Dear Friend,

NYSNA Celebrates Nurses Week

Happy Nurses Week from NYSNA! This week, across the state, we’re celebrating the power of nurses when we unite and fight for a better future for nurses and patients. Congratulations to the nurses who advocate for safety and quality care for every patient! We honor your contributions to our union, profession and healthcare system this Nurses Week and always.

For information about Nurses Week celebrations at your facility, please contact your NYSNA program representative, and check out photos from the celebrations we’ve had so far here.

NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Nurses Hold Info-Picket to Demand a Fair Contract

Hundreds of New York Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital nurses hit the streets earlier today at an informational picket and speak-out for patient and nurse safety and a fair contract. The contract for nearly 1,600 nurses expired on April 30, and members have been busy bargaining, reaching out to the community and escalating their campaign for a fair contract. Their bargaining priorities are enforceable safe staffing, workplace violence protections, respect for nurses’ clinical judgement over artificial intelligence, job protection, fair wages and benefits, and union power. Check out the photos and videos of member power from the day on Facebook!

NYSNA Nurses Lobby for a Budget the Invests in Safe, Quality Patient Care

On Tuesday, May 5, NYSNA nurses returned to Albany for a lobby day to demand that state legislators pass a budget that protects nurses and patients and invests in safe, quality patient care for New Yorkers. The state budget is over a month late now, but nurses capitalized on the drawn-out negotiations by meeting with lawmakers once again to advocate for our patients, our practice and our profession. Over the course of the day, nurses met with our elected leaders, as well as labor and healthcare champions, to urge them to pass a budget that includes safe staffing enforcement, fair funding for rural and safety-net hospitals, and support for the nursing workforce. Nurses also strongly advocated for the passage of the New York Health Act, which would establish a universal, single-payer healthcare system and provide quality care to all New Yorkers, regardless of income, employment, or immigration status.

NYSNA Members also urged legislators to reject the dangerous Hospital at Home proposal, which would leave patients home all alone, instead of in hospitals with 24/7 quality care. Under Hospital at Home programs, healthcare professionals monitor patients virtually in their homes instead of receiving around-the-clock expert care. Help us continue to sound the alarm about this proposal that puts patient safety at risk. Learn more and sign the petition today!

St. Joseph’s Medical Center Nurses Ratify New Contract

On Thursday, NYSNA nurses at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract that protects nurses and patients! For months, NYSNA nurses have been speaking out about understaffing at St. Joseph’s; in the first three months of the year, nurses filed more than 130 official complaints of unsafe staffing. Despite management’s initial refusal to address the ongoing staffing issues, nurses were able to win a strong contract that includes improvements to telemetry and psychiatry staffing, and the fair wages and benefits necessary to recruit and retain enough nurses for safe patient care. The four-year contract improves multiple benefits, including a stronger retirement package. Congratulations, St. Joseph’s nurses, on your strong contract and holding the line for safe patient care in your community!

NYSNA Nurses Rally Across New York to Defend Workers’ Rights on May Day

On May Day, NYSNA nurses joined labor allies across New York state to march and rally to defend workers’ rights. In New York City, nurses joined the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, New York Immigration Coalition, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and thousands of our union siblings and elected officials to commemorate the holiday, also known as International Workers’ Day, with a march from Washington Square Park to Foley Square.

In Albany, Jennifer Bejo, RN, NYSNA member and local leader at Albany Medical Center, spoke at a Capital District Area Labor Federation rally in West Capitol Park. In her remarks, Bejo thanked community and labor allies for their support during last year’s contract fight. She also spoke on the critical need for solidarity in the labor movement, saying, “Remember that as workers, we have the numbers, and we have the power. Let’s not be afraid to use it! Let’s use our power to support one another. Let’s use our power for healthcare justice and economic justice. Happy May Day and solidarity forever!”

Great job, NYSNA nurses, for always fighting to defend workers’ rights across New York state!

ECMC Nurses Hold Briefing for Legislators to Discuss Paid Family Leave

NYSNA members at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) continue to fight for access to paid family leave, an essential benefit that provides workers with job-protected time off when caring for a new child, a sick loved one or assisting when a family member is on overseas deployment. After demanding that hospital administration follow through on a previous commitment to implement the benefit at a recent labor management meeting, nurses held a briefing for local elected officials to discuss the ongoing situation and to ask for their help in pushing management to opt in to this potentially life-changing benefit. Learn more about the campaign here, and show your support for ECMC nurses by signing their petition.

Mount Sinai South Nassu Nurses Rally to Maintain Operating Room Schedule

On Wednesday, April 29, NYSNA nurses at Mount Sinai South Nassau held a rally to push back on management's proposed changes to the operating room schedule! In April, Mount Sinai proposed unilaterally changing the established schedule for OR nurses. When nurses spoke up about their right to bargain over these proposed changes, hospital management retaliated against them. Last Wednesday, OR nurses, alongside other members of the bargaining unit, gathered outside the hospital to show Mount Sinai they are will not be intimidated and will continue to fight for their rights and a fair contract! Keep up the great work, MSSN nurses!

NEW Protesting Your Assignment Self-Guided Course

Just in time for Nurses’ Week, NYSNA’s Nursing Education and Practice (NEP) department has a new “Protesting Your Assignment” self-guided course. Click here to read more about the course and how you can use Protests of Assignment to improve safe, quality healthcare. To access the course, go directly to the E-LearRN website.

Spring 2026 Labor Education Trainings Open for Registration

NYSNA’s Labor Education Department trains members on how to become more engaged in the union’s work. It’s not too late to sign up for Parts 3 and 4 of our four-part Leadership Training taking place on Zoom on May 14 and May 21. While taking all four parts is recommended, we encourage members to take as many as possible, with more trainings planned for the future. You can register here and please share with your coworkers!

Our last standard spring workshop, “Learning How to Mobilize Members for Union Events and Actions,” is Thursday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Download and share Labor Education’s updated full spring schedule here, and look out for our summer schedule soon.

Please email [email protected] directly if you have questions or to schedule a workshop in your facility.

Take Action to Fix Tier 6!

All workers deserve to retire with dignity and respect. That’s why New York state needs to take action now to Fix Tier 6! Tier 6 is the retirement plan for New York state’s public employees who joined the program after April 2012. This plan makes enrollees pay into the program for their entire careers at higher rates than previous plans and prevents enrollees from retiring before age 63 without facing heavy penalties. Tier 6 leads to significantly reduced pensions, which disincentivize New Yorkers — including nurses — from working in the public sector. In light of federal attacks on healthcare funding, our state legislators must do everything possible to help public sector hospitals recruit and retain enough nurses to safely care for the New Yorkers who need it most! To take action to fix Tier 6, use this form to email your legislators today!

Your Rights to Advocate for Patients When Encountering ICE

Nurses’ first duty is to care for and advocate for our patients. NYSNA nurses care for all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status, income or insurance status, race, religion, ability or disability, sexuality, or gender identity or expression — simply regardless. Read our statement regarding the federal policy change on immigration enforcement in “sensitive locations,” including hospitals and schools.

Our allies at the New York Immigration Coalition developed this toolkit to provide a comprehensive list of resources for community members, partners and allies who work with immigrants. The toolkit covers health, community safety, family resources, financial empowerment and more.

Learn your rights and get answers to frequently asked questions here to know what to do if you encounter ICE officers in your facility.

NYSNA has also prepared this list of legal resources related to immigration. Please review and share widely.

Combatting Workplace Violence

Workplace violence remains one of the biggest concerns for NYSNA members. While workplace violence rates have fallen overall in the U.S., they continue to rise in the healthcare workplace. Unfortunately, nurses are the most frequent victims. A new law and new contract language aim to protect healthcare workers from workplace violence.

Learn more about a new state law that will soon require hospitals and nursing homes to conduct workplace violence assessments and create workplace violence prevention plans. And learn more about how NYSNA members have used their collective bargaining agreements to improve safety.

Sign Up for New NNU Courses Free for NYSNA Members

National Nurses United (NNU) is offering FREE virtual courses for NYSNA members. New Spring 2026 courses have been added. View the full calendar and register here, or click on the links below to learn more and register for the courses you’re interested in. When registering for NNU courses, be sure to check the first box, “Yes, I am a CNA/NNOC/NNU member.”

Spring offerings:

• “Our Patients Are Safe When We Are Safe: Workplace Violence and Back Injury Prevention in Health Care Facilities”

• “Our Patients are Safe When We Are Safe and Environments of Harm”

• “Nursing Practice in Our Current Moment & Some Cuts Don’t Heal”

• “Immigrant Justice, Global Migration, and Public Health & Increasing Danger of Workplace Violence in Health Care”

• “Hospital Staffing and Bearing Witness, Building Power”

• “Housing and Health-and-Health Care and Big Tech”

• “Some Cuts Don’t Heal: Protecting the Right to Care”

• “Immigrant Justice, Global Migration, and Public Health”

2026-2027 Learning Needs Assessment Survey for NYSNA Nurses and Advanced Clinical Practitioners

The 2026-2027 Learning Needs Assessment Survey is now available and helps NYSNA Nursing Education and Practice (NEP) understand nurses’ learning and professional development needs to improve patient care, workplace safety, job satisfaction and union strength. Please take a moment to complete this confidential survey to directly inform NEP’s future programs and the offerings we develop. We sincerely appreciate your time and insights.

Applications for 2026 Secor Scholarships Now Open

The Secor Scholarship Fund, established in 2007, was made possible by a generous bequest by long-time NYSNA member Jane Secor, PhD, RN. Dr. Secor stipulated that the endowment be used for furthering nursing education. Two Secor Scholarships are awarded annually, and applications are now open. One $5,000 scholarship is given to a NYSNA member pursuing a baccalaureate (or higher) degree in nursing. Another $5,000 is awarded to a family member seeking a first degree in nursing. The degree can be at any level, but it must be the first degree in nursing sought by the applicant. Click on this flyer for more information, and visit our website to apply.

Applications for 2026-27 Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship Now Open

Attention registered nurses! The 2026-27 Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship application is now available.

This scholarship provides up to $20,000 per year for registered nurses licensed in New York state who are pursuing a graduate degree leading to a career as a nursing faculty or adjunct clinical faculty.

Eligibility highlights include:

• Enrollment in a graduate degree program that qualifies you to work as a nursing faculty or adjunct clinical faculty in New York state, in the year for which you are seeking an award.

• A minimum GPA of 3.0 if you have already completed at least one semester in a qualifying graduate program.

• Commitment to live and work in New York state as a nursing faculty or adjunct clinical faculty for four years.

• Recipients must complete the FAFSA and Tuition Assistance Program applications or DREAM Act application each year they are applying for aid.

Deadline:
June 18, 2026, for the 2026-27 academic year

For full eligibility details and to apply, please visit hesc.ny.gov/mcgee.

Reporting Child Abuse Course Addendum Is Live on E-LeaRN

NYSNA’s Nursing Education and Practice (NEP) is happy to announce that NYSNA’S NYS Child Abuse: Identification and Reporting, 8th Edition — Addendum online course is now live on our E-LeaRN platform.

Anyone who completed the NYSNA course, NYS Child Abuse: Identification and Reporting, 8th Edition, through the NYSNA E-LeaRN platform between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2025, is eligible to complete the addendum course with us. The addendum course is free for NYSNA members. If you are eligible, you may access the addendum course by logging onto E-LeaRN by clicking “Browse Catalog” and searching for “addendum.”

Every person who is required to take the mandated training related to child abuse must take either the full three-hour course or the one-hour addendum portion of the training by Nov. 17, 2026.

Check out the NYSNA website for the latest updates to this requirement. If you have any questions about your E-LeaRN account, please contact NEP at [email protected].

Call for Submissions! The Journal of the New York State Nurses Association

The Journal of the New York Nurses Association is calling for submissions. Authors are invited to submit scholarly papers, research studies, brief reports on clinical or educational innovations, and articles of opinion on subjects important to registered nurses. Of particular interest are papers addressing direct care issues. New authors and student authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts for publication. Read the latest flyer outlining submission categories here. Read the guidelines for submission here.

The latest volume of The Journal of the New York State Nurses Association is out now! You can read it here.

Med-Ed Continuing Education Discount

NYSNA has partnered with Med-Ed Continuing Nursing Education to provide NYSNA members with full access to the complete Med-Ed catalog at a 50% reduced rate. These are all self-study programs that members can access and complete at their leisure. You can access these course offerings by going to NYSNA’s members-only website here, then clicking on the Med-Ed website link, and entering the Promo Code NYSNAMEMBER at checkout, where the discount will apply.

Please do not share this information with any nonmembers.

2026 Nurse Education and Practice Workshops

Sign up for Nurse Education and Practice Workshops in 2026! NYSNA members can take advantage of FREE E-LeaRN courses, including state-mandated offerings, standard of practice and certification review courses, as well as nursing practice workshops. Take a look at the 2026 complete course offering, and register for the courses directly here. You must create an account and be signed in to search the full catalog of classes and register for them at no cost!

Calling All Nurse Practitioners

The NYSNA Nursing Education and Practice Department has added required and important educational offerings specifically for nurse practitioners (NPs). The courses include new, updated and mandated courses. Learn more and register for these classes for NYSNA NPs.

Nurses’ Rights to Be Whistleblowers and Protest Your Assignments

NYSNA members should be empowered with the knowledge of laws that have been passed with NYSNA’s input to protect them and empower them to speak up when patient safety is compromised, either due to unsafe staffing or other factors, such as a lack of personal protective equipment, as was the case throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Take a moment to learn about your rights in this flyer.

NYSNA Life Insurance — It’s Time to Designate Your Beneficiary!

NYSNA already provides members with a great benefit at no cost: Basic MetLife Life Insurance! This coverage provides $20,000 of Basic Life Insurance and $20,000 of Basic Personal Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance. All active members in good standing represented for collective bargaining through the union will automatically be enrolled in the plan. This union benefit is in addition to any other insurance provided by your benefits fund, your contract or through your employer.

But for your loved ones to receive this benefit, you must designate them as a beneficiary! To enroll and receive instructions on designating a beneficiary for your new Basic Personal AD&D Insurance, go to nysnawinstonbenefits.com or call 1-866-483-1124.

Sign up with your NYSNA Member ID to set up and access your account and benefits. If you need your Member ID, please contact the NYSNA Membership department at [email protected]. Download the flyer for additional details.

NYSNA Will-Writing Benefits From MetLife

The NYSNA Benefits Fund gives NYSNA members who are covered by the NYSNA Benefits Fund access to personal will preparation services that MetLife Legal Plans offer — at no additional cost.

Having a will prevents unnecessary stress and ensures final wishes are clear. The Benefits Fund offers valuable legal resources through MetLife Legal Plans to assist with creating or updating a will with a member’s Basic Life coverage. As part of this benefit, members get legal guidance and unlimited consultations with network attorneys. Learn more here.

NYSNA Members Are Eligible for AFL-CIO’s Union Plus Benefits!

The benefits of being a NYSNA member extend beyond your NYSNA benefits. As an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, NYSNA members are also eligible for Union Plus benefits to help current and retired labor union members and their families save money and support them through major milestones, celebrations and hardships. These benefits include discounts on wireless plans, credit card deals, mortgage deals, insurance plans and more! Find out more on the AFL-CIO Union Plus website.

The Talkspace Go App Is Mental Health on the Go!

The Talkspace Go app is a great resource that provides daily mental health support on the go! Talkspace Go is a clinician-created, self-guided app so you can address mental health challenges and build mental fitness on your own schedule. It empowers couples, individuals and parents to take progress into their own hands in as little as five minutes a day. Access 400-plus self-guided classes and live weekly therapist-led, anonymous classes. Enjoy assessments, meditation exercises, journaling, reminders and more.

Talkspace Go app is available at no cost to members and their eligible household members! Click here for the instructions and passcode to access the app.

Free Benefits for NYSNA Members: Union Assistance Program and SPAN

The Union Assistance Program (UAP) is a confidential self-help program, independent from NYSNA, that is available to NYSNA members and their families as a membership benefit. When an employee or family member (18 or older) faces a significant personal problem, they can call UAP’s experienced counselors at 800-252-4555 for assistance at any time. Read more information on phone counseling services here.

Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) is a confidential education, support and advocacy program for all nurses licensed in New York state who are dealing with substance use issues. Visit the SPAN website for more information or to sign up for one of its upcoming classes. Check out SPAN’s Compassion Project.

In solidarity,
Pat Kane, RN
Executive Director, NYSNA