NYSNA Members Show Solidarity in Saratoga Springs
On Oct. 29-30, NYSNA nurses and healthcare professionals from across the state gathered in Saratoga Springs to organize, learn and empower. This year’s theme was “We Are Unstoppable: Building Nurse Power for our Patients, Profession and Future.” Together NYSNA members reflected on some of the biggest wins of 2024 — from contract victories and arbitration awards to political wins and the protection of vital community health services — and planned for another year of victories. Across the state, NYSNA nurses and healthcare workers raised the bar for healthcare worker standards and patient safety, showing that together anything is possible.
Convention attendees almost unanimously said that coming together showed them that “we all face the same problems” and that patient care is the central concern. Many said that seeing the NYSNA nurses together showed them the union’s strength, which — as Jennifer Mattera, RN, from Peconic Bay Medical Center in Long Island shared — has only grown more powerful by joining National Nurses United (NNU). “I knew it would impact the union, but I didn’t realize how much stronger the union would become.”
Others said they were proud to be attending the Convention with their local bargaining units (LBU) and able to share their successes with their union siblings throughout the state. Nurses learned about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), discussed the stakes of upcoming elections, heard from inspiring speakers and voted on proposals that would guide the union’s future.
Virginia Allen Inspires Nurses
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, kicked off the Convention by reminding members of the powerful gains they’d secured. The fierce Virginia Allen, who many agreed was a force to inspire, followed Hagans. One of the last living Black Angels, 93-year-old Allen is one of the many Black nurses who were recruited in the late 1920s to Staten Island’s Seaview Hospital to care for patients with tuberculosis when no one else would. She spoke about her long road to activism and explained that, in the fight for respect for nurses and patients, advances in medicine did not compare to the force of nurses building power together.
Michelle Pean, RN, from NYC Health +Hospitals (H+H)/Kings County, said her favorite part of the Convention was watching Allen speak. “She is 93 years old. She is so strong. And she’s a militant.”
Patient care remained at the center of her message. Susan Quinell, RN, from Canton-Potsdam Hospital, shared that Allen’s story gave her hope. “Sometimes you feel a bit stuck. But she didn’t go out to do anything different and try to change the world. She just was trying to take care of people. Ultimately, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. There was something very powerful about her message. I have a lot of respect for her.”
Gaining Knowledge
During the first day of the Convention, members attended workshops that offered strategies for fighting for safe staffing, building coalitions across allied groups and how to address workplace violence. They learned how to share their stories and how to fill out a protest-of-assignment when understaffed. They shared strategies and tools for ensuring that patients get quality care and nurses and healthcare professionals get the respect they deserve.
Marge Lacoste-Langston, RN, from NYC H+H/Queens Hospital Center said attending Convention workshops gave her skills she would take back to her work. “The Assessment one is really helpful. We love that one. We learn so much. The robots, the AI. I can bring so much to the table now because of those classes.”
The AI workshop, which NYSNA and NNU staff put on, was a favorite. In the workshop, presenters discussed how AI would change the healthcare profession and ways nurses could confront the risks it posed. “We don’t talk about that much at home. I’m not seeing it yet, but I’m sure it’s coming. I know they are looking for ways to save money. If they can bring something in like this, we have to be educated. And from the union standpoint, we have to know how to fight. I think it’s really important just to get the knowledge,” added Quinell from Canton-Potsdam.
Unstoppable Keynote Speakers
NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, RN, kicked off the dinner program on the first night of the Convention. Members heard inspiring speeches from keynote speakers NNU Co-President Cathy Kennedy, RN; New York executive director of SAG-AFTRA Rebecca Damon; and Assembly Member Aileen Gunther. They shared some of the most inspiring moments for them over the past several months and gave words of encouragement to nurses in the audience.
Damon described how her first acting role playing a nurse on television brought her into the labor movement and how her union went on strike over the entertainment industry’s greed and increasing use of AI. She said: “In addition to our shared missions to protect the workers in our industries, NYSNA members and SAG-AFTRA members have something very important in common — a passion for our chosen career. I think many members of both unions would describe their drive for the work they do as a ‘calling.’ There is strength in this. Strength to know that you have dedicated yourself and your career to something that gives you purpose. And it is a strength that employers can — and do — exploit.”
Kennedy reminded us of our power as a union. “When it comes to the social determinants of health, we also know that we must speak out beyond the walls of the hospital. And we are so fortunate to have NYSNA in our national and global movement, because your union, YOUR UNION, is such a powerful voice for change, and don’t you ever forget that!”
The evening closed with a celebration of Gunther’s career; she is retiring at the end of the year. Gunther is an incredible healthcare champion who helped usher in safe staffing legislation in New York and joined with NYSNA members to save healthcare services. She announced that she plans to return to bedside nursing, so we hope to welcome her as a NYSNA member soon!
Democracy in Action
On the second day, Convention delegates gathered to hear proposed bylaws amendments and resolutions. While some proposals sparked healthy debate, others won almost unanimous support — like the resolution to fight for equity in maternal health and safety. You can read the full resolutions that passed at nysna.org/Convention. Although it was a long day of debate and listening, members like Natalie Miller, RN, from Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, said that hearing members discuss proposals is always the part of the Convention she looks forward to most. “I love the voting. It’s nice to know your vote counts. There have been years when I’ve read a resolution and thought I was going to vote one way, but after listening to people debate both sides, I’ve changed my vote. Being here in person instead of voting online and reading the proposal there is helpful.”
First-time Convention delegate, Jessica Guncay, RN, from NYC Health +Hospitals/Gotham-Sydenham shared that after speaking to various coworkers who had previously attended the Convention about their experiences, she was “most excited for the voting.”
A record amount of business was passed at the 2024 Convention. To read all the bylaws amendments and resolutions that were passed, visit the NYSNA website.
Unity and Solidarity Make Us Unstoppable
Over the course of the two days, members also shared their own accomplishments with each other. Victoria Daniels, RN, from Erie County Medical Center, who was attending the Convention for the fourth time, said her favorite part was, “Coming together, seeing the unity, feeling the energy of our union.” She noted that her unit’s accomplishments resonated with other members. “I’m very proud of our LBU; we worked really hard to be leaders and now people want to imitate what we’re doing with staffing. People will come to us and say, ‘Whoa, how did you do that? With staffing and getting such a good contract and the things we do to fight,’” she continued.
Yolette Janvier, RN, from NYC H+H/Queens Hospital Center shared that this was her second Convention and that she wishes she had been able to take advantage of the Convention sooner. “Being surrounded by so many nurses and being able to share experiences makes me feel great. For example, last night at dinner we started speaking and then realized we had the same problems!”
Jennifer Mattera, RN, from Peconic, Long Island, reflected on the Convention and said that seeing everyone together was empowering. “We are one united group of people, and we all want the same thing. Patient care is the center of our focus.” The unity found at this year’s Convention was truly electrifying, and it is an energy and solidarity that nurses take into every fight they have.
NYSNA members are looking forward to another year of victories as we prepare for contract campaigns across the state, advocate for health equity, and work to hold our employers and elected officials accountable. Missed the Convention? Check out the video and photo highlights on NYSNA’s social media and on our website. And save the date for next year’s Convention: Oct. 28-29, 2025, at Resorts World Catskills.