Dear Friend,

NYSNA Celebrates Juneteenth

Tomorrow, NYSNA will celebrate Juneteenth and commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. The Juneteenth holiday marks the anniversary of Union troops arriving in Galveston, Texas, and proclaiming the freedom of 250,000 enslaved people nearly two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War.

Last weekend, NYSNA nurses proudly marched in Buffalo’s 50th Annual Juneteenth parade — one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in the country. See photos from the parade here. And on Tuesday, June 16, NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, alongside other Black leaders and activists, joined New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for a Juneteenth reception at Gracie Mansion.

NYSNA nurses recognize that the fight to end racism and win health equity for all New Yorkers is far from over. This is why NYSNA members throughout New York continue to organize to have Juneteenth recognized in their contracts as a premium holiday. It is also why we continue to fight back against cuts to our public and safety net hospitals, because these cuts disproportionately impact Black New Yorkers, perpetuate systemic racism and worsen health disparities in our healthcare system. To learn more about Juneteenth, view this resource from NYSNA Labor Education.

Victory for UVM-Alice Hyde Medical Center Nurses!

On Wednesday, June 17, University of Vermont-Alice Hyde nurses showed up to bargaining in force to send a clear message to management: “We are united for a fair contract!” The members wore their NYSNA stickers and packed the room. After a late night at the bargaining table, the nurses prevailed! They won a new four-year agreement that maintains their health benefits, delivers fair wages to help recruit and retain nurses for safe staffing, and improves protections from workplace violence, artificial intelligence and layoffs. Now, they are scheduling their ratification vote and hoping their contract victory builds momentum for other North Country NYSNA members at UVM-CVPH and Adirondack Medical Center who continue to fight for fair contracts. Congrats, Alice Hyde nurses!

Northwell Health/Putnam Hospital Nurses Speak Out to Demand Safe Staffing and a Fair Contract

On Tuesday, June 16, NYSNA nurses at Northwell Health/Putnam Hospital held a speak-out to demand a fair contract that includes enforceable safe staffing language. For months, nurses have been bargaining with Northwell Health, their new employer, but management refuses to include staffing language in the contract and recently proposed new ratios that would make staffing worse across the hospital. To push back on these proposed changes that would make staffing less safe and to amplify their demands for a fair contract, nurses held a speak-out with allies.

New York State Senator Pete Harkam, Assembly Member Matt Slater, Westchester/Putnam Central Labor Body Executive Director and Westchester County Legislator Jen Puja, and Vice-President of the Westchester/Putnam Central Labor Body Marty Sommer joined nurses at the speak-out. Nurses’ action received coverage in Mid-Hudson News, the Yonkers Times and News12. Keep up the great work fighting to defend patient care in your community, Putnam nurses!

NEW Discounted Online Degree Programs for NYSNA Members!

NYSNA members and their family members will soon be eligible for a 20% discount on online degree programs from Post University. Nursing programs offered include:

• Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN)

• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with five specializations

• RN to BSN/MSN

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with four leadership specializations

• Graduate Certificate in Infection Prevention and Control

• Master of Business Administration-Healthcare (MBA-Healthcare)

• MSN/MBA-Healthcare

Register today for a July 13 webinar to learn more about how to take advantage of this new opportunity for NYSNA members. Download and share the flyer for more information about the partnership.

Adirondack Medical Center Nurses Build Community Support for Contract Campaign

For months, NYSNA nurses at Adirondack Medical Center have been bargaining for a fair contract that includes affordable health benefits for nurses and their families. Management at Adirondack maintains that the hospital doesn’t have the resources necessary to enter the NYSNA Benefit Fund, despite NYSNA members showing them how little it would cost to implement and the positive impact it would have on nurses’ health and on recruitment and retention. To ramp up their campaign, members have been connecting with local businesses and asking them to support nurses’ fight for a fair contract. Now, businesses in Saranac Lake and the surrounding communities are displaying window signs to show their solidarity with nurses. Keep up the fight, Adirondack nurses, because healthcare workers deserve affordable healthcare benefits!

UVM-CVPH Healthcare Workers Take Action to Save Adirondack Blood Donor Center

On June 9, the University of Vermont Healthcare Network announced system-wide layoffs and service closures, including the closure of the Adirondack Blood Donor Center. The Center serves the residents of 3 counties and provides 95% of blood used at UVM’s New York hospitals, in addition to non-UVM hospitals in Saranac Lake and Glens Falls. When NYSNA members at CVPH learned of the potential closure, they immediately jumped into action. This week they organized a sticker action to send a message to hospital management: “Don’t bleed us dry!” Alongside their sticker action, nurses launched a digital petition, demanding that CVPH keep the Blood Donor Center open to protect good union jobs and patient care in their community. Show your support for CVPH healthcare workers by signing their petition here.

NYSNA Nurses at Catholic Health/St. Charles and St. Joseph Hospitals Amplify Demands for a Fair Contract

This week, the Long Island Herald published an op-ed from Catholic Health/St. Joseph Hospital nurse Daniel Mills, RN, about nurses’ fight for a fair contract. Like their union siblings at Catholic Health/St. Charles Hospital, St. Joseph nurses have been bargaining for a new contract since earlier this year. Read the op-ed and News12’s coverage of Friday’s speak-out at St. Charles.

NYSNA Nurses Continue Get Out the Vote Efforts With Primary Elections Around the Corner

Election season is under way, and NYSNA nurses are hitting the streets, alongside our labor siblings, to help elect candidates who share our values and will fight for nurses, our patients and working people everywhere! This week, NYSNA members continued our get out the vote efforts by phone banking and canvassing for labor and healthcare champions across the state.

On Monday, June 15, members of the NYSNA Board of Directors and Political Action Committee joined other New York City labor leaders in support of New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s campaign for reelection. DiNapoli has always prioritized workers and ensured dignity for retirees, managing one of the most successful pension funds in our county. We’re proud to support his campaign for reelection!

The early voting period remains open through Sunday, June 21, and Election Day is Tuesday, June 23. If you haven’t already, make a plan to vote and ensure that NYSNA members’ voices are heard at the ballot box!

You can still sign up for a canvas or phone bank shift between now and Election Day at https://bit.ly/NYSNAGOTVsignup. To see NYSNA’s list of endorsed candidates and a tool to find your polling location, visit https://www.nysna.org/endorsements.

Compassion Recharged: Navigating Nursing Stress and Burnout and Cultivating Connection and Resilience

On June 24, at noon, join Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) for a free Wellness Wednesday workshop! Attendees will learn to identify the impact of nursing stress and burnout, practice strategies for managing emotions and sustaining self-care, and develop an individual path of cultivating connection and resilience! Register here.

Save the Date: 2026 NYSNA Convention

Save the date for the 2026 NYSNA Convention! This year, NYSNA members will gather for Convention on Oct. 26 and 27, at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. Visit the Convention page on the NYSNA website to download and share the save the date flyer and find important information for delegates and attendees. Online registration, course listings, and hotel and travel information are coming soon, so stay tuned!

Summer 2026 Labor Education Trainings Open for Registration

NYSNA’s Labor Education Department offers workshops to members on how to become more engaged in the union’s work. For more information, please visit the NYSNA Labor Education webpage.

The Summer 2026 Labor Education schedule is ready! In our next statewide workshop on Tuesday, June 30, we’ll cover “Identifying How Artificial Intelligence is Being Used in Your Hospital.” In July and August, join members from across the union to learn about NYSNA and the labor movement, your legal rights as a union member, how to increase turnout at union meetings and events, how to win issues on your unit, how to take control of meetings with management and more! Please register here.

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

Protesting Your Assignment Self-Guided Course

NYSNA’s Nursing Education and Practice department has a new “Protesting Your Assignment” self-guided course. 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.

Solidarity with 1199SEIU Caregivers Fighting for a Fair Contract

In late May, 1199SEIU healthcare workers began negotiations for a new contract with the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York. 1199SEIU represents more than 85,000 caregivers in downstate hospitals in the League, and they are demanding fair wages, protections against workplace violence and artificial intelligence, and affordable healthcare benefits — demands that are familiar to NYSNA nurses.

On Wednesday, June 17, NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, BSN, RN, CCRN, joined 1199SEIU members for a contract rally in Foley Square. Addressing our labor siblings, Hagans said, “Nurses, CNAs, EMTs, housekeepers, social workers, clerks, dietary, PAs, techs, lab, maintenance and other staff are all part of the same team. We make sure New York’s patients get care when they need it. NYSNA nurses and 1199 healthcare workers care for New York! We keep this city healthy and thriving! NYSNA nurses are with you in this fight! We are in solidarity with you—for as long as it takes!”

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.

NEW: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial Scholarships

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial provides scholarships of $6,000 per academic year to qualified applicants. The applicant must meet one of these criteria:

1. A child or dependent receiving workers’ compensation death benefits due to the loss of a parent.

2. The child of an injured worker who is receiving workers’ compensation benefits for:

a. Permanent total disability

b. Permanent partial disability OR

c. Other serious work-related injury that resulted in approval for Social Security Disability benefits

3. An injured worker who meets the above requirements

A school official must nominate scholarship applicants, and scholarships are paid directly to the qualified college or university. Learn more here.

Infectious Disease Update: Hantavirus, Ebola and Measles

Two big, scary infectious diseases have been in the news lately — hantavirus and Ebola. While neither currently presents a risk in the U.S., healthcare facilities should always be ready for both predictable and unpredictable emergent conditions. Measles outbreaks continue throughout the U.S., including 27 outbreaks so far in 2026 alone. Read the full update from Health+Safety about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, infection control protections and other resources on these infectious diseases.

NNU Report Finds That a Majority of Nurses Experienced Workplace Violence in the Past Year

A new report from National Nurses United (NNU) found that nearly 85% of nurses have experienced at least one type of workplace violence, with more than one-third seeing an increase in the past year. This confirms what NYSNA members know to be true: Nurses and other healthcare workers continue to experience increasing rates of workplace violence. Read the full report here.

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:

• “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”

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.

The application deadline is July 10, 2026. Click on this flyer for more information, and visit https://www.nysna.org/nursing-practice/nysna-secor-scholarship to apply.

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.

2027 Seminar at Sea — Registration Now Open

Registration for the 2027 Seminar at Sea is now open! Join NYSNA members for an exclusive program that combines professional development with an unforgettable Mediterranean cruise experience. Enjoy expert-led sessions, meaningful networking and premium accommodations while exploring stunning destinations. Learn more about the course here.

Class attendance is open to the following only:

• NYSNA members

• NNU affiliate members

The cruise is open to public attendance; the restriction applies to the class/seminar.

Spots are limited — register early.

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.

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