. They should know that they have all 42,000 NYSNA members behind them in this fight.”
Samaritan nurses are united with nurses across the North Country to protect access to care. NYSNA nurses and healthcare professionals are currently bargaining at Claxton Hepburn Medical Center, Carthage Area Hospital, UVM-Elizabethtown Community Hospital, Adirondack Medical Center, UVM-Alice Hyde Medical Center and UVM-Champlain Valley Physician’s Hospital.
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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.