NYSNA NURSES TAKE ACTION ACROSS THE CITY TO DEFEND NYC’S HEALTHCARE
For Immediate Release: Thurs., Oct. 23
Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
NYSNA NURSES TAKE ACTION ACROSS THE CITY TO DEFEND NYC’S HEALTHCARE
Nurses Joined with Community Allies and Elected Officials for Week of Action to Ensure There Are Always Enough Nurses to Care for Our City
Amidst Looming Medicaid Cuts, NYSNA Nurses Speak Out About How Hospitals Can Defend Safe Patient Care
New York, N.Y. - On Thursday, Oct. 23, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses continued a week of action at several hospitals. Amidst looming federal healthcare cuts, nurses and allies gathered across the city to demand hospitals protect healthcare and invest in patient care, rather than executive pay. Nurses were joined by New York State Senator Robert Jackson, City Council Member Shaun Abreu, Assembly Members George Alvarez, Landon Dais, and Jeffrey Dinowitz, Northwest Bronx Community Clergy Coalition, Mekong NYC, CIR/SEIU and Citizen Action, WEACT, New York Immigration Coalition and South Bronx Unite.
Over the last few months, NYSNA nurses and healthcare professionals have fought to protect healthcare across the state. If the Trump administration’s impending healthcare cuts proceed, they will likely increase the number of uninsured New Yorkers by over a million, will increase health insurance premiums for all, and could lead to the loss of billions in federal healthcare funding for New York.
While nurses have fought to save healthcare for patients and their communities, hospitals have cut frontline staff and services and instead invested in outrageous executive pay, risky new technologies, and meritless lawsuits. Nurses’ campaign “Nurses Care for New York” defends New York’s healthcare system and ensures that all New Yorkers have access to safe patient care. NYSNA nurses are united around a five-point platform that consists of:
- Quality patient care through enforceable safe staffing.
- Defend access to care when our patients’ healthcare services and staff are under attack.
- Protect nurses, so we can continue to care for you.
- Every patient deserves a real nurse.
- Fair wages and benefits to recruit and retain nurses.
Approximately 20,000 NYSNA nurses at 12 private sector hospitals whose contracts expire Dec. 31, 2025 have begun bargaining for fair contracts that help protect patient care.
At BronxCare, NYSNA nurses are demanding a fair contract that strengthens safe staffing. Last year, BronxCare made the shocking decision to lay off its longtime nurse practitioners in the Family Medicine Unit. As the only private hospital outside the Montefiore system in the Bronx and only one of two hospitals serving the entire South Bronx community, cutting these positions potentially compromises quality care for Bronx families. Nurses know that hospital executives can afford to safely staff their hospitals. Nurses are concerned that unsafe staffing contributes to safety issues and are demanding that the hospital take action to protect patient care.
At Montefiore in the Bronx, nurses have been fighting for safe staffing to alleviate overcrowding and the high number of hallway patients in the emergency department and throughout the hospital. In the spring of 2024, the hospital announced a “restructuring plan” that involved reducing the number of beds at Montefiore Moses and eliminating some services. Moses and Weiler still have overcrowded emergency rooms, and patients are routinely left to wait in hallways. While Montefiore holds a near monopoly on hospital care in the Bronx, it has invested in expanding care in Westchester in recent years, instead of focusing on improving patient care in the Bronx. Nurses and their allies are coming together to say that the Bronx deserves better.
NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the most financially stable hospital systems in the country, announced cuts to services and frontline staff in May, citing an uncertain economic future. In 2024, their net income was $1.4 billion. According to their first quarter 2025 financial report, released after NewYork-Presbyterian announced staffing and service cuts, the health system earned a nearly $97 million surplus and brought in $2.7 billion in revenue. This is a 4% increase in revenue from the same time period last year.
Instead of investing in safe patient care and safely staffing their hospitals, they have spent untold amounts of money on meritless lawsuits against nurses who have fought for enough nurses at the bedside to safely do their jobs. After hearing their arguments, a federal judge described their tactics as a form of “gamesmanship” to avoid resolving disputes (New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist v. New York State Nurses Association, 24-cv-05750-NRM (Eastern District of New York, August 22, 2024), Transcript of Civil Cause for Order to Show Cause, at *57).
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “We challenge our hospitals to do as much as nurses do to protect healthcare. Instead, we’ve watched them play games with investments and lawsuits, continue to pad their wallets, and cry that there aren’t enough funds to protect frontline staff and services. Our communities deserve better. And that’s why our nurses are speaking up! We will not stop until we ensure that our city's private hospitals do more to protect the healthcare system that so many New Yorkers depend on.”
NYSNA Director at Large Aretha Morgan, RN, MSN, said, “We are here to defend safe patient care. NewYork-Presbyterian can and must do better. And we know that they can afford to. Too many hospitals are more interested in their side businesses and executive pay, and we need them to start thinking about quality healthcare for our communities. Instead of fighting nurses, we need NYP to step up and invest in safe patient care.”
NYSNA Director at Large Flandersia Jones, MPH, BSN, RN, said, “Three years ago, nurses across New York City came together to make history. We won historic contracts that improved nurse staffing and stabilized a healthcare system that had been decimated by a global pandemic. We’re facing another crisis, this time it’s a political and economic crisis, but nurses are not giving up. We will continue to hold hospitals accountable and win for our patients.”
Vanessa Weldon, RN, and local leader, said, “Staffing in Montefiore Bronx hospitals is in crisis. Our emergency rooms are overcrowded and understaffed, forcing patients to be placed in hallways. That’s not care – that's chaos. Montefiore claims that they don’t have money to staff the Bronx, however they continue to invest heavily in expanding their operations Upstate. Bronx nurses and patients deserve better.”
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said, “As the federal government slashes healthcare funding and hospitals reduce their staffing, it’s more critical than ever that nurses receive a fair contract so that they are able to continue providing quality care in the face of these challenges. Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and their contracts deserve to reflect their importance. I’m proud to support NYSNA’s contract campaign and urge every hospital to come to the bargaining table in good faith.
New York State Senator Robert Jackson said, “Safe staffing is not just a workplace demand — it’s a moral imperative and a matter of public safety. Nurses are not line items on a balance sheet — they are the backbone of our healthcare system and the guardians of our collective well-being. When hospitals slash staff while posting billion-dollar profits, they betray not only their workers but the very patients they claim to serve. I stand proudly with NYSNA nurses in their fight for safe staffing, fair contracts, and the dignity every healthcare professional deserves. Because safe staffing isn’t a slogan — it’s a matter of life and law, of justice and humanity. And in that fight, I will always stand with those who heal.”
New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera said, "Nurses are essential to keeping our hospitals running and our communities healthy. While Montefiore and NYSNA move forward with their contract negotiations, it’s critical that nurses have the resources and the staffing support they need to continue providing high-quality care to Bronxites. Continued collaboration between nurses and hospital leadership will only help strengthen our healthcare system and I am committed to supporting stakeholders to ensure that a fair agreement is reached.”
New York State Assembly Member George Alvarez said, “New Yorkers deserve a healthcare system that prioritizes patients over profits. It is unacceptable that while frontline nurses fight tirelessly to provide safe, quality care, hospitals in the Bronx continue to overcrowd emergency rooms and cut vital services. Healthcare institutions must invest in our community first, improving staffing and patient care here in the Bronx, not just expand elsewhere. I stand with the nurses of NYSNA in their fight for safe staffing, fair wages, and protecting access to healthcare for all. The Bronx deserves better, and together, we will make sure our families get the care they need and deserve.”
New York State Assembly Member Landon Dais said, “Our nurses are the backbone of New York’s healthcare system; they are overworked, underpaid, and too often asked to perform the impossible without the staffing support they need to safely care for patients. As the NYSNA contract expiration approaches this December, I stand firmly with our nurses in their fight for safe staffing ratios and a fair, dignified contract. Protecting our healthcare workers isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s essential for the health and safety of every New Yorker. When nurses win, patients win.”
New York State Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz said, “The Trump Administration has proposed devastating cuts to healthcare that, in New York alone, will increase the number of uninsured individuals by over a million. NYSNA nurses and healthcare professionals will be left to adapt and serve our communities at a time when they themselves are not getting the necessary support and protections needed to do their jobs effectively. I stand with NYSNA nurses asking Montefiore to provide fair contracts and safe staffing for all as they prepare to deal with possible losses of billions in federal healthcare funding in New York.”
New York State Assembly Member Manny De Los Santos said, “Over the past few months, NYSNA nurses and healthcare professionals have shown extraordinary dedication and compassion. While some hospitals continue to make cuts to frontline staff and vital services, our nurses remain resilient and committed to fighting tirelessly to safeguard patient safety and uphold the high-quality care that every New Yorker deserves. The ‘Nurses Care for New York’ campaign is not just about staffing levels; it’s about honoring the dignity and respect of those who care for us, and ensuring they have the support they need to serve our communities with compassion, and strength.
New York City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías said, “The nurses at Montefiore Moses are standing up for the future of healthcare in the Bronx - and I stand with them. Safe staffing levels, fair contracts, and quality patient care are essential to a system that works for everyone. Our nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and their advocacy reflects a deep commitment to their patients and their profession. I hope the hospital will come to the table in good faith to reach an agreement that supports both the nurses and the Bronx families they care for every day.”
New York City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa said, “Trump's draconian cuts to healthcare — coupled with his dismantling of the Centers for Disease Control — will cost lives, impacting critical access to medical services and endangering an essential workforce. We saw the disastrous aftermath of the last pandemic under his administration. We must learn from history and protect our nurses who cared for New Yorkers through those dark times, and potentially have to prepare to do so again."
New York City Council Member Shaun Abreu said, “In the face of White House cuts that risk over a million New Yorkers losing their health insurance and billions of dollars taken away in critical funding, it is more important than ever that we stand with the nurses who are on the front lines delivering care to our communities day in and day out. A fair contract for NYSNA nurses means that they get the worker protections they deserve, and our community’s health is protected from a bottom line set by the top. Anything short of that is not enough: all New Yorkers deserve quality patient care.”
Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition said, “The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition has been organizing in the Bronx for over five decades, and for over ten years, addressing the disparity of healthcare in the Bronx. We are proud to support NYSNA as they continue to fight for Bronx residents to receive the healthcare they deserve as part of this contract negotiation. We realize Montefiore needs to invest in expanding services in the Bronx to eliminate the overcrowded emergency rooms and patients routinely left to wait in hallways at the Moses and Weiler emergency rooms. We ask Montefiore to negotiate in good faith with NYSNA to provide a fair contract and safe staffing to ensure quality patient care.”
Rev. West McNeill, NYS Labor-Religion Coalition, Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice, said, “At a time when our healthcare system is under immense stress, nurses are on the front lines of fighting to make sure that hospitals prioritize the well-being of patients and our communities. This is what is at stake at Montefiore Moses. Montefiore has a responsibility to sustain and improve the care Bronx residents rely on, not divert resources to wealthier suburbs or more lucrative specialties. We're proud to support the Nurses Care for New York platform and the NYSNA nurses' struggle for safe staffing and a fair contract."
Dr. Jauntéa Maxey, MD, from Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR-SEIU), said, “As a Montefiore resident, I stand in solidarity with our NYSNA nurses who continue to fight for safe staffing, fair contracts, and equitable health care for every New Yorker. When hospitals prioritize executive compensation or ad spending, it risks detracting from patient care and support for frontline workers, and entire communities are impacted, especially here in the Bronx. Nurses are not just protecting their profession; they are protecting the right of every patient to receive compassionate, quality care close to home.
Mekong NYC said, “Mekong NYC continues to stand with NYSNA to fight for a fair and equitable contract with Montefiore. NYSNA is at the forefront of caring for patients from the community and beyond. During these challenging political times, our healthcare system is being attacked like many other sectors and essential safety programs. We need to center the dignity and care of patients, not profits or disregard for life. Healthcare providers already have a difficult job of working under capacity, overextending themselves to support overcrowding of patients in underutilized spaces. Quality of care and access to dignified care cannot happen when healthcare providers are not given the tools, investment and capacity to do so. We come as a unified front with many allies to make sure Montefiore does the right thing and supports NYSNA and our community!”
WE ACT For Environmental Justice said, "With the attacks on research and science along with cuts in funding, the new administration in Washington has put public health in peril - especially in communities of color, which face greater risks from disparate exposure to toxic chemicals, pollution, and other issues," said Elizabeth Reyes, Toxics Policy Campaigns Coordinator at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. "We support the Nurses Care for New York campaign because our nurses are on the frontlines every day, providing essential healthcare every day."
Three years ago, NYSNA New York City nurses were prepared to strike for safe staffing and better patient care, and two hospitals went on strike in January 2023. Nurses now are just as committed to defending the gains we have made, protecting the staff and services our patients need, and ensuring that hospitals put patients over profits.
NYSNA launched a new advertising campaign and website in August to support New York City nurses. Visit https://www.nursescareforny.org/ to learn more.
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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.