Hundreds of nurses and healthcare professionals across seven different healthcare unions came together in Albany on Monday, May 13, to call on the New York State Department of Health (DOH) to aggressively enforce the safe staffing law.

During Multi-Union Lobby Day, union members met with legislators and sounded the alarm on rampant understaffing despite the passage of the 2021 Clinical Staffing Committee Law. They also demanded that hospitals be held accountable for failing to meet safe staffing standards.

Seven Unions Speak Out

“Patient safety should be everyone’s priority, but hospitals are violating our safe staffing laws, putting patients at risk,” said Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, NYSNA president and National Nurses United (NNU) co-president. “The nurses, healthcare workers and the unions representing them are all speaking out in one united voice to say it’s time for New York to enforce our safe staffing laws,” said Hagans.

Healthcare professionals from CWA District 1, 1199SEIU, PEF, DC37, NYSUT, and UFT rallied alongside NYSNA members. Elected officials — including Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assembly Members Amy Paulin, Harry Bronson and Phara Souffrant Forrest — joined the press conference to amplify our demands.

Nurses and healthcare workers will continue to lead as patient advocates to hold employers as well as state institutions accountable for following and enforcing safe staffing laws so patients can get the quality care they deserve.