NYSNA Nurses at St. Joseph's Medical Center Speak Out for Safe Staffing and a Fair Contract
For immediate release: March 26, 2026
Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Anne Songcayauon | press@nysna.org | 917-226-8570
NYSNA NURSES AT ST. JOSEPH’S MEDICAL CENTER SPEAK OUT FOR SAFE STAFFING AND A FAIR CONTRACT
Nurses Sound the Alarm on Rampant Understaffing in the Hospital That Management is Failing to Address
Nurses Filed More Than 130 Official Patient Safety Complaints in First Three Months of 2026 Alone
New York, N.Y.– On Thursday, March 26, NYSNA nurses at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers, NY, spoke out for a fair contract that protects safe patient care. Understaffing is a widespread problem in the hospital and puts quality patient care at risk. In the first three months of 2026 alone, nurses filed more than 130 official complaints of unsafe staffing. These complaints to management document when the nurse believes that patient care and their licenses could be at risk because they’re asked to care for too many patients at one time.
At the bargaining table, nurses have proposed several solutions to address the hospital staffing crisis, but hospital management is not doing nearly enough to improve staffing and negotiate a fair contract that helps to recruit and retain enough nurses for safe patient care. Nurses and our allies are calling on St. Joseph’s Medical Center to be fair to those who care for this community.
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NYSNA nurses are calling attention to the crisis of understaffing at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. Especially on the hospital floors and in the ICU and emergency department, there are too few nurses to care for patients. Nurses are often asked to care for more patients than deemed safe, and they often stay late to finish caregiving and charting; leading to overwork, exhaustion and poor nurse retention.
Local NYSNA nurse leader Renee Carson, RN, said: “Many of us are here because we are deeply concerned about patient safety, chronic understaffing, and the long-term stability of our profession. The staffing guidelines in our contract call for 1 nurse to 6 patients, yet it’s not uncommon to be assigned 7 or even 8 patients at a time. We have brought these concerns forward, but management has yet to take action. Real change is still needed.”
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “Every nurse deserves safe staffing, and every patient deserves enough nurses to deliver safe, quality care. NYSNA is calling on St. Joseph’s Medical Center to negotiate a fair contract for nurses and patients—now.”
Nurses contend that winning a fair contract that delivers safe staffing will reduce burnout, improve nurse retention, and ensure better patient outcomes. The contract for nurses at St. Joseph’s Medical Center expired on Jan. 1, 2026.
Last April, NYSNA nurses at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers negotiated a contract that improved nurse staffing, wages and retention incentives. Earlier this year, nearly 15,000 NYSNA nurses went on the largest strike in New York City history. They won strong contracts that protect nurses and patients.
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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.