NYSNA Nurses at Oneida Health Hospital Hold Informational Picket and Demand Management Bargain in Good Faith
For immediate release: March 19, 2025
Contact: Andrea Penman-Lomeli | press@nysna.org | 347-559-3169
Kristi Barnes | press@nysna.org | 646-853-4489
NYSNA NURSES AT ONEIDA HEALTH HOSPITAL HOLD INFORMATIONAL PICKET AND DEMAND MANAGEMENT BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH
Nurses hold an informational picket and call for a contract with enforceable safe staffing standards, a plan to retain experienced nurses, and respectful wages and benefits.
Oneida, N.Y. - On Wednesday, March 19, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses at Oneida Health Hospital held an informational picket to demand that management negotiate in good faith and settle a fair contract with safe staffing and a real plan to retain nurses for safe patient care.
Oneida management has been dragging their feet for months. Earlier this year they refused to agree to more bargaining sessions and only agreed to come to the table after nurses held a speak-out. Nurses filed an unfair labor practice charge in February after management refused to bargain in person.
Kim Stark, RN, said, “Management refuses to take safe patient care seriously and shows that in bargaining. Our patients are coming in sicker than ever. We have said time and time again, we need a contract that nurses, patients, and this community deserves. Instead of working to retain the experienced nurses who care about this community, they’ve created a revolving door with nurses leaving just as quickly as they are hired. We know Oneida can do more to retain nurses for safe patient care, they just keep showing that it's not a priority.”
According to data collected by the Department of Health, over the last 10 years, the share of Oneida Health Hospital patients coded as having “extreme” severity of illness more than doubled – from 4% in 2012 to 10% in 2022. The share of inpatients with an “extreme” risk of mortality tripled in that same time period, going from 3% to 9%.
Over half of all inpatients were admitted through the emergency department, which has been on diversion twice since the beginning of the year. When hospitals are on diversion, it means there are not enough staff or capacity to care for the influx of patients. Traveling longer distances for healthcare can lead to worse health outcomes for patients. Oneida Health Hospital services mostly publicly insured patients from the local community, who rely on the hospital for inpatient care like emergency services and maternity care. Roughly a quarter of inpatients use Medicaid and over a third use Medicare.
The growing retention problem means there are not enough experienced nurses to train new hires. Nurses believe the package offered by Oneida management, with wage increases that do not exceed inflation, ignores the retention problem and does not take safe staffing seriously. Oneida Health’s nurses are some of the lowest paid in the region. Last year, Oneida brought in nearly $133 million in revenue, up from $121 million the year prior.
NYSNA nurses have been asking for enforceable safe staffing standards, a plan to retain experienced nurses, and regionally competitive wages and benefits. Although New York state enacted a safe staffing law to ensure there are enough nurses to safely care for patients, Oneida management has refused to incorporate clear and enforceable safe staffing standards into their contract, as is standard in nurse contracts across New York state.
Terry Delaney, RN, said, “Experience is essential in nursing. So many of the things we do you can only learn from nurses at the beside. If Oneida doesn’t agree to a contract that keeps our best here, we won’t have the experience to train new nurses. Training and education are key to ensuring that patients get quality care, and if Oneida cared about this community, management would listen to nurses and invest in safe patient care.”
Ann Marie Taliercio, President of the Central New York Area Labor Federation, said, “People from across the region rely on Oneida for essential services. Our community deserves the best care possible. Instead, I hear from community members that they are going to hospitals further away to get maternity care and other essential services. This is unacceptable. Patients should get the care they need—here, in Oneida. The hospital needs to respect its nurses and ensure that they stay in Oneida because we know more nurses means better care.”
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said, “Oneida management needs to stop playing games with their nurses and start taking patient care seriously. If Oneida wants to be a hospital that the community respects, it needs to invest in the nurses that deliver the quality care patients deserve. Oneida nurses should know they have 42,000 NYSNA nurses behind them in this fight.”
Joe LaPaglia, President of the Central New York Labor Council, said, “Our tireless nurses are the backbone of this community’s health. It’s unconscionable that Oneida does not prioritize nurses and disrespects them by failing to bargain in good faith. If Oneida cared about this community, they would agree to a fair contract now!”
For months, nurses at Oneida have been fighting for a contract with clear, enforceable safe staffing standards, to comply with New York state law, and wages and benefits that would keep nurses at the bedside that will help them provide the safe, quality patient care the community deserves. Earlier this year, they marched to the office of CEO Felissa Koernig to demand management come back to the table and held a speak-out. NYSNA nurses are holding an informational picket to demand that hospital administrators follow the staffing law and invest in recruiting and retaining more nurses for safe, quality care.
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The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.