Dear Friend,

Mount Sinai Nurses Speak Out About Union Busting

The day after Thanksgiving, Mount Sinai disciplined three members of the Executive Committee and suspended one of them. The hospital claims these members were disruptive on the unit, but we know this is simply union busting and retaliation for speaking out in the media.

On Thursday, Dec. 4, nurses held a vigil in front of the hospital to end workplace violence and retaliation. In the face of hospital retaliation, they spoke out again. They made it clear that nurses will not settle a contract unless the hospital removes these unjust disciplines and addresses the punitive culture at Mount Sinai. The City, ABC, and PIX11 covered their actions.

Nurses at Samaritan Call for a Federal Mediator

On Thursday, Dec. 4, 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. Nurses are demanding safe staffing, a real plan to recruit and retain enough nurses for safe patient care, and the protection of healthcare benefits for nurses who put their health and safety on the line to care for patients every day. Nurses are united and will not stop until they get the contract they deserve!

Bargaining Heats Up at UVM-CVPH

NYSNA nurses and healthcare professionals at University of Vermont-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (UVM-CVPH) have been standing strong throughout this round of collective bargaining, packing the room and surrounding management to show they are ready to fight for a fair contract. They presented a petition to management with a supermajority of members signing to send the message that they will do whatever it takes to secure a fair contract that addresses their priorities. Union members spoke up with courage and unity.

So far, they have achieved eleven tentative agreements and have become the first hospital in the state to secure language on immigrant rights in healthcare. The provisions make the employer assign a supervisor to interact with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prohibit management from requiring members to provide information to ICE, and probit management from requiring members to track or document information on a patient’s immigration status. Congrats, UVM-CVPH members!

Central New York Members Unite at Member Leadership Training

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, 14 nurses from Wynn Hospital, A.O. Fox Hospital, Hospice and Palliative Care, three different local bargaining units across Central New York, gathered for a member leadership training. Members expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn from one another and made plans to work together on future contract campaigns. NYSNA nurses know that together anything is possible!

Alice Hyde Nurses March on Boss

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, nurses at University of Vermont (UVM)-Alice Hyde Medical Center delivered their bargaining support petition to management during their second session of negotiations. This comes right after members at UVM-CVPH delivered their petition during their third session. Nurses and healthcare professionals at seven hospitals in the North Country are fighting together for fair contracts. Read more about their campaign on our website and RSVP for their Dec. 10 town hall.

President Nancy Hagans Named to Zohran Mamdani’s Transition Team

Last week, Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani appointed city leaders to various transition committees that will help shape his policy as he takes office in the new year. Mamdani named our own President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, to join his team. He also named Executive Director of Community Voices Heard Juanita Lewis, who joined nurses earlier this year and spoke at the NYSNA Convention. We are proud that NYSNA and many of our labor and community allies are being recognized for their expertise and commitment to building a better future in New York City, and we look forward to being part of creating greater health equity and worker justice for all New Yorkers.

One More Training Left This Year! Sign Up for the Last Labor Ed Training

NYSNA’s Labor Education Department trains members on how to become engaged union members and union leaders. Sign up for Labor Education’s last standard training on how to take control of meetings with management:

Taking Control of Our Meetings with Management
Thursday, Dec. 11 | 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Further, bargaining trainings on how to become an effective Contract Action Team member, on how to mobilize members for the contract fight and rounding are available and can be tailored to your facility. Email [email protected] directly if you have questions or would like to schedule a workshop in your facility.

NYSNA in the News

Earlier this week, Newsweek covered the issue of artificial intelligence in nursing and highlighted Mount Sinai’s investments and how nurses are pushing back and demanding hospitals invest instead in safe patient care. President Nancy Hagans was later interviewed on NewsNation, where she spoke about the necessity of having a real nurse at the bedside and pushed back on the narrative that AI solves staffing issues in hospitals. We know that hospitals need improved working conditions and better staffing standards, not artificial care!

Save the Date! Public Sector Nurses – Fix Tier 6

Join allies in Albany for a rally to call for legislators to Fix Tier 6. The action takes place on March 8, 2026, in the Albany MVP arena. You can join your fellow NYSNA members and allies to demand fairer pensions for public sector employees who are part of New York’s Tier 6 system. To sign up, click here.

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.

National Nurses United Protest in D.C. to Call for Healthcare Funding

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, National Nurses United (NNU) nurses and allies, including members of Congress, marched through Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., to demand funding for healthcare. They demanded that Congress extend the Affordable Care Act tax subsidies before the end of the year and implement Medicare for All. Senator Bernie Sanders, NNU President Mary Turner, RN, Representative Ro Khanna and others spoke about the urgent need for healthcare funding and the detrimental effects funding cuts will have on patients if Congress does not take swift action. Nurses across the country, including our own members, have been speaking out for months about the impending crisis and demanding that elected officials prioritize patients’ health and safety just as much as frontline workers have.

Sign Up for New NNU Courses Free for NYSNA Members

NNU is offering FREE virtual courses for NYSNA members. New fall 2025/winter 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.”

Fall/winter offerings:

• “How Financialization Is Reshaping the Hospital Industry: What Nurses Need to Know”

• “The Biology of Inequality: The Health Impacts of Social Environments”

• “Investigating Long Covid and Its Impacts on Patient and Nurse Health”

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

HHS Rescinds Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it was officially rescinding a Biden-era rule that required a minimum number of healthcare staff in nursing homes. This rolls back a rule that nurses across the country fought hard to achieve and is another iteration of the Trump administration’s anti-patient agenda. The rule, which was enacted in May 2024, required nursing homes to meet minimum staffing standards and gave facilities two years to comply with the rule. We know this move will be bad for patients and nurses and is a set-back for ensuring federal safe staffing standards in all healthcare facilities.

Enhancing Nursing Documentation Accuracy and Time Management in the Context of Staff Shortages

Adequate nursing documentation is critical for patient safety, continuity of care and legal compliance; however, time constraints and staff shortages often compromise accuracy. Studies indicate that nurses spend 25%-40% of their shifts on documentation, a burden exacerbated by inefficient electronic health record (EHR) systems (McGillis Hall et al., 2023; Poissant et al., 2020). To address these challenges, structured strategies can enhance both accuracy and efficiency.

Standardizing documentation through templates or checklists ensures completeness while minimizing omissions (Kalisch et al., 2024). Real-time or point-of-care documentation reduces reliance on memory and prevents backlog, encouraging teamwork. Efficient EHR use, including shortcuts and auto-populated fields, can further streamline workflow (Poissant et al., 2020). Delegating nonclinical tasks to support staff allows nurses to focus on patient care and critical documentation (Smith et al., 2024). Time-blocking documentation tasks into focused, uninterrupted periods preserves accuracy and mitigates fatigue. Finally, periodic audits with feedback foster a culture of shared responsibility and continuous improvement, inspiring confidence in the documentation process.

By implementing these strategies, healthcare organizations can maintain high-quality documentation even under staffing pressures, ultimately safeguarding patient safety and enhancing nursing efficiency.

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].

NEW: 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 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 catalogue 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

The 2026 Calendar is now live! 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 2025 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!

Seminar at Sea 2026

Last year, NYSNA nurses sailed to Spain and Portugal while learning about resilience, emotional intelligence and how they connect to nursing. Next year, join NYSNA on an unforgettable weeklong cruise to China, South Korea and Japan set to sail in April 2026! This is an opportunity to visit beautiful countries while obtaining nursing continuing education credits and learning about the relevant and important topic of artificial intelligence in nursing practice and nursing education. Check out the informational flyer to learn about this unique and informative educational program.  

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.

Long COVID Guide

Read NYSNA’s Long COVID Guide to help you stay informed on the diagnosis, treatment options, benefits and rights for workers with long COVID.

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.

Check out the December 2025 newsletter here which features tips for a calmer holiday season.

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 new Compassion Project.

Wellness Wednesdays: As part of its mission to promote a healthy lifestyle, SPAN is also offering a Self-Care Series that includes free Wellness Wednesday courses. Check out the full calendar of Wellness Wednesday offerings here.

In solidarity,
Pat Kane, RN
Executive Director, NYSNA